Dark Clouds Loom Overhead

Their overarching direction was aligned, though the specific details had yet to be discussed, which would take some time. For two people meeting for the first time, reaching this point was already well beyond expectations. Both were quite satisfied! Thus, Su Yu and the Human Sovereign prepared to talk again next time; both needed time to prepare. However, just as the two were preparing to return, they heard King Daming's pleasantly surprised voice in the distance: "Old Ancestor, Great-Grandmother is still alive?" "Old Ancestor, you wouldn't believe it, but every year during the holidays and festivals, our family offers sacrifices to the ancestors—and Old Ancestor, you were always included!" "Old Ancestor, ever since I found out you were still alive, I changed my name to Little Ming King! Back then, I didn't know you were still alive; otherwise, I never would've dared call myself King Daming—that's a direct taboo!" "..." Over there, the conversation was blazing! The primary speaker: King Daming! Compared to Xia Longwu's deadpan face and rather brusque treatment of King Zhan, King Daming was courteous to King Ming to an absurd degree. Su Yu's eyes flickered, and the Human Sovereign wore a faint, wry smile. Good grief! The Zhu family's upbringing truly was superior! Just then, King Daming's joyful voice rang out again: "Old Ancestor, our Zhu family lineage has carried on all the way to this day with a flourishing progeny! Why, in Dao Integration alone, I’ve cultivated a whole bunch for you, Old Ancestor! Alas... they all lack resources. Otherwise, they could all have become Rulers of Rules and come to visit you this time!" "..." King Ming was actually dumbfounded... How many generations separated them? Could someone really act this affectionate? "I heard Old Ancestor manages logistics around here. What you might not know, Old Ancestor, is that I, the grandson of your grandson's grandson, also built my reputation starting in logistics! I see how hard you're working, Old Ancestor. Do you need a helper? I could lend you a hand and run errands... It runs in our bloodline! I'm an expert in this field too; I've been running logistics for His Majesty Emperor Yu... I know this line of work inside and out!" "..." At this moment, even the Human Sovereign chuckled and cast a meaningful glance at Su Yu: *What are you up to?* *The moment you arrive, you want to take over my logistics?* Although they were all supreme experts and Rulers of Rules, fighting up to this day meant certain resources were in dire shortage—resources for cultivation, recovery, healing... Of course, people still possessed good things in their hands. High-grade weapons, corpses of the mighty, insights into the Dao, and even stripped Great Daos of rules! Most of these treasures were now treated as communal assets. And all of them were under King Ming's control. King Daming understood one thing clearly: after years of fighting without resupply, treasures would mostly be put under centralized management—an inevitable stage in prolonged warfare. Thus, he knew King Ming definitely held a massive cache of treasures! Fighting for years, countless experts of the myriad races had fallen. Had their corpses just vanished? What about their weapons? Their Daos? Their blood essence? They had to exist! So right now, King Daming claimed kinship with unprecedented glee. He looked down on that blockhead Xia Longwu. Look at King Zhan—what an easily hoodwinked fellow! Yet that thickheaded Xia Longwu had foolishly drawn a blade against his own ancestor. How unfilial! And now, Xia Longwu was standing there like a wooden puppet. Indeed, the Xia family was hopeless; his Zhu family was far superior! At this moment, King Ming was thoroughly spooked by his enthusiasm, left momentarily speechless. What was he supposed to do? Agree or decline? This grandson of his grandson's grandson... wanted to assist him and run logistics. If this continued, he could just retire, and his descendant of countless generations could take over all his duties under the Human Sovereign! "No need, I can manage..." "How could that be right! If outsiders hear of this, wouldn't they think your descendants are unfilial? And Great-Grandmother is still here! Old Ancestor, when you have time, let me go pay respects to Great-Grandmother—I'll kowtow and bow before her! Our Zhu family passes down poetry and classics through generations; we cannot lack proper etiquette!" King Daming was truly courteous, truly filial—he actually wanted to go kowtow to his Great-Grandmother! King Ming felt utterly exhausted! King Zhan bared his teeth, suddenly feeling a surge of contentment. This descendant of his Xia family... well, he wasn't very tactful, but compared to the Zhu family now, wonderful! He liked it! The men of the Xia family should be just like this! Fortunately, Marquis Xia was not here at this moment; otherwise, King Zhan probably would not be feeling so pleased. Off to the side, Xia Longwu kept a stiff face, saying nothing. He looked down on the Zhu family's shamelessness! Yet he also felt a twinge of envy... and for good reason. At this moment, driven to wit's end by King Daming's extreme courtesy and overwhelming warmth, King Ming ultimately presented a greeting gift. King Daming was a Ruler of Rules after all; giving something shoddy would be too humiliating! Thus, King Ming brought out an array disc. The moment it appeared, it gleamed with radiance, causing even the River of Time to ripple slightly. Clearly, it was an authentic treasure! In the back, Su Yu was thoroughly amused! The Human Sovereign was amused as well. "A fine treasure! That's an array disc King Ming has used for years, endowed with stabilizing properties! It stabilizes the river, stabilizes heaven and earth, stabilizes the Sea of Stars... When he raised the Sea of Stars before, he used this very formation! It can even stabilize the sea of will! Who would've thought he'd give it away today? That fellow is usually an old miser. Seems bloodline inheritance has its pros and cons!" He felt like laughing; this was the first time he had seen King Ming look flustered and desperate to flee. This was not a problem that wisdom alone could solve. The man addressed you as "Old Ancestor" with every breath, full of filial devotion, enthusiasm, and eagerness to help... Above all, he was genuinely your descendant! What could you do? Glare at him? Beat him? Scold him? None of that was appropriate! Even though you knew perfectly well he had come seeking benefits, you still felt too embarrassed not to cough up something! Su Yu chuckled too, smiling brilliantly. "King Daming is just that filial—there's nothing anyone can do about it!" With that, Su Yu walked over and laughed, "King Daming, stop pestering King Ming! Look at General Longwu, he's far more well-behaved. Honest folk always get the short end of the stick. I haven't seen General Longwu badgering King Zhan, saying, 'Old Ancestor, that saber of yours was truly magnificent just now, why don't you gift it to me?' Longwu would never utter such words!" The corner of King Zhan's mouth twitched! *Please, don't—I want to leave!* *Don't mess around, this saber... cannot be gifted!* *Besides, this unfilial descendant attacked me earlier; how could I give it to him?* *Hmph!* *Not giving it!* Su Yu paid it little heed and said casually with a smile, "Settle down, everyone. The ancestors here didn't abandon anyone on purpose; they were fighting on the front lines! Back in the rear, life was a bit tough for us—so what if our fathers died young, our mothers weren't around to dote on us, and nobody loved us? We scraped by through the mud and blood, didn't we? We endured a hundred thousand years, and now you come here to embarrass yourselves!" Su Yu let out a sigh and quickly added with a smile, "When you have time, go kowtow to the ancestors, and don't bring up the past too much! Don't keep mentioning how the myriad races besieged and butchered us until human heads rolled across the realm... If you suffered bitterness, bear it yourself! How old are you all? You aren't children anymore—can you still count on the ancestors forever?" "General Longwu, don't you go learning from King Daming. Your father died in battle when you were small, and you were hunted down by the myriad races at a young age. When you sought Dao verification to reach Eternity while still at the Sun Moon Realm, the myriad races dispatched a full seventy or eighty Eternities to slaughter you... Those are battle achievements, medals of honor! It's not as if you were hunted like that because of King Zhan..." King Zhan's expression shifted continuously as he asked in embarrassment, "This... surely not? A mere Sun Moon, hunted by that many people?" *Could it really have been that tragic?* *Feels like you're playing the pity card!* *Were things truly that pathetic?* Xia Longwu remained calm. Seeing King Zhan look his way, the corners of his mouth twitched into a stiff upward curve. "No... His Majesty exaggerates! It was only forty or fifty Eternities, and they weren't hunting me alone. That day, His Majesty was only at the Shanhai Realm. Had His Majesty not come to the rescue, I would have died long ago. His Majesty had it far harder than me!" King Zhan froze. *He really was hunted like that?* The Human Sovereign also looked somewhat surprised and glanced at Su Yu. Su Yu chuckled. "What was so hard for me? I was used to it long ago! Back in Great Xia Prefecture, I slaughtered in every direction. Even during my Character Cultivation days, I dared to kill Sun Moons, let alone when I reached Shanhai... Well, no need to dwell on the past!" King Zhan felt thoroughly self-conscious. *This... should I... give him something?* *I don't really have anything to give—I'm poor!* After deliberating, King Zhan gave a dry laugh and cleared his throat. "Treasures are mere worldly possessions... I see your Saber Dao is quite formidable. How about... I gift you some of my insights into the Saber Dao, and you... you can study them closely..." Still feeling awkward, he hurriedly inscribed a copy of his Saber Dao insights and presented it to Xia Longwu. This time, Xia Longwu was actually intrigued. He did not refuse, though he too felt somewhat awkward. Only after a pause did he mumble, "Thank you... Old Ancestor!" He could barely bring himself to say it! King Zhan was embarrassed, Xia Longwu was embarrassed, King Ming was embarrassed, while King Daming was beaming with joy, clutching King Ming's hand affectionately like a cheerful child. King Ming had no idea where to put his hands and feet, casting a pleading look toward the Human Sovereign! *Good heavens!* *Your Majesty, save me!* *Let's head back!* *This descendant of mine, hundreds of years old... holding my hand—it's mortifying!* The Human Sovereign was amused as well. Clearing his throat, he smiled and said, "Su Yu, why don't you all... stay here for a while? We cannot be away for too long, nor can King Zhan... Xingyue can stay here and chat with everyone for now. We'll discuss things in detail later!" Su Yu smiled. "Take care, Your Majesty. This matter indeed requires further consideration!" "Then... I shall take my leave first!" The Human Sovereign felt a bit uneasy under the gazes of the others as well. At this moment, many eyes suddenly turned toward him; he had no idea what they were thinking, but he knew leaving was the wisest move! Without waiting for anyone else to speak, the three departed swiftly! Looking rather flustered! Even when King Zhan had been beaten earlier, he had not looked this disheveled; at this moment, the embarrassment was overwhelming—too awkward, time to run! As for King Ming, who was usually utterly calm, he couldn't wait to flee immediately today! ... Once they had fled, King Daming waved his hand reluctantly, laughing heartily: "Old Ancestor, I'll come visit you and Great-Grandmother later! Tell Great-Grandmother not to be too generous—one greeting gift is plenty, I definitely won't accept a second!" He might as well have said: *I'm definitely taking a second gift, so hurry up and prepare it!* Xia Longwu stood stiffly. Seeing King Daming looking at him, his mouth twitched, but he simply could not bring himself to say anything similar. *I care about my dignity!* Once the three were gone, everyone burst out laughing. King Daqin snapped in exasperation, "You fellow... truly have no shame!" King Daming scoffed contemptuously. "Idiot! Who told you not to have a powerful ancestor? Look at this array disc... what a treasure! I reckon once it stabilizes my sea of will, even a third-rank Ruler of Rules won't be able to shatter me! I can take a blow from a third-rank Ruler of Rules head-on and turn around to strike him dead—it's like having an extra life! What do you know?" King Daqin had no retort. Su Yu smiled and didn't pay it too much mind. It was a good item, but it wouldn't heavily sway the overarching war, or King Ming would not have given it away. They were all sly foxes! Giving each other some face and building a little rapport was enough. Separated by so many generations, genuine familial love didn't really exist, but an affinity was there—after all, they shared the same bloodline! Furthermore, for King Zhan and the others, not that much time had actually passed on this side. Over thousands of years of constant warfare, they still held some familial sentiment, though unfortunately these were not their direct descendants... As for Xuelan, if she met King Xue, King Xue would probably be deeply emotional—assuming King Xue wasn't dead. After laughing and joking for a while, the crowd quickly quieted down and looked toward Su Yu. Earlier, Su Yu seemed to have had a good discussion with the other side. How did it go? Wan Tiansheng asked, "Your Majesty, does the Human Sovereign want us to join forces directly, or does he have other plans?" If they were to join forces directly, leaving them here now wouldn't make sense. Could there be other intentions? Su Yu looked at the crowd, remained silent for a moment, and said softly, "Before we arrived, I told everyone: we came here for a brutal war, a fight to the death, not to curry favor or reminisce with the Human Sovereign and his companions!" Everyone's hearts tightened! Su Yu continued calmly, "Right now, there are two choices. One: wait! Wait until this place merges with the myriad realms... When that happens, the Three Gates will open, chaos will engulf heaven and earth, and perhaps we can rise amidst the turmoil. Of course, the variables are enormous and numerous; nothing would be under our control!" "Two: take the initiative to attack!" At this moment, everyone understood! Su Yu would never choose the first option; otherwise, he wouldn't have come. Therefore, there was really only one choice: take the initiative and attack. It was just that no one had expected it to happen so fast—faster than imagination! It was only their very first day! Su Yu hadn't even rendezvoused with the Human Sovereign's forces, nor had they rested. He and the Human Sovereign had met for the very first time and hardly knew each other, yet he was already speaking of launching an offensive. At this moment, Wan Tiansheng turned exceedingly solemn. "Your Majesty means... we... are to join hands with the Human Sovereign's forces and strike together?" Su Yu nodded. The crowd grew much more solemn, but soon King Daqin gave a stiff laugh. "Then let's do it! Truth be told, fighting north and south all these years, we've never flinched from battle! At Your Majesty's command... even if we have to self-detonate, we'll make those bastards across from us pay dearly!" "Do it!" Tianmie hollered, "Your Majesty, we came here to fight, not to catch up! Though Great Axe could go catch up with King Xue—maybe he'll even reap some unexpected harvest..." Beside him, Great Axe glared with an unkind look. Meanwhile, Xuelan's eyes were icy. Tianmie... had far too loose a tongue! Yet Tianmie thought nothing of it. "After a battle, you might drop dead. Why leave any regrets behind? Great Axe, you have my backing!" Xuelan's gaze was frigid enough to freeze the air, but Great Axe stroked his thick beard... *Really?* *Could... could that actually work?* Beside him, Xuelan's expression shifted, and she abruptly glared at Great Axe: *You want to be my father?* Caught under her stare, Great Axe instantly changed his expression, turning solemn and bellowing in anger, "Tianmie, are you courting death?" Tianmie grinned from ear to ear! Great Axe barked a rebuke, snorted, and then smiled toward Xuelan: *Don't misunderstand, he's just spouting nonsense, I never meant that!* Yet... that baboon Tianmie sometimes spoke the truth. After today, would there even be a tomorrow? Su Yu, their sovereign, was a madman. Since he wanted to take the initiative to attack, there really might not be a tomorrow. Why not... give it a shot? Great Axe pondered silently! At this moment, the Necromancer King also stepped forward and asked softly, "Your Majesty, how did you and the Human Sovereign negotiate this? Who is our enemy, and how strong are they?" "Thirty Rulers of Rules!" Su Yu answered calmly, "Of course, that's not set in stone! It could be more, or it could be fewer. Once a major war breaks out, who can say for sure? All we can say is roughly that number! And among them... there will certainly be a first-rank!" At this, the Martial Emperor sucked in a breath of cold air. "First-rank? Honestly, a first-rank is absurdly strong! Back in the day, I saw King Wen make a move—with a single point of his brush, he pierced a Ruler of Rules to death!" "The Ruler of Rules who got struck dead was not weak either. By current metrics, probably a weak third-rank or a strong fourth-rank! Yet King Wen snuffed him out with a single stroke of his brush!" He had witnessed it with his own eyes! Thus, even though he feared neither heaven nor earth, he genuinely harbored dread toward King Wen. Back when King Wen killed that foe with a stroke of his brush, he had even glanced toward the Martial Emperor hiding in the shadows. Deep down, the Martial Emperor was terrified of King Wen. He cursed King Wu endlessly, yet he never truly dared curse King Wen, at most tossing out an insult about "Taishan's gang"... and only "that gang"! Never mind that Su Yu and his companions had previously slain five Rulers of Rules—one had to understand that took place inside Su Yu's world! Those foes had been suppressed, Su Yu's side had been amplified, and the enemy weakened. Hence, killing them was vastly simpler. If they encountered one outside under normal circumstances, killing a Ruler of Rules was exceptionally difficult. In that ancient era, King Wen and the Human Sovereign surpassed everyone else. For ages back then, debates raged: throughout the heavens and myriad realms, was King Wen number one, or was the Human Sovereign number one? Who was stronger? Even to this day, no one had given a definitive answer! And now, they were to confront a first-rank! Yet Su Yu smiled. "Not everyone is King Wen. First-rank also has varying levels of strength. King Wen and the Human Sovereign might have both surpassed the first rank, which was why killing supreme experts was effortless for them. But that doesn't mean the first-ranks among the myriad races are the same! King Ming just now was a first-rank. According to what the Human Sovereign told me, classified by units of Dao power, the first rank starts at sixteen units of Dao power... That opponent is probably only newly stepped into the first rank!" Sixteen units counted as first-rank. Eight to fifteen units were second-rank. Outside, Su Yu was not particularly strong, possessing roughly nine units by his own estimation. Inside his own world, however, Su Yu felt he commanded at least fourteen units of Dao power. As for the Martial Emperor, he was probably around nine units as well. King Zhan was likely of the top tier; outside, his strength was probably comparable to Su Yu's inside his own world. Su Yu couldn't judge precisely, as King Zhan hadn't mobilized his Dao power earlier. That way, if he joined forces with King Zhan and the Martial Emperor against a sixteen-unit powerhouse... Outside, it would be hard to say; even if they won, it would be an agonizing, bloody struggle. But inside his world, where the opponent would be suppressed—suppressed down to fifteen units—Su Yu and King Zhan joining forces had a real shot at beating a first-rank to death! Therefore, if this battle was truly to be fought... they had to lure the enemy within the radiant range of his world! Otherwise, there was no way to fight; even a victory would be pyrrhic! Then it wouldn't be worth it! Trading twenty Rulers of Rules for thirty of the enemy's might seem like a massive bargain to some, but to Su Yu, it would be a colossal loss! Su Yu said softly, "Fight, we must! I like having the initiative. When the battle breaks out will be our call! Where the battlefield lies will be decided by us! Taking the offensive is infinitely better than being passive! Being passive leaves you only defending!" "Of course, there are advantages for us right now!" Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "First, the enemy knows nothing about us; they don't even know we exist! Second, if we can lure them into an encirclement... we will hold the absolute advantage in timing, terrain, and harmony! Third, we must use this single battle to let our human predecessors know our might. That way, we avoid later trouble. If the Human Sovereign really drops dead and those old veterans refuse to obey, can we actually slaughter them? Showing our strength now..." Everyone was struck speechless! *The Human Sovereign is dropping dead again?* *Why are you always thinking about the Human Sovereign dying? That's not very auspicious!* With an impassive face, Su Yu said calmly, "When I say he's going to drop dead, he's going to drop dead. What, unhappy about it? If you're unhappy, go find the Human Sovereign!" He had to administer a preemptive vaccination! Lest something go wrong and the Human Sovereign's grave injuries be exposed, plunging everyone into panic! Sure enough, Wan Tiansheng's eyes flickered. "Could it be that Your Majesty plans to put on a show with the Human Sovereign—having him feign near-death to lure the enemy deep into a trap?" Su Yu said indifferently, "What if he actually drops dead? What show?" *Good heavens, everyone understands now—it's an act!* *Even if you deny it, we get the picture!* *Understood!* Everyone exchanged tacit glances. Su Yu and the Human Sovereign had clearly reached an agreement: the Human Sovereign would feign severe injuries and imminent demise to lure the enemy in deep. As for how to lure them, that was not their concern. Fine, everyone got it! Tianmie guffawed. "Understood! Even if we see the Human Sovereign perish, everyone should stay calm and not lose their heads... Understood! We completely comprehend Your Majesty's painstaking intentions!" *Rest assured!* Su Yu smiled and shot him an approving look. Tianmie was instantly overjoyed: *I'm too damned smart, seeing right through His Majesty's thoughts in a flash.* *Outstanding!* At this moment, the others laughed as well. However, Wan Tiansheng glanced at Su Yu, saying nothing. The Human Sovereign dropping dead... this wasn't the first time Su Yu had said it. Once or twice could be dismissed as a joke. Saying it repeatedly... on one hand made Su Yu seem disrespectful toward his senior; on the other hand, it almost sounded like cursing the Human Sovereign. Su Yu shouldn't harbor any ill will toward the Human Sovereign, so there was no need to keep cracking such jokes. An act... that might be part of it. However... what if it was true? Wan Tiansheng did not dare think too deeply! The thought alone terrified him. Sheer dread! The Human Sovereign was the strongest figure of the human race right now, the pillar upholding everything. Su Yu could not yet replace him in that regard. One had to understand that resisting the myriad races with less than half their number of Rulers of Rules rested entirely on the Human Sovereign! He was the Sovereign! A leader in strength, and a leader in spirit. If the Human Sovereign truly died, Tianmie and the others might not care too much, but the ancient kings would go mad; they would lose all faith! Before this, Su Yu truly held little presence in their eyes! Wan Tiansheng contemplated whether this battle was something Su Yu wanted to fight, or something the Human Sovereign wanted to fight. Was the objective of this battle simply to weaken the myriad races, or was it... to give Su Yu a chance to stand before everyone's eyes, to let the ancient powerhouses know that even if the Human Sovereign fell in battle, another could rise to take his place? Wan Tiansheng pondered so very much! ... Meanwhile. As the Human Sovereign, King Zhan, and King Ming walked forward along the path, the Human Sovereign suddenly smiled. "Old Zhu, what do you think of this Su Yu?" King Ming pondered carefully and replied, "I haven't had direct contact or in-depth understanding, but looking at that band of proud and fierce warriors under his command, every single one shows him immense awe. This Su Yu... is far from simple! For someone so young to hold down such people is not something ordinary folk could pull off! I even made a point of chatting with the Martial Emperor and casually brought up Su Yu... The Martial Emperor's expression was stiff, carrying anger and embarrassment, yet not excessively furious... It felt like he had been subdued—not entirely willing, yet forced to concede nonetheless!" He too was a sly fox! A single conversation was enough for him to deduce plenty. He continued, "I also know Great Axe, Wuji, and the rest. I exchanged a few words with them. Wuji was previously under the Ninth-Generation Human Master, Hundred Battles, before defecting to Su Yu only recently. Yet toward Su Yu... I saw fear in Wuji, along with deep reverence! As for Great Axe, it was mostly admiration, perhaps even borderline idolization!" "For a martial artist, worshiping someone... is no small feat. What's more, Great Axe is no child; he was a formidable Marquis of our era, yet even he was won over by Su Yu!" The Human Sovereign nodded slightly and smiled. "I took a look at the makeup of the experts under him: the Iron Eating race, the Hou race, the Destiny race... The Destiny race is actually rather aloof, yet right now, they obey his orders and await his command! There are Marquises from our era, and there is the new generation... So many different races, so many disparate factions, all subdued and suppressed by him. Su Yu is indeed remarkable!" Sometimes, many things could be understood with just a glance. The Human Sovereign was no fool! If he had wagered the entire future of the human race on Su Yu over a single conversation, he would be a lunatic! He had observed and assessed, able to deduce roughly Su Yu's personality, strength, methods, style, intelligence, and wisdom... When it came to judging people, he possessed keen insight. Though he had been swindled a few times, being tricked was inevitable; one ought to have anticipated being swindled. After saying a few words, the Human Sovereign fell silent for a moment before saying, "Over these years, my injuries have shown no signs of improvement—instead, they've grown heavier by the day!" Before King Zhan could speak, King Ming let out a sigh. "Your Majesty... Brother Xing, do you... intend to gamble? Su Yu is still too weak!" He gave a bitter smile. "If you must gamble... Big Brother, handing things to me would surely give you more peace of mind than leaving it to him, wouldn't it? In terms of strength, he's not even my match!" He had no intention of seizing power—that was meaningless! It was just that he couldn't put his mind at ease! He genuinely couldn't! This was too reckless! With him around, at least he could stabilize their forces. The Human Sovereign laughed. "You are strong enough, and you have a good head on your shoulders, but you... cannot be a leader! Old Zhu, we have been brothers for many years. To put it bluntly: you are fine at maintaining the status quo, but once a crisis or catastrophe strikes... you might be able to lead everyone in a retreat, but you cannot stage a comeback from a desperate impasse!" The Human Sovereign let out a sigh. "Otherwise, why would I leave my old brothers aside to place my hopes in a newcomer? I never count on others; I only ever wanted to rely on myself to suppress all and sweep away all! But... heh..." The Human Sovereign smiled, tinged with no small amount of helplessness. "Now, I am forced to make such preparations! While I still retain some strength and can fight one more battle, I want to see, test, and observe him a bit more... If I wait too long, I fear I won't even have that chance!" King Zhan said in a muffled voice, "Big Brother, your injuries... have they really reached this point?" The Human Sovereign chuckled softly. "Dao injuries! Heavy trauma to the physical body! Right now... if there were no major war and no crisis, I could think of a way—for instance, severing my Dao first, cutting off my Human Sovereign Dao and severing my new world... Once I find a way to recover, I could reconnect them! But I can't. The moment I cause a major disturbance, everyone will sense it, and then we're dead for sure!" It could not be severed! Once severed, the crisis would reach the absolute extreme! At this moment, both King Zhan and King Ming wore pitch-black expressions. King Ming said in a low voice, "Then what Big Brother means is to test Su Yu to see if he has the capability to shoulder the human race? And then, Old Xia and I will lend him our support?" The Human Sovereign remained silent for a moment before nodding. "What I value is nothing else but his ability to overturn desperate situations! I've learned a bit about his deeds in the myriad realms: turning the tables from a hopeless position, leveraging minuscule power to shift the entire myriad realms! He quashed the perils of the realms and even brought over thirty Rulers of Rules to our aid... The crucial point is that he has potential. Old Zhu, you are a first-rank, but can you... transcend that? It's too difficult! But he has hope! He is a World Opener—not just that, but a World Opener who advances at blinding speed!" King Ming fell silent. The Human Sovereign continued, "Don't worry, I won't die that easily, nor will I bet everything on him after a single meeting and a single battle... But if he can truly pull it off and fulfill our agreement, he will have the power to suppress everything, including our old brothers... No matter how proud or fierce they are, they must maintain enough confidence and respect toward such a figure!" Advanced age was no excuse to rest on one's laurels! At a time like this, when a powerhouse capable of turning the tide emerged, regardless of his age, he deserved respect and high expectations! If someone couldn't see through this... The Human Sovereign said softly, "If they can't even see through that, they've followed me all these years in vain! A true martial artist must respect the strong, admire the strong, and obey orders! Intelligent people will see through it clearly. And if an intelligent person sees through it yet still looks for trouble... then they harbor ulterior motives. If such people are suppressed or dealt with... neither of you should intervene!" His old brothers had followed him for too many years. He believed that those who survived to this day—be they rash brutes, sharp minds, or wise men—would not be too stupid when the time came! As for those who stirred up trouble... there would be no need to care about them. They were either unable to see reality, complete fools, or harboring hidden agendas. He wouldn't feel the slightest heartache over purging such people. In any case, he might not even live to see it. "Big Brother!" King Zhan said in a heavy voice, "You make it sound far too pessimistic and desperate! Big Brother, how many years have we followed you in battle? Are you going to cast your brothers aside now and go off on your own? If Su Yu hadn't come, would you really have left all by yourself, abandoning your brothers?" The Human Sovereign laughed. "Don't blame me. That dog King Wen took off first, and that idiot Taishan ran off right behind him, dumping a colossal mess on my shoulders. I wanted to prop it up too... but sigh!" With a sigh, he shook his head, then quickly smiled again. "No need to be so pessimistic. As for me, I'm used to being the big brother and don't fancy being anyone's little brother! I've been the big brother for far too many years... Still... if it truly comes to the absolute worst... Never mind Old Xia, but Old Zhu... endure it a little, and you can even swallow your pride and play the grandson!" He chuckled, "I dislike playing the grandson, and Su Yu... isn't built to be anyone's grandson either. The young have fiery temperaments! You're old now, and when you're old, your temper needs to mellow out. If the Three Gates truly open, what's wrong with playing the grandson for once?" King Ming gave a strained smile and didn't answer, instead changing the subject: "Then what did Big Brother agree upon with Su Yu?" "Fight a battle! Gauge his mettle!" The Human Sovereign turned solemn. "I want him to deal with thirty Rulers of Rules, including a first-rank! I want to see his casualty ratio and see his tactical methods! I will do my best to keep the enemy's strength on an equivalent level. Doesn't he have thirty-six Rulers of Rules? I'll try to maintain balance... Even if he is defeated, given the disposition of the myriad races, they won't fight to the bitter end, so his losses won't be too catastrophic! But if he is defeated or suffers a pyrrhic victory, then I... will have to reconsider!" What he needed was a grand leader, not a reckless brute, not a fool trading one life for another! If they burned through all their forces, what would come next? Both King Zhan and King Ming drew in a slight breath. Thirty, with a first-rank! This... was truly hard to deal with! Could that group manage it? Had they ever fought Rulers of Rules? Did they understand the fighting methods of Rulers of Rules? Could they clash on a large-scale battlefield of Rulers of Rules? They lacked such experience far too sorely! And Su Yu was far too young! In an instant, both men turned exceedingly grim. "Big Brother, what if the myriad races don't retreat... Those people will be in grave danger!" "No matter!" The Human Sovereign laughed softly. "I won't let them be wiped out in one fell swoop... that wouldn't meet my expectations either! If it really goes poorly... we'll simply resume the standoff! Even if the myriad races realize we've grown stronger, as long as I put on a convincing act... so long as I do not die, they still won't dare act rashly!" *As long as I live, I am the deterrent!* *Alive, I am deterrence incarnate!* Absolute confidence! Confidence belonging to the number one figure under the heavens! In the old days, when I unified the world, which of those bastards across from us dared speak aloud? Even if the tiger falls, its majesty endures! As long as I, Xingyu, do not die for a single day, then these heavens will not fall into chaos for a single day—nor could they! At this moment, the Human Sovereign was peerlessly domineering, sneering coldly, "Even if I die, those bastards will have to die in terror, stripped of any power to move against us ever again!" At this moment, King Zhan and King Ming felt as though they had returned to the past! Campaigning across the realm, sweeping through the four directions! Unrivaled and invincible! Where the Human Sovereign stood, invincibility reigned! At this moment, King Ming's aura surged, and in the distance, his true body roared once more, "Your Majesty, I can't hold back anymore! Let's wipe out those bastards opposite us!" "..." At this moment, on the continent opposite them, a group of powerhouses were left speechless. Usually, it was King Zhan who acted impulsively. What was King Ming doing today? How many times had it been now! Who was he trying to scare? Or had something truly catastrophic happened to the human race? In their perception, several Rulers of Rules had been born among the myriad races. Could it be that the human race had been wiped out? If that were the case... hehe, no wonder King Ming couldn't contain himself! If the human race was exterminated, stalling till the end was pointless. At this moment, a grand voice echoed across the continent: "Everyone, stay on high alert! If the human race has truly been destroyed, those fellows across from us might go berserk! Beware of them fighting for their lives!" *Be careful!* If the human race was truly gone and the Human Sovereign and his cohort had lost all hope, what followed would be a bloody war of attrition. At this moment, they feared that as well. They did not know for sure if the human race had been wiped out, but they knew a massive war had broken out in the myriad realms, and many had died. The Dragon, Phoenix, and Underworld races had suffered catastrophic losses, yet the God, Immortal, and Demon races all had Rulers of Rules born. The crucial point was... they were still alive! The Dragon and Phoenix had some as well! This was exceedingly good news! Although they did not know the exact situation in the myriad realms, if the human race held the upper hand, those Rulers of Rules would probably be dead—and if they died, there would be some perception of it. Right now, the resonance was faint, but it was certain that they were still alive! Following the expert's words, the powerhouses on the continent of the myriad races stood ready in full battle array! *Be cautious!* The humans across the divide might just go mad. Right now, they actually hoped the human race had not truly been wiped out; otherwise, if these people went berserk and threw caution to the winds, slaughtering indiscriminately, even if they won, they would still suffer losses. ... On the Human continent. The Human Sovereign's phantom form rippled, his voice resounding, "King Ming, do not provoke trouble!" King Ming reined in his aura. In the next moment, King Zhan's aura surged, and he roared in sudden fury, "Let's just crush them! I've had enough!" "King Zhan!" The Human Sovereign's grand voice rolled out once more. "Calm down!" "I... forget it!" King Zhan's frustrated grumble faded, while the other side grew increasingly tense. Today, King Zhan and King Ming had spoken up one after another, and the Human Sovereign's final words were merely "Calm down," which seemed profoundly meaningful. Was... a great war truly about to break out? At this moment, even on the Human continent, the powerhouses all wore exceedingly grim expressions! Had something happened in the rear? Yet... Xingyue said earlier that the human race held the upper hand! Surely it hadn't come to that? For a time, the atmosphere on the human side grew heavy as well. Storm clouds gathered, and across the two continents, hundreds of powerhouses were filled with grave solemnity. A colossal battle was on the verge of erupting! At this moment, the myriad races didn't particularly wish to fight, yet they could not be sure: would the humans... want to fight? If the human race wished to fight, they would be fighting with the resolve to die, seeking only to drag others down with them to the grave. Otherwise, with the meager number of Rulers of Rules the human race had, there was no reason to initiate war. Now, on the myriad races' side, several top-tier powerhouses swiftly gathered to deliberate: was this merely deterrence from the Human Sovereign, or was there genuine intent to wage war?