Behind the Heavenly Gate

Su Yu naturally had no way of knowing the intense internal struggle King Dazhou was undergoing at this moment. He did not know King Dazhou's choice, but he knew that once the Human Sovereign summoned his true body... King Dazhou might well appear upstream. If King Dazhou left, would disaster strike the myriad realms? On that front, Su Yu was prepared. If something really went wrong... if King Dazhou chose the Human Sovereign, Su Yu... might choose to return to the myriad realms himself, or dispatch powerful experts to head back. Everyone had their own choices. At Su Yu's and the Human Sovereign's heights, including the position King Dazhou occupied, there was no simple right or wrong. Protecting the human race, wiping out formidable foes, taking a desperate gamble, holding fast while waiting for an opportunity... These were all choices. Su Yu was not necessarily right. Nor were others necessarily wrong. As long as they did not collude with the enemy or harm their own kin, everyone's ideals were fundamentally aligned—they differed only in method. That was why Su Yu had told King Dazhou: if you are unwilling, get lost and go to the Human Sovereign! Because I have my own choices. Perhaps the Human Sovereign's side truly suited you better. You were the Commander of the Human Sovereign's Shadow Guards; protecting the Human Sovereign was your duty. The same applied to the experts under Su Yu: if his own commander of shadow guards didn't come to protect him, what use would shadow guards be? Su Yu understood all of this. Therefore, even upon departing, he had not taken King Dazhou along. His reasoning at the time was that Human Mountain was still in the Upper Realm, and forcing King Dazhou away might not set the man's heart at ease. …… At this moment, Su Yu was communing with the Heavenly Gate. He was attempting to test the method of borrowing power through the Heavenly Gate. He possessed Daos of his own, including the Physical Body Dao. Su Yu had left an imprint within it, and he wanted to see if he could borrow power from a mighty expert. As for whether that expert tried to infiltrate, seize his physical body, or control him... do as you please! As an opener of heaven and earth, if he could be killed through a gate from another dimension, he would truly be utter trash. Su Yu practically prayed that whoever responded from behind the Heavenly Gate would be a first-rank. He desperately hoped he could make contact with a first-rank. It would be best if their true body could emerge—damn it, hurling a first-rank out at a critical juncture, that would be real fun! Following the techniques instructed by the Human Sovereign, Su Yu continually attempted to commune with the Heavenly Gate. He truly hoped he could establish contact with a powerful figure. No weaklings! Absolutely no weaklings! According to the Human Sovereign, the entity one first made contact with would most likely be the one they were linked to permanently. Don't you dare give me a third-rank or fourth-rank—such beings were far too weak! Even if powerful experts abounded behind the Heavenly Gate, it was impossible for Rulers of Rules to be everywhere. Even among them, third-rank and fourth-rank were the vast majority. A second-rank was considered a heavyweight in any era. The Heavenly Gate hovered at his forehead. Su Yu continuously infused Dao power—the power of the Physical Body Dao. According to the Human Sovereign, whichever Dao he primarily channeled would attract the expert near his Heavenly Gate whose Dao power was closest to his own to sense his presence. The Physical Body Dao was a fundamental Dao, and by no means weak. It was merely that today's Physical Body Dao—the human race's mighty Physical Body Dao—lacked a true Ruler of Rules. Otherwise, whoever took command of the human race's Physical Body Dao would definitely be stronger than an ordinary first-rank! Hopefully there was someone like that behind the Heavenly Gate. If Su Yu slaughtered them one day, they could even be used to nourish and fill out his own heaven and earth. Yes, Su Yu's plan was simple: borrow power first, and once that was done, find an opportunity to kill them. If you want to step out of the Heavenly Gate, I'll gladly let you out. *Could King Wu be near my Heavenly Gate phantom and get drawn over?* The thought struck Su Yu: definitely not King Wu! Otherwise, it wouldn't be right to stab him in the back. Still, King Wu... might not have the opportunity or time to answer his summons anyway. Judging by his and King Wen's situation, their days were likely hard. "King Wu is definitely a first-rank, at least sixteen Daos or more by now! King Wen is even stronger... which means there are plenty of formidable beings inside the Heavenly Gate! Just give me an expert between sixteen and eighteen Daos!" Anyone stronger would be too much; Su Yu wasn't confident he could handle them yet. But between sixteen and eighteen Daos? If they actually came out, Su Yu had plenty of experts on his side to subdue them without issue. "Hurry up and answer!" Su Yu was growing a bit anxious. Was his Physical Body Dao too weak to attract a mighty existence? He poured Dao power in relentlessly! Gradually, a faint sensation registered in Su Yu's perception. Extremely subtle, but it stirred his heart—someone might be coming! Someone from behind the Heavenly Gate! This could be a great avenue for him to gain intelligence on the Heavenly Gate! As for the Human Sovereign and his peers... Su Yu strongly suspected that whatever experts they had drawn had already been slain by them. With the Human Sovereign's sheer might, even if he attracted someone like the Lord of Dead Spirits, fighting across the Heavenly Gate, the Lord of Dead Spirits definitely wouldn't stand a chance against him. Su Yu waited in silence. A moment later, within his will's perception, his Heavenly Gate phantom seemed to quiver. In the next instant, a faint strand of willpower filtered through, bearing an inquisitive touch. "Who goes there?" Su Yu barked in a low voice, his will surging violently! In an instant, his aura erupted with overwhelming power—at least fourth-rank! Well, a formidable Ruler of Rules—a fourth-rank was still a Ruler of Rules! At this moment, relying solely on the power of his Physical Body Dao, Su Yu could erupt with roughly fourth-rank strength at most. That wasn't bad; it was still on par with an overlord of an entire domain. Right then, a faint will diffused inward, swirling near the Heavenly Gate phantom with an aura of majesty: "Who are you? To commune with the Heavenly Gate—do you not know the Heavenly Gate is not to be trespassed upon? What brazen audacity!" Su Yu's eyes flickered rapidly! Someone had answered! "Someone from behind the Heavenly Gate?" Su Yu didn't feign ignorance. Instead, he replied icily, "This Heavenly Gate truly can summon people from within? I thought it was merely a legend, but to think it's real!" Within the Heavenly Gate phantom, the majestic voice spoke again: "Ignorant junior..." "Shut up!" Su Yu's aura surged aggressively, his voice echoing violently through the Heavenly Gate phantom with a cold snort: "I am the Human Master of the human race, Sovereign of the Tenth Tide! Who are you? State your name! I ascended to become a Ruler of Rules barely having reached the age of twenty! Old man, do not flaunt your seniority before me, or else... don't blame me for severing your will! How dare a mere drifting strand of willpower clamor before this Emperor?" Behind the Heavenly Gate, there seemed to be a brief pause. Human Master? Tenth Tide... Su Yu didn't know whether they understood the concept, but it didn't matter. If the other side didn't understand, he could explain it—he was generous like that! "Human Master of the Tenth Tide... Interesting. Do you know Xingyu?" Su Yu hadn't expected the Human Sovereign to be famous even within the Heavenly Gate. That meant either the Human Sovereign had dealt with them before, or the presence of King Wen and the others had made everyone aware of such a mighty figure. Su Yu sneered, "Nonsense! The Human Sovereign of the ancient era from a hundred thousand years ago! A peerless powerhouse capable of reaching heaven and earth—how could this Emperor not know of him? You know the Human Sovereign too?" "Human Sovereign..." From the other side, the voice came faintly with a hint of amusement: "Do you know that the peerless powerhouse of a Human Sovereign you speak of is merely an equal of this seat? You junior, your tone is certainly not small!" A master of the human race from a hundred thousand years after Xingyu, and seemingly quite young—no wonder he was so arrogant after opening the Heavenly Gate! A figure like this... had every right to be arrogant! Indeed, in any era, reaching roughly the fourth rank at Su Yu's age warranted arrogance. It would be unnatural if he wasn't, let alone as a reigning sovereign of the human race! "Heh!" Su Yu let out a mocking sneer, not bothering to mince words: "Rumor has it that experts behind the Heavenly Gate are countless and can provide us immense aid, lending supreme power to whoever opens the Heavenly Gate! This Emperor recently encountered a formidable enemy and thus communed with the Heavenly Gate. Old man on the other side, can you lend me power?" "Heh, you arrogant junior. Borrowing power, yet you're still this insolent..." Su Yu cut him off once more, brimming with disdain: "Do you think I became Human Master for nothing? It's just mutual benefit. Otherwise, would people like you behind the Heavenly Gate be so kind and selfless as to lend me power out of charity? Why should I be polite to you! I, Su Yu, have rampaged across the myriad realms—I understand this much at least. There's no need for me to be courteous! Whether to lend or not isn't a one-way street; both sides have their interests. Since you accepted my summons, you clearly have intentions of your own. You still want to put on airs before me?" Su Yu was utterly unyielding and coldly dismissive: "This Emperor is merely short on time with no other recourse, which is why I sought you fellows out to borrow power. Otherwise... you wouldn't even qualify to converse with this Emperor!" The figure behind the Heavenly Gate fell silent. This was probably the very first person who borrowed power while being so overwhelmingly arrogant! Of course, he was also a clever man. That was the judgment the entity behind the gate formed of Su Yu: this young Human Master had indeed figured out a great deal, which explained his insufferably arrogant demeanor! The voice from behind the gate drifted through once more: "Junior, you are flamboyant indeed. However... you must understand that right now, you are the one asking me to borrow power. Why borrow it? Because you have encountered an obstacle you cannot overcome, an opponent you cannot resolve. At this juncture, even if I have my own objectives, is it truly appropriate for you to be so domineering? Are you not worried that while clashing with a powerful foe, I might... withdraw my power?" Su Yu remained cold and detached: "Does my death benefit you in any way? Let me put it this way: across the entire myriad realms today, I am the only one who has opened the Heavenly Gate. If I die... what good does that do you? Without you, I can still seek out another person behind the Heavenly Gate. But I... am the only one!" *The only one?* In that instant, the entity behind the gate understood Su Yu's reasoning: scarcity created value! Because he believed that he alone could open the Heavenly Gate! However, the aged voice spoke again with a chuckle: "You are mistaken. You may not know this, but when you summoned and I responded, as long as I do not die, you cannot summon a second person. Thus, between the two of us, we are already bound!" Su Yu's expression shifted slightly, his attitude moderating just a bit: "So that means you and I are in a relationship of mutual benefit? Of course, old man, don't expect to act like some benefactor or savior. This Emperor only talks business! You hope to achieve your purpose through me, and I am merely making a deal with a tiger!" Su Yu was straightforward. The aged voice sighed softly: "You certainly are blunt! Youthful vigor and overbearing pride are not necessarily virtues when you won't even bother with basic superficial courtesies... Can the human race you lead really prosper under you?" Su Yu scoffed, "Don't trouble yourself over it. Once I resolve this formidable enemy, the human race under my lead will inevitably unify the myriad realms. And I shall soon become the second Human Sovereign—or even surpass the Human Sovereign—and truly unify all races!" "Your tone... is certainly grandiose!" Amusement laced the aged voice. This generation's new Human Master was exceedingly arrogant! "Years ago, your human race's Sixth Human Master seemed to have connected to the Heavenly Gate as well, yet he was never this insolent..." Su Yu's heart stirred! The Sixth Human Master! A powerful figure who had died abruptly. Both the Human Sovereign and Su Yu had deduced that someone from the Three Gates was responsible. It seemed... it was indeed related to the Heavenly Gate. And that had also been the era when the three-body art began to officially proliferate. In that instant, Su Yu understood! The Sixth Human Master had been killed by an entity behind the Heavenly Gate. He had died rather than having his body possessed, which meant the Sixth Human Master had fallen fighting back. The opponent was exceedingly strong! Even across the Heavenly Gate, they had killed the Sixth Human Master! Perhaps they had even stepped out and warped the rules, such that not cultivating the three-body art resulted in punishment by the rules! "The Sixth Human Master?" Su Yu mocked, "So what of the Sixth Human Master? Only in my generation have the myriad races been formally suppressed. Today, I am merely one final battle away from crushing the myriad races and officially unifying the heavens! Can the Sixth Human Master compare to me?" Overbearing and supreme! At this moment, the figure behind the gate could only sigh: "Very well. You are... far too domineering. Let us speak no more of this." He truly had lived long enough to see everything! At any other time, facing a terrifying entity from whom one sought to borrow power, not being courteous was one thing, but constantly striving to seize the upper hand? Emperors truly were of a different breed. Scoring petty verbal victories served no purpose. The ancient, aged being said indifferently, "As you said, if I lend you power, you must pay a price!" Su Yu answered dispassionately, "Speak. What do you want? In these myriad realms of the heavens, there is no treasure I, Su Yu, cannot obtain!" "Heh!" The ancient being chuckled. "No need. All I require is that the myriad realms constantly chant my name, and that your human race worships and offers sacrifices to me!" Su Yu's eyes flickered, his voice deepening: "A will imprint? A clever scheme! By chanting your name, crafting an avatar of will for you, your will imprint can enter the myriad realms—is that what you mean?" A sharp mind! In that moment, the old man sighed with emotion: "Dealing with someone too smart might not be a wise idea!" Su Yu sneered, "Nonsense. Who among those who open the Heavenly Gate is an idiot? Do you take me for a fool like the Martial Emperor?" "Martial Emperor?" The old man seemed to ponder something for a while before suddenly chuckling. "Martial Emperor... Could it be the one suppressed by King Wu?" "You know him too?" Su Yu was surprised. The old man's laugh echoed back: "I know a bit. Ever since King Wen and King Wu from the myriad realms entered the Heavenly Gate, much news ceased to be secret. Moreover, over these years, there have been beings like me, and like you, whose wills have roamed the myriad realms..." Su Yu's eyes flashed. So over these years, others had opened the Heavenly Gate as well. The Sixth Human Master had opened it! Yet it was done in utmost secrecy, known to almost no one. He didn't know why it had been kept hidden—had the Sixth Human Master intended to lie low, waiting to astonish the world in one stroke? Yet... he was killed by a being from behind the Heavenly Gate! What a pity! The old man didn't dwell on the topic, soon chuckling: "Junior, who is it you wish to face? How strong are they? From what I see, your strength is not weak either..." "Peak second-rank!" "Second-rank?" He sounded puzzled, and Su Yu immediately retorted, "You don't even know that, and you dare claim to understand the myriad realms?" Su Yu mocked him again: "Right, according to certain ancient records, you people didn't classify it like that. Put it this way: roughly fifteen Daos of power!" At those words, the other side fell silent for a moment. Only after a pause did he ask in confusion, "It was said there are no more mighty experts in the myriad realms, that they are all elsewhere. How did you provoke such a powerful enemy?" *Such a powerful enemy!* Hearing this, Su Yu instantly lost interest. *To hell with you, at most you're a second-rank!* Trash! Boring! His interest in setting a trap to kill this fellow dropped by thirty percent! Su Yu sneered, "I broke the seal left behind by the Human Sovereign, and certain ancient figures from back then stepped out of it. Otherwise, I would have conquered the myriad realms long ago! My strength, my talent—they are beyond the comprehension of people like you! Alas... I merely lacked time. Otherwise, what would a second-rank even matter?" At this point, Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "Just tell me straight: can you lend me power to deal with him or not?" "Peak second-rank... You yourself... don't seem particularly strong..." Su Yu said coldly, "I am young!" Yet the entity behind the gate was still gloomy. A peak second-rank! That was truly difficult to deal with, especially when lending power across realms. This... He thought for a moment before saying, "I suggest you steer clear for now. Put it this way: perhaps I am strong... stronger than your opponent. But even if you borrow the power I transmit across, you will not be able to unleash much of it!" "I know. Didn't you say you were comparable to the Human Sovereign?" Su Yu said indifferently, "An existence like the Human Sovereign likely wields over twenty Daos of power. Even if you lend half that, it is far beyond what fifteen Daos can rival!" Half the power of twenty Daos... was certainly not ten Daos! Half that power might well surpass fifteen Daos! The entity behind the gate felt like cursing. *I was just boasting, and you took it seriously!* Any being capable of sensing the Heavenly Gate phantom was not weak; the weak could not sense it at all. The old man behind the gate was indeed not weak—not the second-rank Su Yu assumed, but a first-rank, though... barely stepping across the threshold! Such a figure was among the top tier within the Heavenly Gate in any era. And yet... this brat had somehow provoked a peak second-rank with fifteen Daos of power, while Su Yu himself felt like he had only two or three Daos of power. The gap was immense! Were he there in person, he naturally wouldn't fear such an opponent. The key issue was that he had to transmit power through the Heavenly Gate! On second thought, however, lending more power was actually a good thing! The more power borrowed, the stronger the transmission! If only a little power were borrowed, he wouldn't be able to infiltrate the myriad realms. Seen in that light, this second-rank opponent was actually an opportunity. Seeing Su Yu's contempt, the old man pondered and said, "How about we give it a try? I will transmit power across to see how much you can utilize. If your efficiency is too low... you will have no choice but to evade!" Su Yu considered it and said, "Fair enough! However... don't harbor any crooked thoughts!" Su Yu sneered, "I will seal the Heavenly Gate phantom to deny you any chance of seeping through. Once you help me eliminate my opponent, I'll naturally grant you an opportunity to infiltrate. But for now... don't even dream of it!" "I, Su Yu, rose to prominence in mere years and swept across the myriad realms. Don't take me for a fool, and don't try any funny business! By the way, what is your name?" *No one is taking you for a fool!* The old man thought to himself that Su Yu was quite troublesome. Of course, none of that mattered much; as long as the boy still needed help, no seal could truly keep him out! The old man chuckled, his voice echoing across: "You may call me Gui!" "Gui?" Su Yu said doubtfully, "Gui as in turtle?" "Gui!" The old man repeated it once more, this time not in the human tongue, but via a thought-wave of will. Su Yu's mind stirred: "You speak the human tongue?" "Is it the human tongue?" The old man—Gui—chuckled softly. "Human tongue... perhaps. But in our era, the human tongue was not called that; it was the Language of the Myriad Realms, or termed the Time Language! As for the human race... I should not count as human." "The language spoken by the Time Master?" Su Yu pondered for a moment, his thoughts racing, and quickly understood. He smiled: "Was the Time Master truly human? Or rather, 'human' is merely a definition, and aside from beasts, everyone in the myriad realms was fundamentally human, correct?" "Little fellow, you are very sharp!" Su Yu sneered, "Naturally. By the way, the last fellow who said that was beaten to death by me. Don't keep repeating it; there's no need!" The last person who said that had been Baizhan. *I know I'm smart!* *But if you fellows keep praising me in that patronizing, haughty tone, I'll beat you to death!* Cut off like that, Gui felt a touch helpless. Arrogant! Unfortunately, he still needed to use this person's Heavenly Gate to infiltrate the myriad realms. The Heavenly Gate was on the verge of opening; he had to secure footholds and lay groundwork in advance, perhaps even entering the myriad realms ahead of time. Viewed that way, Su Yu was indeed an opportunity—the greatest opportunity, the only opportunity! Bear with it for now! The Heavenly Gate would open soon, and perhaps the Hell Gate and Human Gate would follow shortly. Whoever entered the myriad realms first to establish their arrangements would hold the greatest advantage. A first-rank was not weak! It gave him the capital to contend for supremacy! The old man didn't bother speaking further. Soon, a wisp of power seeped across—pure physical body strength. Su Yu quickly drew it into his body and inspected it. There were no traps; setting traps at the very beginning against an overlord like Su Yu would only prove the sender an idiot. Su Yu absorbed the power and sensed it briefly. Not bad; the boost was considerable, roughly ten percent. Good! However, Su Yu's expression darkened: "Are you kidding me? This pitiful wisp of power is so weak it couldn't even kill a Dao Integration expert! Are you playing me?" "Impossible!" The old man's tone grew heavy: "The power I bestowed upon you may not be overwhelming, but those 'quasi-kings' you speak of would be easily slain by it..." Su Yu snorted coldly, "What a joke! Were the quasi-kings of your era such weaklings? The kind you could kill by the thousands with a single punch?" *Could the power dissipation be too severe?* *Or was Su Yu deceiving him?* With these thoughts in mind, Gui's will shifted, channeling another massive surge of power across. Su Yu continued absorbing it, and his strength abruptly leaped—if it had been two Daos of power before, it was now at least three Daos! Yet Su Yu remained infuriated: "Are you toying with me? If so, you can piss off—I'll seal the Heavenly Gate right now! What garbage. I sought you out to deal with a formidable enemy, not to scratch an itch!" "Hmm?" The old man was baffled. That was impossible! In the next moment, he said gravely, "Wait. I was merely testing the loss during power transmission—it was only a trial run. Why be so impatient?" With that, he transmitted power once more, speaking as he channeled: "You appear to possess only around two Daos of power. If the energy is too strong, you will not be able to bear it..." Su Yu ignored him. Enormous quantities of power were drawn in and funneled through his other Daos straight into his own heaven and earth! Then, Su Yu's aura erupted at full blast, and he promptly cursed, "Useless trash!" The old man was stunned! The dissipation was that immense? Holy crap! With the Heavenly Gate on the verge of opening, the loss was still this horrific? This was his first time interacting with a Heavenly Gate possessor. He had only heard that the Heavenly Gate consumed a massive amount of power in the past, but he hadn't known just how staggering the loss was. Now, he felt it. It was monstrous! It felt as though Su Yu on the other side had barely improved at all! This... was a massive problem! He grew solemn. Su Yu's opponent was a peak second-rank. If the increase was negligible, he wouldn't be of much help to Su Yu. Right then, he poured in even more power, channeling a massive amount all at once—at least thirty percent of his total strength! And at this moment, Su Yu's strength also surged, vaguely reaching around four Daos of power. Su Yu feigned delight: "Seems pretty good! Does this transmitted power even amount to one percent of yours?" "..." *Get lost!* The old man cursed inwardly. *I've already channeled thirty percent of my power, and what the hell are you saying?* *One percent?* *Do you truly take me for an omnipotent god?* *What a joke!* Still, thirty percent of a first-rank's power should at least amount to eight Daos of power. Su Yu was already quite strong himself, but... the improvement now was so meager! The old man almost gasped. The loss was utterly absurd! He continued pouring power through, inputting at least half of his total strength this time! Su Yu's power rose again, and he laughed: "Not bad, I feel like I've reached six Daos of power! Pretty good!" Horror seized the old man's heart. *Fuck!* This won't do! *I've channeled half my power, and he's only at six Daos? If... if I unleash everything I have, can he even reach ten Daos?* He was a powerhouse of sixteen Daos, yet going all out to support a two-Dao weakling could barely push him to around ten Daos? Then... there would be no way to deal with a peak second-rank! He ramped up the input further. At this moment, Su Yu's physical body seemed swollen and pained, skin cracking with fissures. Only then did the old man remember: the kid... hadn't reached that realm yet. Just as he was about to halt, he heard Su Yu bellow: "Good, keep going! I can hold it! It's just a minor scratch! Great, I feel like I'm almost reaching second-rank... Keep it coming!" Surprised that the youth could withstand it, the old man quickly continued funneling power. This time, he was essentially going all out! With a roar, Su Yu's aura surged dramatically. In an instant, he seemed like an entirely different person, wild with joy: "Yes, that's the feeling... Feels like eight Daos of power! Excellent!" "..." The old man was dumbstruck. *I... channeled my full power!* Eight Daos of power! He was a sixteen-Dao expert. Eight Daos of power looked like half his strength, but in reality, bullshit—it was at most a quarter of his true total! This dissipation was terrifying! Nearly eighty percent of his power was swallowed by the Heavenly Gate just like that? He had thought Su Yu could at least reach ten Daos of power! Turns out... not even close! A mere eight Daos! Meanwhile, Su Yu was still hollering: "Keep going, I can take it! I'm an expert of the Physical Body Dao, I can hold! It's not enough—this strength definitely won't beat that guy! Not enough, Gui, hit me again! Pour in more! Bring out a tenth of your power, don't be stingy!" …… At this moment. Behind the Heavenly Gate. In the endless void. An old man was panting heavily, pouring immense amounts of energy into a tiny Heavenly Gate phantom. He was gasping for breath, sweat dripping down his brow. He glanced around warily, terrified of an ambush at this vulnerable moment. Fortunately, this place was relatively remote. Yet hearing Su Yu's shouting, the old man felt like cursing his lungs out! *A tenth?* *I just gave you everything I had!* A supreme first-rank expert, exhausting himself completely, had only managed to produce someone who barely touched the second rank—and the boy had started at fourth-rank to begin with! He had no strength left! However, if he admitted that now, this arrogant punk would probably deem him useless trash. The old man cursed under his breath, quickly replying coldly, "Do not be greedy. You have already reached your limit. If I channel any more, you will burst!" …… Su Yu sneered internally. *Give me a break!* *He probably went all out!* Still, this old man wasn't weak. Perhaps slightly stronger than anticipated. Because Su Yu had channeled roughly half of the incoming energy into his own heaven and earth. Right now, he was only keeping half in his body, elevating himself to second-rank... albeit barely crossing the threshold. Yet... this was without factoring in the power of Su Yu's own heaven and earth; he was counting only physical body strength. *This old guy is probably a first-rank!* Su Yu made his assessment. Not weak at all—even in the myriad realms or here, he would be a top-tier powerhouse! However... Su Yu wasn't entirely satisfied. It was too little! Half of the other's power was swallowed by his heaven and earth to nurture it, and the half he absorbed into himself hadn't produced much of a leap. Of course, he was a second-rank himself. If he went all out and borrowed Gui's power on top of that, in the outside world he could probably wield thirteen Daos of power or more. If he were inside his own heaven and earth, where he was already a peak second-rank, borrowing a bit more power would give him hope of reaching first-rank! Thoughts flashed through Su Yu's mind, and he quickly said, "This power isn't enough, Gui. It's too weak to fight that opponent..." "You cannot endure any more!" Hearing Gui's voice, Su Yu snorted coldly, "You look down on me? Whatever, you have a point... I don't necessarily have to kill the guy, but I must at least possess the strength to contend with him! At the critical moment, you'll need to lend me more power. This was just a test run! You can still lend more, right?" "...I can!" Gui lied! He wanted to curse! *Lend your ancestors!* Su Yu nodded in satisfaction: "Fine then..." Right after speaking, Su Yu frowned: "What are you doing? Why are you pulling your power back?" Gui was taken aback, asking in confusion, "Are you facing an enemy right now?" "Of course not, but I need to adapt to this power! Are you truly an expert or not?" Su Yu snapped angrily, "Do I not need to acclimate to new power before using it directly? Are you trying to get me killed? I must maintain this level of power constantly so my body acclimates, my Dao acclimates, and my entire being acclimates! It's just a tiny fraction of your power anyway—just leave it here and don't worry about it. If you take it back, what am I supposed to do when a crisis strikes?" "..." Gui nearly wanted to slaughter him! *You... want me to maintain this constantly?* *I... I'll fucking collapse from exhaustion!* He was running out of patience and felt a twinge of regret. But on closer thought... perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. Good, this way his power could also continuously adapt to the myriad realms! Indeed! Still, inside the Heavenly Gate, he had to be cautious. If he maintained this continuously, his true body would have little strength left. If trouble arose, he would die a miserable death! During his last gathering with old friends, one who had lent power to the Sixth Human Master in the past had constantly complained that the Sixth was overly cautious, rarely borrowing power, and taking only minuscule amounts when he did, never daring to borrow more. Which had prevented him from descending in his true body into the myriad realms! Now... his opportunity had arrived! Thinking this over, Gui felt much better. This Su Yu was truly audacious, daring to borrow his full power—and on top of that, demanding it stay anchored long-term! Such nerve was positively astronomical! Since Su Yu put it that way, Gui didn't care about the fatigue anymore. He soon chuckled: "Very well. Since you say so, this power shall remain within your body!" "That's more like it!" Su Yu nodded contentedly. With a wave of his hand, the Heavenly Gate was firmly locked down within his sea of will, denying Gui any chance to spy. He sneered, "Don't try anything sneaky! I won't tell you whether I've encountered an enemy or not, lest you seize an opportunity to entrap and kill me! One can never be too careful!" At this moment, the Heavenly Gate was completely sealed off by him; the other party could neither see nor hear the outside. The Heavenly Gate belonged to Su Yu, so he could naturally lock it down within his sea of will! Gui was somewhat speechless, but soon brushed it off, replying casually, "Suit yourself!" *All I want right now is to adapt to the myriad realms.* *Lock it down all you want; my power is already inside the myriad realms!* *Once I engrave my imprint, you won't be able to stop me!* *And that moment may come soon, because I channeled at full blast!* At this thought, Gui actually smiled. His old friend had plotted for countless years, painstakingly engraving his imprint bit by bit, yet in the end failed to descend in his true body. He, on the other hand, needed no scheme at all! This Tenth Human Master was truly overbearing and arrogant enough to let an outsider's full strength linger freely within his body! Gui looked around and quickly laid down several concealment formations to hide himself. No need to worry about the myriad realms; he just needed to be careful not to be discovered by anyone here! …… At that moment, Su Yu was beaming with an incandescent grin! Invigorating! An old geezer using his own power to continuously replenish Su Yu's heaven and earth and sustain its might—how wonderfully refreshing! *I'll drain you dry!* *I hope you're strong enough to last a good while, so the Physical Body Dao in my world can undergo an evolution!* Currently, the strongest Dao power within Su Yu's heaven and earth was merely third-rank. His reaching the second rank was through the collective strength of all his Daos. If this old fellow could elevate his Physical Body Dao to the second rank... then second-rank experts could finally emerge from within his world! At this moment, Su Yu was in high spirits! If he had known power could be borrowed like this, he would have done so long ago. What a pity he only learned of it now! He had to make the absolute most of this! If he didn't pluck every last feather off this Gui, his name wasn't Su Yu. The other party's motives were crystal clear to Su Yu... *If you have the guts, bring your true body out. I'll just beat you to death and stuff you into my heaven and earth to nourish my world!* His radiant smile persisted until King Zhan arrived. Seeing Su Yu smiling so brilliantly, King Zhan suddenly felt a chill of unease. *Is this kid... smiling at me?* *That smile feels rather chilling!*