A Terrifying Elevation

Su Yu drew close to that core ring. A small boot—this was likely the true body. Of course, a boot of this size was proper for wearing. If it were truly as vast as the Star Sea, just how gigantic would King Wen's feet have to be? "His heaven and earth being here means King Wen never actually uses its power, or rather, he relies solely on his own innate strength..." Not using the power of a heaven and earth did not mean having no strength. Take Su Yu, for instance: he possessed immense strength both inside and outside his world. So long as his heaven and earth remained intact, he was at the second rank outside. This would not change just because he was far from his world, nor would he suddenly drop to the level of an ordinary mortal. However, within his world, or when channeling large amounts of its power, his strength received a boost. For Su Yu, that boost was by no means small—a surge from the second rank to the first rank... "If King Wen could carry his heaven and earth with him... he would certainly be much stronger than he is now." Su Yu observed carefully. Within King Wen's heaven and earth, stream after stream of rule power emanated outward. Su Yu was probing for the source of its energy! Right now, the energy in Su Yu's own world came partly from converting chaotic power and partly from his frequent killings, where he devoured and digested his slain foes directly. Could King Wen have opened a breach in the River of Time as well? Yet if a breach had been opened, there was no reason Su Yu would fail to see it, nor could everyone else have missed it. Then where did the power for King Wen's heaven and earth come from? Did King Wen maintain it himself? King Wen had been gone for ages. Even if he had sustained it personally in the past, he could no longer do so now. Separated by the Heavenly Gate, any power transmitted across would be severely weakened. "Perhaps... I can gain something here!" An unusual glint appeared in Su Yu's eyes. What gain? A method to naturally strengthen and expand a heaven and earth! How had King Wen's world grown in his absence, without chaotic power, and without opening a breach in the River of Time? Such a thing could not arise out of nothing! As of yet, Su Yu had found no way to solve this dilemma. Even converting chaotic power took a considerable amount of time. How had King Wen managed it? He stepped beneath the boot. Although it felt somewhat humiliating to be underfoot, Su Yu rarely cared about such trivialities. King Wen had a wicked sense of humor; he had suspended his boot in midair, meaning that to enter his heaven and earth, you had to be stepped on! The moment he entered, Su Yu seemed to shrink. Outside, King Dazhou and Marquis Tongtian were slightly startled. At this moment, Su Yu had become the size of an ant and burrowed into King Wen's world. To Su Yu's eyes, that ordinary-sized boot had now become the sky! Soon, Su Yu looked outward. He could still see outside, though the sight was rather bizarre: two sky-blotting giants stood out there! "Fascinating!" The art of fitting Mount Sumeru into a mustard seed! King Wen's world appeared small, but in reality, it was anything but. The instant Su Yu stepped inside, he sensed that it was vastly more stable and powerful than his own world, permeated with currents of Great Dao power. Free and unconstrained! This was a whole new heaven and earth! Su Yu looked up, as if beholding an entirely new realm. The air here was fresh, and the earth fragrant. The scent of freedom! Closing his eyes, Su Yu quietly sensed and absorbed it all. He suddenly understood what King Wen had pursued! Freedom! Unfettered liberation! King Wen was just that sort of man. Everything he had done was fundamentally the same as what Su Yu had pursued before: seeking freedom. In the past, people said Su Yu resembled King Wen. Later, having spent more time with him, everyone felt Su Yu did not truly resemble King Wen; he merely acted like him at times as a guise. King Dazhou had said Su Yu actually resembled the Human Sovereign more! To Su Yu, resembling the Human Sovereign simply meant clapping shackles onto a free King Wen, turning him into a far-from-liberated Human Sovereign. At this moment, Su Yu also had an epiphany. He was perhaps a blend of the Human Sovereign and King Wen. He yearned for freedom, yet he could not attain it so easily. Unlike King Wen, who had lived in an era when the Human Sovereign shouldered those troubles for him—allowing King Wen to remain carefree—Su Yu had to bear everything alone. "Free and unfettered, roaming heaven and earth at will..." As Su Yu quietly contemplated, he grasped King Wen's state of mind. Yet within that freedom lay a subtle constraint... Su Yu sensed that as well! He discovered that King Wen had likely been bound too, shackled by many things. The human race, family, friends, comrades-in-arms... Just like Su Yu, he had undergone the journey of pursuing freedom only to end up constrained. Su Yu gave a wry smile. Had even King Wen caught that affliction from the Human Sovereign? At the very end, Su Yu vaguely caught a trace of something—that familiar scent of responsibility! At this moment, Su Yu felt a twinge of helplessness and bitterness. "So... you caught it too. Or rather, while this world knows no peace, no one can truly enjoy freedom." Ah, King Wen! The man renowned for doing as he pleased, unrestrained and wilful, was secretly bound as well! That familiar scent was called responsibility. "Ah, Human Sovereign!" Su Yu sighed. "Why didn't you strip away all the world's responsibilities?" What he had once pursued was the very freedom King Wen sought. He had always envied King Wen; apart from the unfortunate business with his sister, Su Yu had envied him deeply. But now, it was plain to see: the fact that King Wen's heaven and earth had remained hidden here, unmoved all this time, meant he had already lost his freedom! "The mortal coil binds mortal hearts; with a mortal heart, one is merely mortal. King Wen... you couldn't escape this fate either!" Su Yu gave a soft scoff and waved his hand. A wisp of power dissipated, and the breeze of freedom faded away. "A cheap counterfeit of freedom!" What true freedom was there? King Wen had known about the existence of the three gates early on, so he could never have attained genuine freedom. Had the Human Sovereign been able to suppress the myriad heavens and realms and seal the three gates, King Wen might have lived carefree and genuinely pursued it. Regrettably... that was impossible! The so-called Dao of Freedom was merely a facade. Su Yu contemplated once more, and this time, he gained fresh insight, a new understanding, a new Dao. It turned out the supposed freedom was illusory. "Seeking?" Su Yu reflected in silence. Was it seeking? Within King Wen's heaven and earth, he detected another intent of the Great Dao—one that seemed to be the true core of King Wen's Dao. The previous facade of freedom was just for show, yet ordinary people would never see through it. "Long and arduous is the road ahead, yet I shall search high and low, exploring the true essence of heaven and earth and comprehending the fundamental nature of the Great Dao..." At this moment, Su Yu was struck with profound realization: seeking! King Wen's core essence was the pursuit of truth! Comprehending the fundamental nature of the world! "A researcher?" A term that had not crossed Su Yu's lips in a very long time slipped out. Could King Wen... actually have been a researcher? If that was the case, things were getting very interesting! As Su Yu meditated, heaven and earth seemed to respond. Gradually, an illusory figure materialized. Under Su Yu's strange gaze, the phantom took shape, looking around blankly before turning toward Su Yu with evident confusion: "Your Majesty?" "..." Su Yu was stunned! He stared at the old man before him, speechless for a long time. Finally, his expression stiffened. "You... suddenly appeared here?" "Where is this?" The old man looked at Su Yu, completely bewildered. Su Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Senior Book Spirit, you... you don't even know?" "What am I supposed to know?" The Book Spirit was utterly clueless. What was he supposed to know? Su Yu let out a helpless sigh. "You... you're actually the spirit of King Wen's heaven and earth! I never expected this!" The Book Spirit was flabbergasted! Su Yu was equally stunned, which gave way to wry amusement and deep exasperation. "So that's how it is! King Wen, that colossal fraud!" "..." The Book Spirit was at a loss for words. Why are you cursing my master? Su Yu bared his teeth, pausing for a long while before speaking: "Damn it, I thought it was really a boot... In essence, it's a book!" He let out a self-deprecating laugh. At this moment, he vaguely understood: King Wen's book was likely the true core. The Book Spirit was actually the spirit of his heaven and earth! The moment Su Yu parted the mist and grasped the true essence of King Wen's world—the so-called Dao of Seeking—the long-shrouded truth was unveiled, and the Book Spirit manifested! Su Yu cursed under his breath, "Fuck!" The Book Spirit stared at him. Why are you swearing at me? Su Yu wasn't swearing at him. He couldn't resist saying, "King Wen is an absolute bastard! Senior Book Spirit, you've had it rough!" "Huh?" Su Yu said gloomily, "Haven't you realized it yet? Senior Book Spirit, you're a spirit born from a book. By rights, you should be the most learned and cultured being around, yet your progress has been agonizingly slow. For no other reason... than that all the energy you absorb has been channeled into King Wen's heaven and earth! Here I was thinking he had found a way to create something from nothing... Now I get it. He created you, Senior Book Spirit, simply to harvest power through a spirit. Shameless!" At this moment, the Book Spirit was also sensing something within. After a long while, an understanding seemed to dawn on him, and the look in his eyes shifted. "I... seem to be... the spirit of this heaven and earth? This world... is my true body?" He abruptly looked upward and froze. "This... shouldn't be a boot. It's... a book!" "The Classic of the Ten Thousand Daos!" The Book Spirit murmured. His true form was the *Classic of the Ten Thousand Daos*, the tome said to encompass King Wen's lifelong experience of the Great Dao. In the early days, it had seemed extraordinarily formidable, but by now, it had lost its luster. His progress had not been fast—in fact, he had barely made any progress at all. Logically, having attained the Dao as a book spirit, his advancement should have been rapid, yet it hadn't been. Today, both Su Yu and the Book Spirit finally understood! It was not that he couldn't advance; rather, all the power, rules, and insights the Book Spirit absorbed had been infused into this heaven and earth. Earlier, the Book Spirit had tried to merge into Su Yu's world but failed. Su Yu had assumed he was simply unique and thought nothing more of it. Nor had the Book Spirit become a Ruler of Rules this time, nor had he fought on the front lines. In fact, far from being a Ruler of Rules, the Book Spirit was at most a second-rank Dao Integration cultivator right now! He was still far from being a Ruler of Rules! Yet now, Su Yu understood. It wasn't that he couldn't advance; rather, as the spirit of a heaven and earth, he was inherently immensely powerful, but King Wen had kept him sealed away and left him in his old residence. "King Wen really is inhumane... mistreating Senior like this!" Su Yu chuckled. "Senior, why don't you bring King Wen's heaven and earth and join my world instead?" The Book Spirit now understood his circumstances as well. Smiling wryly, he took a moment before replying, "Better not... I am Master's world spirit; I cannot betray him..." With that, he asked rather awkwardly, "Your Majesty, why did I suddenly return here?" "Because I comprehended the essence of the Great Dao!" Su Yu grinned. "I touched the core essence of this world. If you hadn't appeared, I could have seized control of it. This is the world's self-defense mechanism—it cannot be seized by just anyone, much like the Lord of the Undead in the Dead Spirit Dao..." "Then Your Majesty's world..." The Book Spirit looked puzzled. Who guarded the core essence of Su Yu's heaven and earth? Su Yu smiled. "One hasn't been born yet, but for now, the Warden of Heaven oversees it on my behalf! He condenses the Dao of Fortune in my world, but he isn't its fundamental core. Fortune is formidable, but I do not cultivate the Dao of Fortune. If I did, he would be an entity just like you, Senior Book Spirit!" The Book Spirit understood and promptly said, "I see. But before Master left, he left nothing behind..." Su Yu shook his head. "Because before he left, you might not have even developed a spirit yet. According to the little white dog, Senior was born after his departure... However, King Wen must have known that Senior would eventually gain spirit consciousness!" At this point, Su Yu added, "This is a great thing!" A tremendous boon! Su Yu beamed. "Senior, now that King Wen isn't here, you are essentially half-master of this world. That's actually similar to what I arranged for the Human Sovereign... Of course, the Human Sovereign's world doesn't need another master, as he is its true master! But you, Senior... can wield this heaven and earth, and your strength will certainly not be weak. This is King Wen's world, after all!" Could he unleash first-rank power? Only at this moment did Su Yu appreciate how crafty King Wen was. Damn, he actually separated his world from its world spirit... Put bluntly, King Wen had been guarding against betrayal! He was guarding against the possibility that, in his prolonged absence, the naturally developing world spirit might usurp his heaven and earth. That was hardly an impossibility! Take the Lord of the Undead, for instance: egged on by Su Yu, he had already harbored thoughts of rebellion. When the Lord of Dead Spirits returned, he might face a bit of trouble. Naturally, this was an inevitable precaution for any cultivator. If Su Yu were to be away for an extended period, he wouldn't let the Warden of Heaven remain conscious all the time either; he would have to beware of rebellion and usurpation. Of course, in times of crisis when the world was threatened, the spirit could be awakened. Just like now: once Su Yu discarded King Wen's counterfeit Dao of Freedom and grasped the essence of seeking, the Book Spirit naturally awakened and returned to this heaven and earth. In this way, this world now had a master. The Book Spirit! His interest piqued, Su Yu smiled and suggested, "Senior, how about a little sparring? I want to see just how formidable the power of the Great Daos in King Wen's world is. With no powerhouses left in the myriad realms right now, we can test it out without worrying about being detected." If there were many experts around, the Book Spirit channeling the world would be sensed. Right now, however, Su Yu was the strongest presence here, so there was no danger. Still absorbing the feedback from the world, the Book Spirit hesitated. "Your Majesty, let's not..." "Come on, I want to experience King Wen's Dao of Heaven and Earth. Let's do it!" The Book Spirit felt conflicted. Isn't this inappropriate? "Let's see what you've got!" Without waiting for a reply, Su Yu reached out to seize him. With a flicker, the Book Spirit vanished instantly. Su Yu's eyes glinted. Interesting. To evade his grasp so effortlessly meant the Book Spirit had already absorbed enough feedback from the world to understand how to wield its power. "Your Majesty, there is really no need..." The Book Spirit reappeared. Su Yu's eyes narrowed, and a chain materialized, shooting forward to bind him. Seeing this, the Book Spirit also manifested a chain, lashing out at Su Yu. In an instant, King Wen's chain locked around Su Yu's chain! "Huh?" Su Yu stared. Stronger than my Dao power? That was only natural, but binding him like this was quite disrespectful! "Void Escape!" Su Yu vanished from the spot. The Book Spirit sighed, shook his head, and vanished as well. The two reappeared shortly after, as Su Yu was forced out of the void, and seeing him emerge, the Book Spirit came out too. Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Glacial Freeze!" The surrounding world was instantly frozen in ice. Yet in the blink of an eye, the frozen world vanished, and Su Yu himself began to freeze over as a wave of glacial power swept over him. "Petrify!" Just as one of the Book Spirit's feet turned to stone, Su Yu realized that his own body was turning to stone as well. His expression grew strange. You have every Dao I possess? Impressive! King Wen had mastered so many Daos! The Book Spirit was merely an executor, yet at this moment, he embodied King Wen's comprehension of the Great Daos. Thunder erupted! The Five Elements erupted! Yin and Yang erupted! Rumble! Heaven and earth shook as the Book Spirit struck back with identical Dao power at every turn. At this point, Su Yu's competitive spirit flared. Fine, whatever Daos you have, I have; whatever Daos I have, you have as well. If this kept up, his Dao power fell short of King Wen's world, so he might not win. However... you might not have every single Dao I possess! "Death!" Death descended. Su Yu clawed forward, releasing an intensely concentrated plume of death qi. The Book Spirit frowned slightly and also released a burst of death qi, but Su Yu chuckled. "A fake! An empty facade—that's clearly the Dao of Nether Death!" With that, the tremendous power of Su Yu's death qi surged, and the power of life burst forth immediately after. Life and death intertwined, strangling dead spirits! Across the entire realm, flowers bloomed one moment and withered into extinction the next! A terrifying force of Great Annihilation erupted! The Book Spirit looked startled. In the next moment, a towering force surged, and Su Yu suddenly felt an immense suppressive weight settle on him. In an instant, his power was heavily suppressed, dropping from the peak of the second rank to roughly the level of having just entered the second rank. Without wasting words, the Book Spirit manifested a book that enclosed Su Yu like a cage in the blink of an eye. What was more, a pair of boots manifested between heaven and earth at that very moment. Like a giant! It truly seemed as though someone wearing those boots stomped downward with a colossal crash—and Su Yu was flattened! Seeing this, the Book Spirit's expression changed, and he swiftly withdrew his Dao power, saying in a panic, "Your Majesty, I told you we shouldn't spar! You got flattened..." "..." Su Yu's physical body quickly refilled, and he asked with a tight smile, "Was I flattened?" "..." The Book Spirit was speechless. Nonsense, I saw it with my own eyes, and I did it myself! Of course, knowing better than to agitate Su Yu right now, the Book Spirit cleared his throat. "I must have seen wrong!" Only then did a smile return to Su Yu's face. He remarked with an unusual look, "In this place, you definitely possess first-rank combat power!" The Book Spirit had no deep grasp of such gradations, but he still nodded. "Ordinary people would likely suffer severe suppression here! Your Majesty wasn't suppressed by much." At this moment, Su Yu sighed with emotion. "Who would have thought!" Who would have thought that King Wen's heaven and earth harbored a spirit, and that it was someone Su Yu had known all along? In that case, if the Book Spirit faced a mortal crisis, could he awaken on his own? If so... the crisis in the myriad realms was never truly a crisis! If anyone had been able to invoke the Book Spirit, King Wen's world might have awakened at the critical moment! "Which means... King Wen prepared quite a few contingency plans!" This might have been a trump card meant for the final hour. If the human race were truly on the brink of extinction, the Book Spirit might have awakened. Once he did and took control of King Wen's world, how could ordinary foes hope to match him? First rank! Within this heaven and earth, even if the Book Spirit couldn't command its entire might, he could certainly unleash first-rank combat power while suppressing his opponents. Naturally, that depended on where the battle took place. In the Star Sea... it could encompass everything! Licking his lips, Su Yu smiled. "Fascinating!" He looked at the Book Spirit. "I returned this time intending to elevate myself, but ended up uncovering King Wen's world and facilitating your return... Once you step outside this world, even if you don't possess first-rank strength, you likely have peak second-rank combat power, just like me..." The Book Spirit was actually the spirit of a heaven and earth! King Wen really loved doing this sort of thing! Whether it was the Warden of Heaven, Doubao, or the Book Spirit... King Wen had created a whole bunch of spirits! No normal person would do such things. But knowing King Wen's Dao was that of seeking, Su Yu began to understand why King Wen could produce so many spirits! A researcher! An investigator! For a mad researcher to create a multitude of spirits was not surprising in the least! "Teacher Bai..." Su Yu suddenly thought of someone—his teacher, that weak, pitiable teacher. At this moment, Su Yu realized that within the Multiple Character Faction, the one who truly inherited King Wen's legacy was actually Bai Feng. White robes... that had always been Bai Feng's go-to choice! The very first time Su Yu saw Bai Feng, he had been clad in white robes, casually slaying a Soaring cultivator from the All-Races Cult. On that day, Bai Feng had appeared incomparably dashing, and Su Yu had thought that white robes looked remarkably handsome! Bai Feng always kept countless white robes on hand, wearing them everywhere he went. In the past, Su Yu had even wondered whether he ever washed them... Bai Feng excelled at research; in fact, many discoveries had come from his work. He was merely held back by weak cultivation; otherwise, he would have delved into researching the Great Dao long ago. Only now, upon realizing that the essence of King Wen's Dao was seeking, did Su Yu realize that in truth, the one in his faction who most resembled King Wen was Bai Feng! It was just that Bai Feng was too weak, so most people had overlooked it. Much of what Su Yu knew had actually been learned from Bai Feng! "Fascinating!" Su Yu chuckled, looking back at the Book Spirit. "You can leave this place, right?" The Book Spirit nodded. "I can, but... now that I have awakened to my true nature, I cannot leave rashly. Master's heaven and earth has been neglected for many years. Now that I have awakened to my identity, any mishap could trigger the world's collapse... It would be quite troublesome!" Su Yu smiled. "No need to worry about that! Right now, I need powerhouses, and you've basically dropped right into my lap for free!" As he spoke, Su Yu's expression shifted, and he abruptly sat down cross-legged. Gui, that fellow, had been transmitting the item King Wen wanted to send over, and it had finally succeeded! ... Su Yu swiftly appeared outside the Heavenly Gate phantom. A spherical orb dropped toward him. Catching it in his hand, Su Yu sensed it and smiled. Power of the Brush Dao! Interesting! An orb sealed by King Wen with the power of the Brush Dao. That meant Gui hadn't lied to him, nor had he dared to pocket the item for himself; otherwise, the seal would have been broken... Of course, had the seal been broken, King Wen might have sensed it, and Gui would have been in immense trouble! He was behind the gate, and so was King Wen! "Sealed with the power of the Brush Dao... It seems he knows I'm the one who asked for it..." Su Yu deduced that King Wen had figured out his identity. Between clever men, there was no need for superfluous words. He swiftly unsealed the orb. The moment the seal broke, a surging, boundless torrent of power radiated near the Heavenly Gate—rule power, countless streams of rule power! Su Yu's expression shifted slightly. So strong, and so abundant! At that moment, Gui's voice echoed across: "Su Yu, I've delivered the goods, fulfilling my promise... Next, I will arrange for people to channel rule power to you... and provide some rule fragments as well... I hope you honor your word as well!" Su Yu smiled. "No problem! A trivial matter!" "Then I shall take my leave..." "Suit yourself!" Su Yu gave a perfunctory reply, and Gui quickly departed. In truth, though exhausted to the bone, Gui was thoroughly thrilled. My avatar has coalesced! Su Yu truly didn't stop me! In fact, he wasn't in such a rush to return for any dao discussion assembly; that wouldn't happen so soon! Right now, he simply couldn't wait to see the situation in the myriad realms! Gui quickly found a spot, sat down cross-legged, and submerged his willpower into his sea of consciousness to perceive everything through his avatar. He saw it—he saw the myriad realms! Prosperous! Flourishing! Bathed in bright sunlight! Radiant and clear! Gui felt an overwhelming sense of joy and clarity. All his efforts had been worth it! He had effortlessly manifested an avatar in the myriad realms. Thinking back to his old friend of the past, Gui felt nothing but disdain. What a pity his friend had picked an unreliable Sixth Generation Human Lord. Look at the Tenth Generation... Heavens, he let me form an avatar just like that! Back then, his old friend had exerted untold effort, engaging in a battle of wits and brawn with the Sixth Generation Human Lord for ages just to send an avatar through, only to fail in the end. Look at me! I formed an avatar so quickly; it won't be long before my true body descends! Gui was ecstatic. At this moment, he appeared on the All-Heavens Battlefield. He knew this place; though it looked somewhat different from when they had departed back then, he had kept tabs on it over the years! News of the myriad realms was something every powerhouse inside the Heavenly Gate desperately craved! Recalling how he had once begged left and right just to glean scraps of information, his mood soared. His avatar was now freely roaming the myriad realms! As he flew, he spotted people. Many people! Men and women alike. It looked like a small, bustling town. He promptly descended. The moment his feet touched the ground, someone beside him chuckled warmly: "Young man, where are you from? A human? Are you here for the martial tournament too?" Gui's interest was piqued instantly. The fellow before him was weak, but very hospitable. He didn't mind chatting with him, so he asked with a smile, "Martial tournament? I've just emerged from seclusion. What martial tournament is this? What is it for?" "Then you've arrived at the perfect time!" The old man beside him chuckled. "The Emperor Yu Guard is recruiting across the heavens! They're selecting high-ranking experts right now. It's pure luck—they're short on hands, so if you win the tournament, you go straight into the high ranks of the Emperor Yu Guard!" The Emperor Yu Guard? Su Yu? Gui's mind stirred, his eyes flickering. He asked with a smile, "The Emperor Yu Guard is recruiting?" "That's right!" Gui's eyes flickered again. "Isn't it very dangerous right now? I heard Lord Emperor Yu ran into powerful enemies recently..." "What of it!" The old man waved it off nonchalantly, laughing heartily. "Emperor Yu can conquer anything!" Gui was speechless. These people had been thoroughly brainwashed by Su Yu! The enemy was at the peak of the second rank, while Su Yu was merely a fourth-rank. Conquer anything? Without me, he would have been beaten to death long ago! Still, having encountered such an enthusiastic native, Gui was glad to chat with him. As for Su Yu... even if Su Yu told him anything, it might not be true. Before long, the two were hitting it off splendidly! ... Su Yu couldn't be bothered to care about what Gui was doing or thinking. Nonsense—in a tiny place like that, everyone Gui ran into was Lan Tian. What could Lan Tian possibly say to him? Su Yu didn't dwell on it. Right now, he realized today was practically his lucky day! So much rule power! Moreover, it felt somewhat distinct from that of the myriad realms. Not only that... vaguely, Su Yu even detected what seemed to be a complete first-rank Great Dao! Su Yu's expression changed instantly. King Wen slaying a first-rank powerhouse on the other side wasn't surprising, but King Wen had actually stripped the opponent's Great Dao away intact! Su Yu's jaw dropped! That required terrifying strength. And... for him, this was an absolute godsend! He was familiar with this Great Dao power! "The Longevity Dao!" Su Yu examined it and murmured. His senses were not mistaken; or rather, it could also be called the Dao of Life! Su Yu drew a sharp breath! Just who was King Wen fighting? To kill a powerhouse commanding the Dao of Life and strip their Dao entirely intact—had he intended to keep it for himself to perfect his own Dao of Life? King Wen's heaven and earth possessed a Dao of Life as well, but it was frail. "I've struck it rich!" A brilliant smile spread across Su Yu's face. In the next moment, his brows lifted. Within these Dao powers, he seemed to sense something else. Probing carefully, he heard faint, broken whispers echoing in his ears: "Infiltrate... the power of my heaven and earth... find... the spirit..." "Find the Book Spirit? Infiltrate the power of his heaven and earth into the Heavenly Gate?" As a world-opener who had just discovered the Book Spirit was the world spirit, Su Yu instantly understood King Wen's intent. However, the message King Wen left behind seemed to have been eroded by the Heavenly Gate! Did that mean the Heavenly Gate did not permit non-summoners to leave behind imprints or infiltrate their power? Thinking this through, Su Yu didn't mind, having quickly grasped King Wen's message. "He wants me to channel some of his world's power into the Heavenly Gate? He wants to draw his own heaven-and-earth power over..." Su Yu murmured. That meant King Wen was under immense pressure! Su Yu licked his lips and grinned. No rush. Better elevate his own heaven and earth first! With so much rule power, so many Rule Daos, and even a complete first-rank Dao, plus the fact that power from beyond the Heavenly Gate differed from that outside—feeling almost complementary—the boost might be even greater! "Sure enough, once you make contact with King Wen, advancing becomes a breeze!" Su Yu's smile widened. He would elevate himself first. As for King Wen, there was no hurry for the moment; only by growing stronger could Su Yu channel even more world power to him. Otherwise, in Su Yu's current state, even if he channeled it, King Wen might not be able to draw much. Without another word, Su Yu opened his eyes and looked at the Book Spirit. "Get ready. King Wen just sent a message; he needs some power support. Later, you'll need to cooperate with me to channel some heaven-and-earth power into my Heavenly Gate!" The Book Spirit turned solemn at once. "Master can communicate with Your Majesty now?" "Not directly yet, only through a third party!" Su Yu chuckled. "No rush, it's only a matter of time. Since we've made tentative contact, formal communication won't be far off! I can tell King Wen is getting anxious too!" The Book Spirit replied briskly, "Very well. Whenever Your Majesty needs it, I will immediately channel heaven-and-earth power into Your Majesty's Heavenly Gate!" Looking concerned, the Book Spirit asked, "Is the Little Master doing well?" Su Yu had no idea, but he still smiled. "Quite well. Even King Wu is alive and kicking, to say nothing of the Time Master! Let's put that aside for now. King Wen sent me plenty of rule power, so I'm heading back to integrate it into my world..." "Please, Your Majesty, go ahead!" Without another word, Su Yu vanished, returning to his own heaven and earth. ... A moment later. Returning to his world, Su Yu paid no mind to Marquis Tongtian and King Dazhou, who came sprinting back behind him. Bursting with excitement, he began integrating stream after stream of rule power into his heaven and earth. Some of these rules were already within Su Yu's grasp. Yet during integration, a distinct difference emerged. For example, Su Yu integrated a stream of thunder power. His world already possessed thunder power, which had previously been wielded by Princess Consort Qi. At present, that thunder power was roughly at a weak third rank. That was within his own heaven and earth, where Princess Consort Qi could barely unleash such strength. In reality, outside the world, she fell far short of that. The thunder power King Wen sent gave Su Yu the impression of being at most fifth rank. However, when this power merged into the existing thunder Dao, a sensation akin to harmonizing Yin and Yang suddenly arose. The overbearing thunder power instantly became somewhat milder—though this was only from the wielder's perspective. In an actual burst, it would prove even more devastating. With the fifth-rank thunder power merged in, the weak third-rank thunder power grew wildly as if injected with steroids, instantly climbing to the mid-tier of the third rank. Su Yu's expression changed slightly. "It rises so fast..." It might seem like a modest gain, but one had to remember that what had been integrated was merely fifth-rank rule power. Under normal circumstances, merging fifth-rank rule power into a third-rank Dao wouldn't yield much change at all. Su Yu drew a breath, his brow furrowing. "Troublesome..." He had suddenly realized something! A crucial point: if their merging of Daos from behind the gate had such an effect, would powerhouses behind the gate experience an enormous surge in strength if they integrated the current Daos of the myriad realms? "If that's the case... the fellows behind the gate being hell-bent on breaking out makes a lot of sense... Do they know that coming out will elevate them?" Weighing these thoughts, Su Yu continued the integration, infusing massive quantities of Dao power. He could clearly feel the entire heaven and earth expanding, and the integrated Daos rapidly growing stronger. When he integrated that complete first-rank Dao power, the entire world suddenly expanded with feral momentum. In an instant, except for the village-sized enclave belonging to the Human Sovereign, virtually the entire Upper Realm was engulfed and claimed by Su Yu's heaven and earth! Overwhelmed by this sudden surge of nourishment, Su Yu swiftly began absorbing the power to digest it! Strengthening himself! At this moment, it was as if he had devoured numerous Rulers of Rules; the harmonization of Yin and Yang was perfecting his own Daos and his heaven and earth! ... At the exact same time. The upper reaches of the River of Time. To the Human Sovereign and the others, only a brief moment had passed. Not long after Su Yu had him push the Star Residence Seal and the Human Sovereign Seal into the world, the Human Sovereign froze in a daze. At this moment, not just him, but everyone else stared blankly as well. Over there, Princess Consort Qi's aura suddenly surged a notch. Princess Consort Qi glanced back, not thinking much of it. It seemed Su Yu had integrated some rule power into the world, simply making the Thunder Dao easier to command and far less explosive! Just as her aura climbed, right beside her, the Southern King's aura surged a notch as well. No sooner had the Southern King's aura risen than the Martial Emperor, who had just recovered his second-rank strength, felt his aura jump by a massive leap! The Physical Dao was a common Dao power, and it was certainly not rare behind the Heavenly Gate! The Martial Emperor froze, his mouth hanging open. What in the world? Originally, the Physical Dao within Su Yu's world was barely at the second rank, and the Martial Emperor had only just managed to recover to that tier. However, when Su Yu extracted a substantial amount of world power from the Human Sovereign, the Martial Emperor had received a boost. He had climbed from roughly eight daos to barely nine daos. But now, in the blink of an eye, he had reached the power of ten daos! Dazed, the Martial Emperor thought, *Holy shit, is breaking through realms really this simple?* How bizarre! Not just him—people were experiencing breakthroughs one after another, leaving King Ming and the others staring with their jaws slack. What kind of madness was this? That wasn't even the end of it... Finally, over where she was still treating the wounded, an aura suddenly erupted from Xingyue. The Human Sovereign immediately barked, "King Ming!" King Ming instantly deployed a formation to conceal her aura! Xingyue looked momentarily bewildered, but quickly relaxed, not paying it much mind. Beside her, King Zhan's eyes widened, and he mumbled, "Why... do I feel... like you're on par with me now?" Peak second rank? Had he lived all those countless years in vain? Looking completely indifferent, Xingyue said nonchalantly, "Su Yu grew stronger and reinforced the Dao of Life and Death. Is it so strange that I reached the peak of the second rank?" Saying that, she added with some confusion, "I feel like I'm being restricted... Otherwise, I probably could have reached the first rank, right?" Bizarre! She had that distinct impression. While her own comprehension was slightly lacking, it felt as though she couldn't step into the first rank because Su Yu himself was restricted. Otherwise, she suspected she could have broken into the first rank! What on earth did Su Yu eat? How did he make the Dao of Life and Death so much stronger all of a sudden? Just a moment ago she had appeared and left without anything seeming different; the only change was having the little white dog send the boot downstream. Could he have eaten King Wen's boot? At this thought, she cast a glance of pity toward the bewildered little white dog over there. *Su Yu ate your master's boot!* *No wonder I feel like my Dao carries the stench of sweaty feet... Well, probably just psychological; no need to mind it. If he ate a shoe, so be it!* Elsewhere, everyone was struck dumb. The Snow King had just been chatting with her daughter. Originally, the Snow King was at the peak of the third rank, nearly reaching the second rank, while her daughter Xuelan, through her Ice and Snow Dao, had barely crossed into the third rank within Su Yu's world... Yet in an instant, Xuelan's aura suddenly reached the peak of the third rank! The Snow King was flabbergasted! What the devil? Near Xuelan, Giant Axe also experienced a breakthrough while merely sitting there, jumping straight from a weak third rank to the peak of the third rank. Grinning broadly, he looked at the Snow King and said foolishly, "Snow King, our realms are almost the same now. I broke through just sitting on my ass..." The Snow King's face turned black. Are you bragging, or what? Who would bother indulging you! Further away, the Human Sovereign's phantom flickered. *Fuck, should I even bother going into seclusion?* *Should I... just skip seclusion altogether?* What was going on?! What in the world was Su Yu doing? He felt as though Su Yu had only been gone for a brief while, and now the people on Su Yu's side were advancing at a frenzied pace. It made him look utterly incompetent! Not just him; even King Ming couldn't hold back: "Your Majesty, does integrating into a heaven and earth make one advance this fast? We'd like to integrate into the world you opened too. Would that instantly turn my first-rank strength into transcendent rank?" Holy shit! He was getting restless as well. That great-great-great-grandson of his... had just jumped from weak third rank straight to strong third rank, virtually knocking on the door of the second rank. Give you a few more days, and are you going to surpass me, your ancestor? How bizarre! Opening a heaven and earth, integrating into a heaven and earth—can it really be played like this? Advancing like it was as easy as drinking water? This was... far too envy-inducing! The Human Sovereign opened his mouth, speechless for a long while. Shut up! If I merge into my own heaven and earth right now, I'd be at peak second rank at most. In my world, severed from the River of Time, I could support third-rank beings at best. If you integrate... you're practically courting death! Of course, if everyone integrated, his world would grow stronger as well, and reaching the first rank would be no problem for him—but King Ming and the others would inevitably have to remain one rank below him! At this moment, the Human Sovereign felt completely dazed! Su Yu simply stepped out for a bit, and his people's rate of advancement looked like they had overdosed on miraculous pills. What was the deal? "Did he hook up with Wen the Second?" He assessed the situation; that was probably the most accurate answer! Suddenly, a sense of crisis washed over the Human Sovereign. Not because the myriad races were about to attack, but... he truly couldn't afford to lose face! "If I survive this, only to have my old brothers surpassed by Su Yu, and myself surpassed by him as well... then... wouldn't I have lived in vain?" The Human Sovereign's face warped! Dying wasn't terrifying; what was terrifying was surviving, only to be utterly humiliated! He wasn't afraid of dying—he just wanted to save face! How the hell could he have known Su Yu would advance so ridiculously fast? If this went on, Su Yu would leave him in the dust. When that happened... he would truly have no face left to show anyone. He might as well just die! Earlier, the Human Sovereign had been contemplating returning to merge with his heaven and earth, severing his Human Sovereign Dao and merging it into his world, which might allow him to reach the first rank. But now, was Su Yu still merely an initial first-rank? "Not necessarily... That little bastard might be able to maintain first-rank combat power even outside his heaven and earth now!" The more the Human Sovereign thought, the more alarmed he became! Inside his heaven and earth, Su Yu likely commanded the power of at least twenty daos, if not more. Moreover, the stronger a heaven and earth became, the greater the combat power one could maintain outside it. If one truly reached the level of the Master of Time, one would be just as formidable outside as inside—a state of near-perfect balance! Thinking of this, he drew in continuous breaths. This simply wouldn't do! Su Yu had to hurry back! Once he returned, the Human Sovereign would go merge with his world, sever his Dao, and make his breakthrough! In the next moment, the Human Sovereign abruptly looked toward King Ming and the others with an ardent gaze. *My old brothers, I didn't plan on dragging you in originally, but now... I'm desperate. Why don't you all cultivate a heaven and earth with me?*