Panic

Upstream on the River of Time. Concealed in the shadows, Su Yu's body quivered slightly, and he instantly raised an eyebrow. His heaven and earth was expanding, growing stronger! And at astonishing speed! *Someone integrated Daos?* Su Yu's thoughts stirred. A top expert had integrated Daos into his world—King Dazhou! There was no one else it could be. King Dazhou had merged the power of eight Great Daos, and every single one had attained the might of a true Ruler of Rules. Some were Daos he had commanded for countless years and were inherently formidable. The sheer quantity of Daos did not dictate everything; quality mattered just as much. The eight Daos King Dazhou integrated were of exceptional caliber. Strictly speaking, they were considerably stronger than the Daos the others had merged right after their recent breakthroughs. King Dazhou had wielded these Daos long ago, back in the ancient era. Later, however, when the Human Sovereign sealed off the world, King Dazhou sealed away those Daos as well and turned to cultivating others. Thoughts raced through Su Yu's mind in rapid succession. He was somewhat surprised! For a master of forbearance like King Dazhou to choose to integrate his Daos into Su Yu's world at this juncture caught Su Yu off guard—yet, upon reflection, it made complete sense. Su Yu had seen the Human Sovereign's physical body, but he hadn't seen King Dazhou. King Dazhou hadn't come! His absence meant he had chosen to stay behind and guard the myriad realms. Knowing that war had erupted, his decision to merge Daos at this precise moment was hardly shocking. Su Yu quickly began absorbing the influx of power, remaining soundless and still. Directly behind him, an extraordinarily powerful physical body was soaring forward. The crushing pressure radiating from it left even Su Yu breathless. This was the physical body of the Human Sovereign! Upon that form were several wounds. Some were Dao wounds, while others seemed different, appearing to stem from severe backlash. It was hard to say whether the myriad races had beaten him into this state back then, or whether the backlash had arisen during the vulnerable period after assimilating his future incarnation. At this moment, the body possessed no consciousness whatsoever. A being of the Human Sovereign's caliber, much like Su Yu, would never allow his physical vessel to birth an independent consciousness that could contest his sea of will. That would no longer be the Human Sovereign. Presently, the body acted purely on primal instinct, flying toward the Human Sovereign in response to his summons. Along the way, its terrifying aura exerted absolute suppression over the river! The Human Sovereign's Star Residence Seal could suppress the river for a brief moment, let alone his true body. Overwhelming strength! As the body drew nearer, Su Yu felt a suffocating pressure. Beside him, the Martial Emperor's expression grew exceedingly solemn. *So powerful!* A mere soulless husk of a body, yet terrifying to this extent. The Human Sovereign, the foremost figure beneath the heavens—the reputation was thoroughly well deserved! Meanwhile, up ahead, the grand clash erupted. *Boom!* Streams of Great Dao power crisscrossed the River of Time! Su Yu fixed his gaze forward. At long last, he was witnessing a large-scale battle among Rulers of Rules. This was no crude free-for-all of solitary duels! Coordination! Indeed, both factions exhibited meticulous teamwork. A grand formation materialized in an instant. High in the void, King Ming waved his hand, and an array manifested. The moment it appeared, Su Yu observed the aura of every human expert surge furiously; their combat strength climbed, and their Dao power grew vastly more robust. Amplification! It bore similarities to the function of a heaven and earth. Su Yu's mind stirred; King Ming had surely gleaned insights into the workings of a heaven and earth. If he continued along this path, he might ultimately succeed in opening one of his own. Yet just as the formation bolstered human strength, a dragon and a phoenix coiled through the void, sweeping down in a lethal assault on King Ming. Compared to the Dragon and Phoenix Celestial Venerables back in the myriad realms, the aura of these two sovereigns was on an entirely different level! Not merely their presence, but their methods and styles of combat. The Dragon Emperor unleashed a roar and reverted to his true form. Colossal beyond measure, blotting out the sky and sun, his mighty body coiled through heaven and earth, weaving an enormous enclosed citadel! King Ming was trapped right at the center. Within that citadel, primal chaos erupted and the Great Daos were severed, creating an effect akin to isolating a world of its own. The Phoenix Emperor unfurled her wings and swept across. Space shattered across the entire citadel, laying bare King Ming's position. King Ming's expression turned grave; both the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Emperor faintly displayed the prowess of first-rank experts! Now, working in tandem—one encircling, one assaulting—their mutual coordination was seamless! In an instant, King Ming was thoroughly pinned down! And this was merely one corner of the battlefield. Elsewhere, several Rulers of Rules harmonized their zithers and lutes, sending sonic shockwaves rippling across heaven and earth, sweeping through the entire expanse of the battle. Sonic Dao attacks blasted in all directions, leaving everyone who heard them dizzy and disoriented! In the void, Eight Eyes and King Tong opened their eyes simultaneously. Within their pupils, the other's reflection manifested instantly, projecting distinct illusory realms across the expanse as they engaged in a distant clash of mind and soul! Even farther away, King Wu's Dao companion brandished a broad saber, leading seven or eight female experts in a fierce charge. A single swing of her blade severed the River of Time, forcefully barring more than a dozen opposing Rulers of Rules outside the continent. The wild sweeping of her cleaver terrified the enemy, compelling them to continuously dispatch reinforcements to prevent King Zhenwu from breaking through their lines! Other non-Rulers of Rules had likewise plunged into chaotic clashes across the field. Among the myriad races, the three supreme experts—the Immortal Emperor, God Emperor, and Demon Emperor—swiftly tore through space. They practically forced a short-range spatial teleportation through the River of Time itself, materializing right behind the Human Sovereign's phantom silhouette and lunging toward him in unison! Hovering aloft, the Immortal Emperor seemed to conjure an ancient, ageless tree behind him, its countless branches stretching out toward the Human Sovereign. "Your Majesty Human Sovereign, had I known the injuries upon your physical body remained unhealed, I would have gladly offered my aid. Why delay until now?" The Immortal Emperor's voice held a light chuckle. "Your Majesty had best not depart. Attempting a forced fusion at this moment will only worsen your wounds!" Three first-rank experts struck together, instantly entangling the Human Sovereign's phantom form! Beside the Human Sovereign, King Zhan swung his blade, bellowing, "Your Majesty, I shall cover the rear!" "You are not enough!" At that very moment, the God Emperor manifested like a holy deity, his presence shaking heaven and earth. A single, simple punch drove King Zhan stumbling backward. His long blade hummed violently, and a torrent of divine, sacred power surged from the weapon. That power was so overpowering that King Zhan's own saber showed signs of rebellion, nearly turning on its master to cleave him down! King Zhan's aura erupted, his saber intent shaking the heavens as he obliterated that peculiar sacred energy. With a furious roar, he charged again, only to be outmatched by the God Emperor and effortlessly rebuffed. "Advance swiftly and usher the Human Sovereign's physical body into the beyond!" A frigid, indifferent voice echoed out. A moment later, someone gave a chilling laugh as a dusky, ash-gray domain surged forth along the River of Time. "Wherever the Nether Land reaches, all belongs to my domain!" The gray expanse expanded at blistering speed. In the blink of an eye, everyone witnessed a formidable emperor standing upon that gray ground, backed by several Rulers of Rules, swiftly driving across the terrain toward the Human Sovereign's approaching physical body! "Stop them!" King Zhan roared in fury. The next instant, a figure manifested above the human continent, brandishing a length of rope and hurling it into the void. Upon the Nether Land, the Nether Emperor's expression darkened. "Princess Consort Ming, rather than saving your man, what business do you have meddling here?" The figure who had appeared was none other than King Ming's Dao companion, a paramount expert in her own right—a first-rank Ruler of Rules! On the human side, there were currently only four first-rank combatants: The Human Sovereign, King Ming, King Wu's Dao companion, and King Ming's Dao companion. The myriad races, however, possessed considerably more. Princess Consort Ming possessed delicate features, far more slender than King Wu's wife, yet at this moment, she displayed terrifying ferocity. The rope slipped into the void, and in an instant, reemerged behind the Nether Emperor, snaring one of his Rulers of Rules! The Nether Emperor's brows furrowed slightly. He barked, "Go, surround and kill her! The rest, continue forward!" He could not afford to get bogged down here. The Human Sovereign's physical body was closing in fast, and he could not linger to duel her; his mission was to intercept the body! Dozens of Rulers of Rules originally stood upon his Nether Land. Now, several second-rank experts, leading five or six subordinates of lower ranks, stepped off the domain in pursuit of the ensnared Ruler of Rules, sweeping toward Princess Consort Ming's sector to hold her at bay! The Nether Emperor paid them no further mind and pressed forward. Wherever the Nether Land traversed, arrays and barriers were pulverized in quick succession! Along the path, figures continually surged forth to intercept him. The Nether Emperor ignored them; the myriad races held numerical superiority, and their experts rapidly stepped in to lock down every challenger. Over one hundred and twenty Rulers of Rules against barely fifty on the human side. More than a two-to-one advantage! Yet the humans fought with savage abandon. The Human Sovereign's phantom and King Ming alone tied down five first-rank foes—an astonishing feat. This place was the true core of power across the myriad realms! Behind, King Zhan managed to break away from the God Emperor, who was drawn back into combat by the Human Sovereign. Leading two or three human Rulers of Rules, King Zhan roared, "It's a trap, you idiots of the myriad races! His Majesty's physical body is on the verge of self-destructing! Out of the way!" No one paid him any attention! Seeing this, King Zhan barked again, "Nether Emperor, do you seek death? His Majesty's flesh is immensely powerful! If you intercept him and his body detonates, how many of your lives will it take?" The Nether Emperor remained utterly unmoved! No matter how strong the physical body was, it possessed only instinct! If they failed to stop it, the Human Sovereign would achieve the unity of spirit and flesh. The sovereign was clearly gearing up for a desperate last stand, not a routine skirmish. Once he fought with all he had, more than just one or two would perish! A fight to the death by the Human Sovereign was the most terrifying prospect imaginable! Presently, the three great leaders could suppress his sea of will. But once body and spirit united, the three would no longer be able to hold him down and might even be slaughtered, necessitating far more experts to contain him—and a heavy price in blood! The Nether Emperor and his peers were no children to be bluffed by a few hollow words! "Restrain King Zhan!" The Nether Emperor snapped. Experts immediately broke away to intercept King Zhan. The Nether Land continued rolling over the River of Time, encroaching into the deeper reaches. The Nether Emperor's retinue had already caught sight of that mighty physical body hurtling toward them. His gaze flickered, and he swept the surroundings with his senses. With Eight Eyes already tied down, he ordered in a low voice, "Giant Ear, listen for any movements!" Beside him, Giant Ear's oversized ears twitched rapidly, straining to catch every sound. The myriad races were afraid too. Afraid of a trap! It was hardly the first time the Human Sovereign had set them up. Those among the myriad races who had survived his ploys to this day were excessively cautious. King Zhan's outburst just now reeked of reverse psychology—explicitly claiming it was a trap to make them doubt it! Still, intercepting the body was an absolute necessity. Even fearing an ambush, they had no choice but to dive in; all they could do was exercise extreme caution! Watching the body fly toward them, the Nether Emperor halted his advance. Going any deeper carried too much risk. Beside him, Giant Ear listened intently for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly. "It seems... there might be someone ahead!" Someone ahead? Was it truly a trap? Or was this merely a ruse by the Human Sovereign to intimidate them into backing off so he could achieve unity of flesh and spirit? The Nether Emperor swiftly looked back, assessing every sector of the battlefield. Fifty-two human Rulers of Rules. Excluding Xingyue! Scanning them quickly, he confirmed that all fifty-two were accounted for. Every single one was present; none were avatars! With a war of this scale erupting, an avatar would never have gone undetected. That meant the Human Sovereign's forces were entirely tied down. If someone was waiting, or if a trap existed, it could only come from arrivals from the myriad realms! The myriad realms... He pondered for a moment. The myriad realms had been sealed until recently. Even if experts had emerged from below, and even if humanity had hatched some scheme, what kind of strength could have been cultivated in such a fleeting span of time? From the moment the myriad realms began producing Rulers of Rules, barely a few days had passed from this vantage point! Thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind. Just then, someone whispered, "Nether Emperor, it is best not to advance further. I faintly perceive... a peculiar power enveloping the river ahead!" Su Yu's power of heaven and earth! This cohort was not lacking in specialized techniques. The speaker was an elderly man whose pupils were entirely white. At this moment, his gaze reflected the void ahead, where a distinct, foreign energy could faintly be seen blanketing the river—precisely the perimeter covered by Su Yu's world. The Nether Emperor's brows furrowed, and he promptly commanded, "Then we intercept him here!" No reckless advances! Even though humanity appeared to have exhausted their options, caution was paramount. The humans were cunning, and the Human Sovereign's active provocation of this war was already out of the ordinary. The Nether Emperor was exceedingly vigilant. Holding this position was sufficient, so long as they thwarted the reunion of the Human Sovereign's flesh and soul! ... In the rear. Su Yu frowned slightly. *They stopped?* He had faintly sensed someone grazing the power of his world. Had he been discovered? "The myriad races... ten thousand methods... they truly have no shortage of tricks." They appeared to have spotted the perimeter of his heaven and earth, which came as a slight surprise to Su Yu. Beside him, the Martial Emperor wore an odd expression. Had Su Yu's trap failed? Scheming might work on ordinary days, but falling flat at the critical juncture? How pathetic! "They don't seem to be coming!" the Martial Emperor sent via voice transmission. If they refused to enter, and Su Yu was forced to step outside his world to fight them in the open, the losses would be catastrophic! Without the amplification of his world, how could he contend against so many? Su Yu remained silent. The Human Sovereign had instructed earlier: if the enemy did not enter the encirclement, do not move! Since that was the plan, Su Yu chose to wait! *Boom!* A colossal roar echoed from the front. This battle was unfolding with exceptional savagery. Su Yu swept his gaze across the field, his eyes narrowing slightly. Before the Rulers of Rules had decided their contest, several Dao Integration combatants had already butchered one another to the death in the blink of an eye! Casualties mounted on both the human and myriad races' sides. Moreover, the human forces were rapidly falling into a disadvantage. The myriad races fielded far too many combatants; only about twenty Rulers of Rules had accompanied the Nether Emperor. That meant the main clash was roughly a hundred against fifty—a true two-to-one disparity. What was worse, the deployment was not an evenly distributed line. The myriad races were concentrating immense force to pick off human experts one by one. Su Yu could already see multiple human Rulers of Rules besieged by double-digit opponents! At this rate, human experts would begin falling very soon! Su Yu's brow furrowed. *The Human Sovereign... must have anticipated this, right?* *Now that the enemy refuses to step into the ambush and you told me to hold back, how do you intend to respond?* A hundred against fifty. In truth, sixty to seventy Rulers of Rules were enough to tie down the human combatants, leaving the remaining thirty as a free-floating strike force. Thirty Rulers of Rules converging on a single first-rank combatant would spell doom even for a first-rank! The myriad races were formidable, lacking only the desperate bloodlust of the humans. Because they held the upper hand, none wished to die today; that reluctance was the sole reason the humans were still holding on. Yet if this continued, deaths were inevitable! As the thought crossed Su Yu's mind, a surging roar suddenly filled his ears! Colossal waves crashed across heaven and earth! A bone-chilling aura swept past! Beside him, a golden figure flashed by—the Human Sovereign's physical body. At that moment, it bypassed Su Yu and the Martial Emperor, bursting out of Su Yu's world in a single bound and hurtling directly toward the Nether Emperor's forces! The body surged forward with an indomitable momentum! Under the original plan, had the Nether Emperor and his cohort pressed deeper, they would have swiftly entered the encirclement before the body arrived! Unfortunately, the Nether Emperor had refused to advance! Su Yu's brow knitted tightly. The physical body operated solely on instinct. With the Human Sovereign's sea of will entangled and suppressed by three supreme experts, the flesh alone could never stand against so many adversaries. So now... should he strike or stay his hand? *Hold on a little longer!* Su Yu chose silence. ... Meanwhile, the Nether Emperor's eyes gleamed as he watched the physical body hurtling toward them. He muttered in a low voice, "What a formidable vessel! Even as an empty shell, wounded as it is, it exerts tremendous pressure!" Behind him, King Zhan roared maniacally, his combat prowess surging as he sent a Ruler of Rules flying with a vicious slash. Leaving a few human companions to keep the remaining foes occupied, he bolted toward their location. The Nether Emperor didn't even bother looking back. What could King Zhan accomplish alone? Besides... he was unlikely to make it here anyway! Sure enough, King Zhan had barely covered any distance before several Rulers of Rules from the myriad races intercepted him, cutting off any chance of a breakthrough. The Nether Emperor turned his attention back to the Human Sovereign's physical body. Seeing its closed eyes, guided entirely by basic instinct, a smile broke across his face. "Destroy this body, and this battle... is won!" "Kill!" With a low bark, his Nether Land expanded, instantly rolling beneath the feet of the Human Sovereign's vessel. At that exact instant, the vessel's primal instincts reacted with sheer ferocity. A fist slammed out—*Boom!* The river flow was severed! The strike shattered the Nether Land directly, causing the Nether Emperor to shudder as his silhouette was blasted out of the void! *Quite potent!* This was raw physical might alone, yet in sheer physical strength, it was no weaker than a first-rank like himself! *A terrifying monster!* This display only hardened the Nether Emperor's resolve: under no circumstances could the Human Sovereign be allowed to unite flesh and spirit. Otherwise, in a desperate bid for mutual destruction, there was no telling how many experts would fall, and a first-rank like himself would surely be at the top of the sovereign's hit list! *Boom!* Before the thought could settle, the body threw another punch that swept across all directions. The terrifying force slashed into the weaker Rulers of Rules, leaving bleeding gashes across their skin. The Nether Emperor gave a cold smile, exuding plumes of ash-gray mist to hold the body at bay. The next instant, he commanded, "Drain it!" Beside him, a Ruler of Rules unleashed his Dao, siphoning power. The moment the Human Sovereign's strength pierced the gray mist, nearly half was drained by that expert, while the others behind the Nether Emperor struck in unison, instantly obliterating the remaining physical force! No matter how powerful the Human Sovereign was, this was merely a fleshly vessel. Against one first-rank and more than twenty other Rulers of Rules joining hands, it could not unleash its true lethality. Against a solitary third- or fourth-rank Ruler of Rules, a single punch might have blown the foe apart. Here, however, it accomplished nothing! "Trap him! Grind his body down!" The Nether Emperor remained exceedingly cautious. Despite their numerical advantage, he opted against direct clashes, choosing instead to encircle and wear down the vessel continuously. Grind the Human Sovereign to dust! ... "What do we do?" Before Su Yu could speak, the Martial Emperor grew anxious. At this rate, the Human Sovereign's body would be finished. Once the body fell, the sovereign up front would be doomed as well! *Do we strike?* Su Yu narrowed his eyes, saying nothing. Did the Human Sovereign... still have a move? If not, Su Yu would have no choice but to intervene, even if the enemy hadn't walked into the ambush. Yet Su Yu felt that the Human Sovereign was a reliable, calculating schemer. Having laid out the plan, he couldn't possibly be neutralized this easily, could he? The myriad races were cautious, but the Human Sovereign understood them intimately. He had to have a card left to play! After all, those foes hadn't even stepped into the perimeter set up by Tongtian and the others. If Su Yu revealed himself now, it would devolve into an open, head-on brawl. Thoughts raced through Su Yu's mind. At that very moment, disaster struck the human lines! A human Ruler of Rules was surrounded by seven or eight opponents, on the verge of meeting his demise, when suddenly, a cold shout reverberated across the battlefield: "Set things right!" *Boom!* A tremendous roar rang out. Within the besieging squad of the myriad races, two Rulers of Rules suddenly lashed out against their comrades! With a single strike, they heavily wounded two allies, seized the beleaguered human expert, and bolted out of the encirclement! This was not an isolated incident. It happened elsewhere as well! Even within the Nether Emperor's contingent! The instant the Human Sovereign's shout echoed, two Rulers of Rules on the Nether Emperor's side suddenly shattered his trapping formation, liberating the Human Sovereign's physical body! In that fleeting opening, the mighty vessel hurled a thunderous punch. With an earth-shattering crash, the Nether Emperor was blasted thousands of meters backward! "Insolence!" The Nether Emperor's face twisted in rage! At that moment, at least five Rulers of Rules among the myriad races turned traitor. The God Emperor's frigid voice echoed across the expanse: "How utterly foolish! Must you persist down this path to ruin? Humanity is fading; once this battle is won, mankind will be extinct!" For these individuals to rebel and stand with the Human Sovereign at this late stage was pure madness! Did they truly believe the Human Sovereign had a chance? Of course, the defection of a few Rulers of Rules could not overturn the broader tide of war. Yet the Human Sovereign merely stated indifferently, "The rest of you, remain dormant!" "..." Was it a bluff? At this point, no one could tell! Perhaps others were still waiting, or perhaps there were none left. But the God Emperor and his allies knew that this statement would sow seeds of hesitation, making everyone fear betrayal from those beside them. However, the God Emperor's faction was not entirely unprepared. After all these years, who didn't understand whom? At that very moment, one of the defecting Rulers of Rules let out a shrill scream. Flames burst from his entire body, consuming him from within—even his Great Dao was set ablaze! The God Emperor declared coldly, "We have long known who among you colluded with the humans. We merely refrained from acting, hoping you would repent so the past could be forgiven! Today, we execute one as a warning to all! If the rest cease their treason, we remain willing to grant you a path of life!" *Rumble!* The void burned as the defecting Ruler of Rules wailed in agony. In the span of a breath, his incinerated Great Dao snapped. The flames were simply too devastating—they were the Demon Emperor's divine fire. It had long been planted within the traitor's body, embedded in his very Dao. Almost in the blink of an eye, that mighty Ruler of Rules was reduced to ash, leaving nothing behind. His Dao fractured, and the echoes of his dying wail still lingered in the air! At this sight, the remaining defectors turned pale! They had been exposed all along! A trap had been laid, waiting for them to reveal their hand so they could be slaughtered publicly as an example to the rest! Were there similar traps planted in the others? No one could say for sure! Perhaps there were, perhaps not. The one who died might have been the only one uncovered, while the others had gone unnoticed! The Immortal Emperor's voice drifted out as well, carrying an aloof detachment: "Let it end here! To those who have not stepped forward, whether you repent or not, we shall pursue the matter no further. As for those who have already revealed themselves... stand aside as spectators or strike down the humans, and we are willing to put everything behind us to face the enemy together!" The Human Sovereign's ploy had fallen flat! It was not as though they hadn't suspected it; they had anticipated moles for ages, uncertain only of their specific identities. But catching one was enough. By making an example of him, the rest would be paralyzed with terror! Locked in combat with them, the Human Sovereign sighed softly. "To think you discovered it after all." "Human Sovereign, after all these years, did you truly believe we noticed nothing?" The Immortal Emperor smiled faintly. How could they not? Moreover, there were so few people here in the upstream reaches; the slightest anomaly was plain for all to see. Planting an undercover agent under such conditions was exceptionally difficult! The first Ruler of Rules to perish belonged to the myriad races, yet he was an agent of the Human Sovereign. In truth, the Human Sovereign had just lost a valuable asset! The Human Sovereign let out a resigned breath. "Very well. You surviving few, stay out of the fight. If I fall, you may surrender; if I triumph... I shall record your meritorious service!" He addressed the remaining defectors who were still alive. He did not urge them to fight, unsure whether any of them had also been discovered and compromised. If another died, no one among the myriad races would dare harbor second thoughts ever again! The Immortal Emperor and his cohort sneered coldly. *What other tricks do you have? Bring them all out at once!* "No need to look so expectant. After all these years, my tricks have long run dry. What else could I possibly have?" The Human Sovereign let out a brief chuckle, then suddenly roared, "And I need no tricks! I am my own greatest reliance!" *Boom!* Instantly, brilliant radiance erupted from his physical body in the rear, and its eyes snapped open! *Boom!* A cataclysmic roar shattered the void. The body lunged forward, obliterating heaven and earth with a single punch. The river's flow was severed, and an opposing Ruler of Rules was smashed to pieces on the spot, his Great Dao collapsing in ruin! The body opened its eyes, radiating pure, murderous intent! "Did you truly believe that at this distance, I possessed no control whatsoever? Morons!" Being this close, he could exert partial control after all. The faces of the Immortal Emperor and his allies shifted dramatically. The Demon Emperor immediately bellowed, "Nether Emperor, quick! Drag him forward!" He was too close! This could not be allowed! The Nether Emperor's expression darkened. A trap might well lie ahead. His expression shifted repeatedly before he barked via voice transmission, "Send more people! Stop besieging the humans and come to me—drive the Human Sovereign's body deeper upstream!" He needed reinforcements! Because an ambush truly might exist. In an instant, seven or eight experts broke away from the distance and surged toward him. Seeing this, the Nether Emperor felt considerably more confident. Thirty combatants! This was more than enough! With a quarter of the myriad races' total forces gathered at his side, containing a mere physical body was entirely manageable, so long as they kept it far from the Human Sovereign. ... Back in the shadows, Su Yu's gaze flickered. The Human Sovereign... could actually exert control over his body. A vessel with his consciousness and one without were worlds apart in lethality. In that case... the myriad races would never dare let it draw any closer! *So this was his plan!* Understanding dawned on Su Yu. To forcefully push the Human Sovereign's vessel deeper upstream, the Nether Emperor and his forces had no choice but to step into the ambush! *The defecting Rulers of Rules were merely a diversion; his true trump card was always himself!* Su Yu understood completely. The Human Sovereign was just like him: his ultimate reliance was always his own might. *You dare not let my body near my sea of will! Otherwise, countless among you will die!* Even knowing a trap might lie ahead, no trap could be more terrifying than the Human Sovereign himself. That was precisely the Nether Emperor's rationale: what trap could possibly be worse than facing the Human Sovereign at full power? Thus, as the seven or eight reinforcements converged, the Nether Emperor bellowed, "There may be an ambush ahead! Stay sharp, everyone—kill!" *Boom!* The cohort attacked relentlessly, driving the Human Sovereign's body back step by step. As the distance grew, the killing intent in its eyes began to fade. The experts were overjoyed; the farther it was driven, the weaker the Human Sovereign's control became! This was ideal! And at that very moment, they crossed the boundary line and stepped squarely into the encirclement. A few experts beside the Nether Emperor withheld their attacks, scanning their surroundings with hypervigilance. They were on guard against incoming human reinforcements! Though they believed humanity had no reinforcements left, staying alert was always prudent! "Kill!" *Rumble!* The Human Sovereign's vessel was battered backward, growing visibly weaker as the distance increased. Smiles appeared on their faces—this was precisely what they wanted! Yet the Nether Emperor continued sweeping his gaze across the surroundings. What other cards did the humans hold? The Human Sovereign's sudden burst of power just now had almost felt intended to bait them deeper. Did he possess that much confidence in his trap? Who could possibly contend against so many experts? Amidst the relentless barrage, the body continued to fracture. And now, there was no longer any need for Su Yu to remain hidden. The time had come! "After all these years, even the garbage of the past dares to jump around!" A soft chuckle resonated across all directions. At that sound, the Nether Emperor's heart jolted violently! A familiar voice! Su Yu, after all, had heard King Wen's voice before. In that instant, a flash of white appeared as a white-robed cultivator stepped forward. Even before anyone could clearly make out his face, every expert present paled. "Impossible!" The Nether Emperor was thoroughly shaken. *King Wen!* He had returned! Right behind Su Yu, the Martial Emperor emerged, baring his teeth in a savage, chilling grin. "Time to have some fun again!" "King Wu!" Absolute, staggering shock! Both King Wen and King Wu had returned! Minds shattered with disbelief! "Im... impossible..." The Nether Emperor stood frozen in horror! If even he was this shaken, one could imagine the state of the others. Those behind him widened their eyes in terror, staring at the two figures ahead. Were they King Wen and King Wu? Yes! It was them! Not only were the enemies paralyzed with shock, but in the distance, among the embattled human experts, King Zhenwu suddenly cursed loudly, "You bastard, you finally came back! You actually remembered the way home..." "Husband!" "My lord!" "King Wen!" "Second Brother Wen!" Shouts erupted across the field, filled with wild joy, excitement, and thunderous cheers! They had returned! Of the Four Pole Human Kings who had established peace under heaven and suppressed all four corners of the world, two had returned! Especially King Wen! At this moment, everyone was galvanized. The human experts cheered, roared, and surged with boundless morale! It was King Wen and King Wu! There was no mistake! They had truly returned! "Hahaha! Your Majesty, had you told us Eldest Brother Wen and the others were back, what would we have had to fear?" Roars of wild laughter erupted; no matter how perilous the situation, fear vanished entirely! Meanwhile, the faces of the myriad races turned ashen, as though they were mourning their own demise! How could this be! They were... trapped within the Heavenly Gate! How could they have returned! It was impossible! King Wen was too terrifying; he had suppressed far too many realms in his time. King Wu was too savage; he had slaughtered countless experts of the myriad races. The moment these two appeared, even the God Emperor and his peers lost their composure. Trouble! Catastrophic trouble! King Wen had been an apex existence in ancient times. What about now? A great name casts a long shadow! At this moment, Su Yu truly experienced the sheer deterrent force King Wen commanded over the myriad races. A faint smile graced his lips; though his facial features were obscured, his grin revealed gleaming teeth. That single expression banished every lingering doubt! It truly was King Wen! That white robe, that temperament, that smile... he was King Wen, without question! Su Yu took a single step forward. Instinctively, nearly thirty experts around the Nether Emperor recoiled a step in unison, their eyes brimming with sheer terror! Even Su Yu was astonished. *They're that terrified?* *Was King Wen... truly this monstrous?* Now, the attention of every combatant converged entirely upon them. The experts who had previously been scouting for traps ceased their search, for they believed they had found the trap itself! King Wen and King Wu had returned—this was the ultimate trap, the Human Sovereign's supreme reliance! No wonder the Human Sovereign had dared to wage a desperate, all-out war! At that moment, the Human Sovereign's booming laughter echoed across heaven and earth, blanketed with unbridled joy. "You two scoundrels, you finally showed up! Hahaha! We've won!" This declaration cemented their identities beyond all doubt! In truth, even the Human Sovereign was inwardly marveling in awe! Truth be told, had he not known of Su Yu's plan and the reality of the situation, even he would have believed at first glance that King Wen had arrived! And this tactic... was extraordinarily effective! It was merely a disguise, but the identity being assumed was entirely unique. Back when they competed for the title of the foremost expert under heaven, many had claimed King Wen was the stronger of the two, having yielded the title only because he disliked the Human Sovereign's burdens and preferred freedom. In reality, even among the myriad races, the majority believed that King Wen was the true number one under heaven! He was even stronger than the Human Sovereign! And now, this supreme combatant—the paramount existence between heaven and earth—had returned. Who could face him without terror?