Living in Memory

Half a day later. In the Upper Realm. Within Su Yu's heaven and earth. King Yue strode forward with proud, confident steps, holding his head high with a cold expression. He was already clad in armor. Seeing Su Yu, he clasped his fists and said in a deep voice, "Yue Chuan pays his respects and gives thanks to Emperor Yu for saving my life!" He bowed formally, then looked up, his demeanor still unyielding. "Dare I ask Emperor Yu, on what day do we march upstream to do battle?" "..." Su Yu looked at him and smiled. "King Yue, aren't you going to recuperate for a while?" King Yue's tone was icy. "With the myriad races yet pacified, how can I rest? In the past, the Human Sovereign struck against the myriad races beyond the reaches of time. For all these years, I have not fought. Now that I have been revived today, I must do battle with formidable foes once more and display my divine might!" Su Yu smiled and watched him. King Yue remained impassive, though he felt a slight trace of unease. Looking at Su Yu, he found him somewhat reminiscent of King Wen, but unlike his familiarity with King Wen, this young man was a complete stranger to him. From Marquis Huoyun's descriptions, Su Yu was overbearing, petty, ruthless, and vicious. Naturally, he also possessed many virtues. However, there was no doubt that the young man before him—with his white hair and white robe, appearing gentle and harmless on the surface—was actually one of the rarest, most ruthless figures in the myriad realms. In Marquis Huoyun's words, Su Yu's murderous nature ran exceedingly deep, far deeper even than King Yue's. The key was that when a scholar killed, he killed with insidious cruelty. He might appear to lack legendary battlefield heroics, yet he had slaughtered his way from the myriad realms all the way to the upper reaches of the River of Time. King Yue had heard that just a few days ago, Su Yu had slain several dozen Rulers of Rules from the myriad races! King Yue had never even heard of such a ruthless person! Indeed, never! King Wen was ruthless, but he had not engaged in massive slaughters. Back when he subjugated the myriad races, King Wen had killed Rulers of Rules—not just one or two, but quite a few. Yet compared to Su Yu, killing dozens in a single stroke... that was unheard of! If one killed like that back then, the myriad races would have rebelled long ago; how could they have waited until later? During the era when the Human Sovereign unified the heavens, the total number of Rulers of Rules slain might not even equal Su Yu's tally. Su Yu had not only killed them recently; he had also wiped out a batch back during the battle with Hundred Battles King, as well as a group of ancient beasts that had emerged from the Hell Gate. Adding it all up, the number of Rulers of Rules Su Yu had personally slain exceeded forty! King Yue could not recall how many had fallen during their conquests of the heavens back then, but even combined between both sides, the dead Rulers of Rules had not exceeded forty. Faced with such a ferocious individual, even if Su Yu was astonishingly young, King Yue did not dare underestimate him in the slightest. Su Yu, on the other hand, looked at King Yue and smiled. He actually held considerable admiration for King Yue. Fighting in life, still remembering his mission in death, swallowing a Great Dao into his belly just to unleash that single strike—such a man was worthy of respect. "King Yue, once you leave this heaven and earth, do you still have first-rank strength?" King Yue said in a deep voice, "No, but I can barely maintain the peak of the second rank!" Su Yu immediately sighed and murmured, "You are like this, and Book Spirit is like this. Neither of you can maintain the first rank once outside the world... It was within my expectations, but still somewhat disappointing!" However, he soon smiled again. "Inside the heaven and earth, you can barely reach the first rank, right?" "Yes!" King Yue nodded. Su Yu also smiled and nodded. "Then that's not bad!" This showed that King Wen was indeed terrifying; his heaven and earth were sufficient to support a first-rank expert. At this moment, Su Yu still could not achieve that. Su Yu sank into contemplation. King Yue frowned slightly. "Does Emperor Yu have other plans? In that case, I shall head out first..." "What's the rush!" Su Yu snapped, "Calm down!" He frowned. "If you're a warrior, then follow orders! If you're not, then wait until I finish speaking! Always rushing impatiently—having a few brawny warriors like King Wu and the Martial Emperor is more than enough. If everyone turns into a King Wu or Martial Emperor, where am I supposed to find the energy to manage you all?" "..." King Yue was momentarily struck speechless. I... I didn't say anything unreasonable. Sure enough, just as Huoyun had said, this Su Yu was overbearing to the extreme, intolerant of the slightest friction, and gave face to no one—because in all the heavens, his face was the greatest. What an arrogant man! King Yue was also an unyielding person, yet the more unyielding he was, the less he could forget the debt of gratitude for Su Yu saving his life. Right now, despite the frustration stifling his chest, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut and wait for Su Yu to continue. He was anxious, but since Su Yu wasn't in a hurry, he could only stand there and wait! Su Yu remained unhurried and spoke softly, "You are second rank, Book Spirit is second rank, King Dazhou is second rank... Book Spirit, you can't channel the power of King Wen's heaven and earth over there, right?" Book Spirit shook his head, then nodded. "I cannot, but Master can! Does Master not share a connection with Your Majesty through the Heavenly Gate? If necessary, Master can use the Heavenly Gate with Your Majesty as the intermediary point to transmit the power of his heaven and earth!" Su Yu nodded, but soon shook his head. "Better not. The situation on King Wen's side is unclear. If he uses the power of his world too frequently, it will easily reveal issues and expose my existence... For now, I still don't wish to be noticed by those so-called supreme beings!" Even if the other side descended with a first-rank clone, Su Yu wouldn't fear it. However, it was best not to provoke such existences without cause. If someone like that appeared, Su Yu would have no choice but to cut off communication with King Wen, and King Wen wouldn't be able to borrow the world's power either. Such a method was best saved for emergencies. All second rank! Su Yu sighed softly. The myriad races might not possess as many Rulers of Rules in total as the human race, but their number of first-rank experts was considerably higher. On the myriad races' side, there were a full seven first-rank experts! Meanwhile, on Su Yu's side, there were only four: King Ming, Princess Consort Ming, King Zhenwu, and Su Yu himself. They were short by three. Being short by three made unexpected developments likely, even if his side had more combatants overall. If Book Spirit and King Yue could unleash first-rank battle strength, and if the Human Sovereign could also recover... then they would match them. As long as they balanced the first-rank forces, Su Yu would dare launch a major battle; otherwise, heavy casualties would inevitably occur! A battle of severe attrition was not the outcome Su Yu wanted. Su Yu tapped the table, sinking into deep thought. Gui! Yes, at this moment, his thoughts turned once more to Gui. That guy was a first rank! The crucial issue was that he was hard to control! If Gui proved obedient, brought along his friends, and summoned a batch of experts, Su Yu could slaughter some to intimidate the rest and recruit them for his own use. That would be ideal. Alternatively, even if Gui didn't come himself, throwing over some cannon fodder for Su Yu to kill and use to expand his heaven and earth would work too. Once he himself grew strong enough, why would he care how many first-rank experts the enemy had? One idea after another flashed through his mind. Of course, in a critical moment, Book Spirit and King Yue could also be utilized as first-rank fighters. "Your Majesty?" Just as Su Yu was deep in thought, King Dazhou called out softly, "Your Majesty, King Yue has something to say." Seeing that King Yue had tried to speak and Su Yu hadn't responded, King Dazhou knew Su Yu had been lost in thought. He hastened to intervene to prevent King Yue from feeling slighted and harboring resentment. Su Yu looked up at King Yue. King Yue said in a deep voice, "Emperor Yu, is it because our battle strength is inferior to the enemy's that you are hesitating to advance? I... although I can only maintain second-rank battle strength, I can pin down a first rank. If the opponent dares to fight desperately, I will swallow the Dao again to kill him. I have experience with this. At worst, I'll trade my life for his!" "..." Su Yu frowned, abruptly flaring up in anger. "Shut up! I spent immense resources reviving you and integrating you into King Wen's heaven and earth just for you to trade your life away?" Su Yu was genuinely irritated. "Can't a single one of you give me some peace of mind? If it were just about trading lives, I would have won long ago! Not just me—if King Wen and the Human Sovereign had been willing in their early years, they could have defeated the myriad races too! But after defeating the myriad races, who would deal with the entities inside the Three Gates? Having a few reckless fools is enough; having too many just makes people sick of you, don't you know that?" King Yue was struck dumb, choked to the point of being unable to utter a single word. Su Yu huffed, annoyed. "In the future, I'll set a rule: the number of reckless fools cannot exceed a certain limit. Any excess will be sent to the Human Sovereign's heaven and earth to be brainwashed... ahem, to be civilized!" "..." Everyone was speechless. What kind of talk was that? Rebuffed repeatedly, King Yue felt thoroughly dejected. "Then... what kind of opportunity are we waiting for?" He was genuinely anxious! On one hand, he wanted to join the fight; on the other hand, he wanted to see his old comrades. Su Yu said indifferently, "What's the rush? There's no hurry! Besides, if I don't go, a fight can't break out over there!" It was that simple! If he didn't go, the Human Sovereign wouldn't dare act recklessly. And the myriad races wouldn't dare make a rash move either. Therefore, this war could only reignite once Su Yu arrived. Even if you rushed over there right now, your only role would be sitting around shooting the breeze. Su Yu rubbed his chin, pondering. "The best outcome would be for the Human Sovereign to sever his Daos and integrate them into his heaven and earth while the myriad races refrain from fighting. Once he returns, the enemy can start the war... Of course, that's the most ideal scenario, but the myriad races aren't fools. They won't necessarily sit by and watch!" "The second-best outcome is for the Human Sovereign to integrate into his world, swiftly reach the first rank, and then return to join the fight. That way, we gain another first-rank combatant and can intimidate the myriad races!" The third option was to guide Gui's descent! However, Gui might not be obedient! Furthermore, was there any hope for King Zhan to reach the first rank? As for Su Yu's own subordinates, there was no immediate hope. Those who had merged into his Daos would have to wait until he advanced further before they could consider it. Otherwise, reaching the first rank was exceedingly difficult unless they encountered some special opportunity that broke certain limitations! He wanted both victory and minimal losses... What a hassle! By this point, King Dazhou had also grasped Su Yu's dilemma. After considering for a moment, he spoke up: "Your Majesty, how about I give it a try?" "You?" Su Yu looked doubtful. "Can you break through to the first rank? If all the Daos you cultivate in the River of Time were to break through, there really might be some hope... But those Daos are either occupied by others or your control over them is insufficient. I'm afraid it's unlikely!" King Dazhou nodded, then quickly explained, "Your Majesty, what I mean is: His Majesty the Human Sovereign should bring people back... preferably the weaker Rulers of Rules, particularly those who share the same Great Daos as me! They can integrate into his heaven and earth and sever their Daos in the river, thus vacating those Great Daos. That way, I will have a chance of stepping into the first rank! If I can advance to the first rank, losing a few fourth-rank and third-rank Rulers of Rules would actually be acceptable!" Su Yu understood his meaning at once! King Dazhou still wielded fifteen or sixteen Great Daos. The fellow was truly formidable. When he came to Su Yu's world, he had only severed his ten strongest Daos, not all of them. Several of his other Daos were occupied by other people, preventing him from breaking through. Even if he severed them to enter Su Yu's world, he wouldn't be able to reach the first rank. It was better to keep them intact in the river for now! Now, he wanted the Human Sovereign to bring those Rulers of Rules back first to sever their river Daos, giving him the chance to make a temporary breakthrough into the first rank, breaking past the constraints of Su Yu's heaven and earth! This trick was something no one else could pull off! There was no helping it; everyone else possessed far too few Daos. No one had the luxury or eccentricity to grasp the power of so many Great Daos! King Dazhou had lived for far too long, and being the commander of the Human Sovereign's hidden guards, he had the capability, talent, resources, and cultivation techniques. Only because of all this had he achieved his current mastery over dozens of Daos. Su Yu pondered for a moment. "You simultaneously wield my Daos and Daos of the River of Time—is there no repulsion?" "There is some!" King Dazhou replied, "However, the River of Time doesn't generate much repulsive force. If it were the dead spirit realm, it would be impossible, but the River of Time isn't very sensitive to such things... Or rather, the River of Time is simply too vast and powerful to care about us wielding Daos on both sides simultaneously!" Su Yu nodded. That was true; the River of Time was indeed unique. This was genuinely an option! However, he glanced at King Dazhou with a faint, knowing smile. "You certainly have a lovely plan. You can't wait for the Human Sovereign to quickly drag away those Rulers of Rules sharing your Daos to sever them, and you've held back from merging those Daos into my heaven and earth all this time... Have you been waiting for this all along?" King Dazhou felt thoroughly embarrassed. "Nothing of the sort." Su Yu sneered, but soon chuckled. "Still... it makes sense! Indeed, those fellows occupying the Daos improve so slowly. They might as well sever their Daos and merge into the Human Sovereign's world instead! In that case, I should think of ways to have some people vacate their Great Daos so King Daxia and the others can attempt a breakthrough..." For example, the Saber Dao was currently occupied by Saber King. Perhaps he should vacate it? Let King Daxia reconnect to that Dao in the River of Time and see if he had a chance of breaking through. Talk aside, Su Yu still felt a headache coming on. It wasn't enough! Annoying! If King Dazhou, Book Spirit, and King Yue could temporarily attain first-rank strength, they could match up against Dragon Emperor, Phoenix Emperor, and Spirit Emperor. As for the Nether Emperor, King Zhan could handle him; the fellow was injured and wouldn't recover so easily. As for himself, combined with King Ming and the others, facing the three emperors might even allow them to gain an advantage. Ideas surfaced one after another. In the initial phase, they could focus primarily on defense. Once the Human Sovereign broke through and returned, they could look for an opportunity to deal with the myriad races! That was a viable approach! They had to pick up the pace! If this dragged on any longer, Su Yu worried that everyone drifting downstream would truly reach the myriad realms soon, causing the Three Gates to open! As for Gui, they could wait a bit longer. His efficiency was simply too slow! His friends hadn't arrived yet. When these old relics did things, they dragged their feet endlessly! At present, there were virtually no opportunities left in the myriad realms. Even if there were, they were the sort Su Yu hadn't discovered. For the time being, any rapid personal advancement was out of the question! With that in mind, Su Yu spoke: "King Dazhou, King Yue, Book Spirit, accompany me to the frontlines. Tongtian will come along as well! Yunxiao, Huoyun, Lan Tian, and Tea Tree will continue to stay behind on guard!" Four experts staying behind... well, actually there was Marquis Jiantian too, whom Su Yu simply hadn't named. Five staying behind! In that case, their strength should be sufficient. Emerging from that crack in the Hell Gate was still difficult, and for now it likely couldn't support the passage of second-rank experts. Five experts, with Marquis Jiantian also at the second rank, ought to be enough! With Yunxiao and Marquis Huoyun added to the mix, it was more than adequate. Yunxiao and Marquis Huoyun felt somewhat uncomfortable. Yunxiao said with a trace of reluctance, "I want to go too!" She looked at Su Yu. Wouldn't it be better to take me along? I'm more reliable than Tianmie! Su Yu smiled. "Senior Yunxiao, staying behind to guard the myriad realms is the truly vital responsibility. Victory on the frontline is guaranteed; there's no need to fuss over that. What matters is our home base... Furthermore, I must entrust you with an extremely crucial task!" "What is it?" Su Yu said in a solemn voice, "When the Human Sovereign returns, you must keep an eye on him for me and not allow him to encroach upon the territory of my heaven and earth. This is of utmost importance! Tea Tree doesn't understand these things, Huoyun is an old subordinate of the Imperial Court, and Lan Tian has other tasks... So, only you can keep watch on him!" Yunxiao said in astonishment, "Would the Human Sovereign really seize your territory?" Su Yu nodded. "It's possible. Therefore, if it comes to that, Senior Yunxiao must step forward to stop him! This is a major matter; we cannot afford to lose our home base." Yunxiao hesitated. "But I... I can't stop the Human Sovereign!" Su Yu laughed. "It's fine. You're a woman. Just throw a tantrum, weep, and threaten to hang yourself. Even the Human Sovereign won't be able to take that." "..." Beside them, King Dazhou almost wanted to weep. You never do anything with any decency! Su Yu didn't mind and said with a chuckle, "Then it's settled. For the time being, there are probably no opportunities for me to advance here in the myriad realms. As for everything else, we'll discuss it once I arrive on the other side!" The flow of time on Gui's side might be different from the myriad realms. Su Yu noticed that the fellow's efficiency was painfully slow. As for finding King Wen, it was relatively quick, but going back and forth was really just a brief affair. According to Gui, he had been working non-stop, but Su Yu had actually waited in the myriad realms for quite a while. Therefore, calling his friends together might still take some time. At the very least, Su Yu had to wait until Gui brought his companions over before making a move. Otherwise, just Gui alone wouldn't satisfy Su Yu's appetite. Previously, only Su Yu and Tongtian had returned. Now, Su Yu brought along three more: King Dazhou, King Yue, and Book Spirit. Su Yu stood up and said, "Since King Yue is in such a hurry, let us depart! And remember, you three... are all on my side!" Su Yu looked at King Yue. "I was the one who revived you, so you owe me a life. Talk again after you've repaid it, and the same goes for King Dazhou! This way, on the frontline, my side has thirty-nine experts. No, including Xingyue, that makes forty!" Su Yu said with a beam, "Looking at it this way, my people will soon match the Human Sovereign in number!" On the Human Sovereign's side, several had fallen in battle previously, leaving forty-eight. Four from the myriad races had defected to him, bringing the count back to fifty-two. Perhaps during the few days Su Yu was away, one or two Celestial Venerables had broken through because of the recent deaths, but at most it would only be one or two. Su Yu realized that the number of Rulers of Rules on the Human Sovereign's side was almost matched by his own! And he still had five experts staying behind to guard the base! In the blink of an eye, he had nearly caught up to the accumulation the Human Sovereign had built over hundreds of thousands of years. Su Yu's mood brightened considerably! King Dazhou actually found Su Yu rather childish! At times, Su Yu didn't care about grand affairs, yet he delighted in finding satisfaction in such petty details. Did having one more or one less truly matter? He felt somewhat speechless, while King Yue said in a heavy voice, "I owe you a life, and I will naturally repay it. But if you expect me to act against the Human Sovereign and the others, you are dreaming!" "..." Su Yu glanced at him, chuckling, not bothering to argue. King Dazhou also smiled and transmitted his voice: "King Yue, don't take it to heart. Emperor Yu just likes to joke. His relationship with the Human Sovereign is actually very close." Is it? King Yue said nothing more on the subject, but turning to King Dazhou, he suddenly asked, "You used to be the scribe under the Human Sovereign's command. How did you end up betraying him too?" "..." What kind of talk was that? King Dazhou wore a completely speechless expression. I didn't betray him, how can you phrase it like that?! This King Yue really didn't know how to speak. If you can't speak properly, just say less! I had no other choice, so I had to merge into Su Yu's Daos. I am a loyal subordinate of the Human Sovereign. Yes, I never betrayed him! Su Yu heard this as well. He laughed and narrowed his eyes. "King Dazhou, once we meet the Human Sovereign, if he turns against me, who will you hit?" "..." I'll hit your ancestors! King Dazhou kept his mouth firmly shut. Don't go picking fights! Su Yu chuckled and added, "King Dazhou, let me ask you a question..." "Your Majesty, please speak!" King Dazhou quickly answered, changing the topic, not wishing to dwell on the previous question. "Did the Human Sovereign and King Wen have a master?" Uh... King Dazhou said helplessly, "They did!" "Are they alive? Why haven't I heard of them? Were they formidable?" Su Yu was curious. King Dazhou considered for a moment before saying, "Is Bai Feng alive? Is he formidable? Plenty of people haven't heard of him!" What a pointless question! A genius was a genius. When it came to peerless prodigies, which one hadn't far surpassed their master? You don't even reflect on your own case, so what's the point of asking this? Su Yu was taken aback. That seemed true. Still, speak your mind if you must, but did you have to bite back at me like that? Su Yu shot him a look. Getting a bit too arrogant, aren't we! Su Yu gave him an amused glance, while King Dazhou remained silent. Look all you want—can you actually kill me? Giving me grief is something I'm already used to! ... After chatting for a while, Su Yu's group set out. At the same time, from within the Heavenly Gate, Gui's voice came through once more: "Su Yu, my friends have all arrived. I need to entertain them. You had better not engage in any battles on your side these next few days..." Su Yu was inwardly delighted. What great news! I was getting impatient waiting! Excellent! "Fine, go ahead, no rush!" Gui felt rather speechless. The more Su Yu acted like this, the more uneasy he grew. He was far too generous! It was as if no matter how many friends he invited, Su Yu didn't care at all. Fortunately, his clone was in the myriad realms. He had actually been somewhat worried that Su Yu might lay a trap... But... the myriad realms were so vast; he didn't believe Su Yu could orchestrate everything, especially with a great enemy looming! Over the past few days, his clone had met many people, running around everywhere and gathering information! Su Yu's side simply had no way of dealing with him! Especially now that his friends had arrived—after all, among his friends, there were also first-rank experts! Countless thoughts flashed through Gui's mind. He soon probed, "Su Yu, I heard you're preparing to lead your people to find Xingyu and the others. Is that true?" Su Yu smiled. "Not sure. Why do you ask?" Gui asked no further, musing to himself: Could it be that because he's going to see the Human Sovereign, Su Yu isn't afraid of my descent? However, his imprint was not in the upper reaches of the River of Time. Did that fellow Su Yu assume he would descend over there? Then he was sorely mistaken! He would descend in the area where the imprint was located! Even if Su Yu was upstream, he would still descend directly into the myriad realms. Su Yu was oblivious to his thoughts, nor did he care. An imprint? What imprint? It was all inside his heaven and earth; he could move it wherever he pleased! If Gui wanted to descend, he could only descend right in front of Su Yu. Meanwhile, Gui didn't delay and quickly left. He needed to find his friends to discuss the plan. This was a monumental matter and a grand opportunity. Over these past few days, he felt that his descent was genuinely drawing near! Moreover, he had gained a deep understanding of the myriad realms! Knowing both himself and the enemy, backed by immense strength, and with Su Yu being so careless, he believed that as soon as he descended, he could swiftly suppress the myriad realms. Before the Human Sovereign and the others returned, he could complete a personal transformation. The Physical Dao... The human race's Physical Dao was magnificent; he would find a way to claim it for himself! He was also a powerhouse of the Physical Dao. Hearing that the human race's Physical Dao was currently masterless, he would give it a try. Perhaps very soon, he could become a top-tier expert! ... As for Gui, Su Yu simply let him roam free. As long as you're happy, think whatever you like. Lan Tian had been having a grand time lately anyway; who knew, maybe there was some twisted fate between him and Gui. At this moment, Su Yu traveled upstream once more. With Marquis Tongtian responsible for the teleportation, Su Yu moved at incredible speed! ... In less than half a day, Su Yu had returned! Not far away, the Human Sovereign, who had been in secluded cultivation, suddenly opened his eyes. This so-called seclusion... he had actually stopped long ago; he had merely been waiting. He hadn't expected Su Yu to return so quickly—less than a full day from start to finish. Just about that much time! In the eyes of the Human Sovereign and the others, the great battle had literally just ended yesterday, yet Su Yu was already back. Over there, King Ming and the others, who had been chatting casually, were all dumbfounded upon seeing Su Yu's return. What in the world? Is that King Yue? Well, they recognized King Yue. The main point was that Su Yu had made a trip back, and in just a brief moment, he seemed to have grown stronger again, and the newcomers he brought along all felt remarkably powerful! King Zhan was even more baffled. What kind of joke is this? Is my peak second-rank status worth nothing now? King Yue seemed roughly on par with him, and Book Spirit and King Dazhou didn't feel much different either. In just a brief moment, where on earth had Su Yu dug up these experts? And hadn't King Yue died? On the other hand, the Human Sovereign's gaze shifted slightly. He knew how King Yue had been revived—had he been stuffed into King Wen's heaven and earth? The Human Sovereign could no longer sit still. He rose abruptly and walked toward Su Yu. The crowd followed behind him. Without wasting words, the Human Sovereign looked first at King Yue and sighed with emotion. "Back then, I left you behind, thinking you were bound to perish... Today, it turns out to be a blessing in disguise. You held the rear and swallowed the Dao; I saw it all with my own eyes, yet I could only watch... I have nothing else to say. You should follow Su Yu's orders from now on. He is far better at scheming than I am, just like another King Wen. Following him, it will be easier to preserve your life... You have already died once; do not follow me only to die a second time!" King Yue parted his lips, but the Human Sovereign smiled. "There is no need to say anything more. Everyone saw your bravery with their own eyes! I heard that you swallowed the Dao and guarded the breach for a hundred thousand years... Alas, I have wronged you. If you were to follow me, I would only feel guilty!" King Yue said in a deep voice, "I did not fight for your sake. It was simply that... we were comrades. In war, someone must hold the rear... It was merely my duty!" The Human Sovereign said no more; he understood the situation with King Yue. Besides, he didn't want to get into an argument over this with petty-minded Su Yu. He moved past it, turning his gaze toward Book Spirit. His eyes flickered with a peculiar light, but he merely swept past him without speaking further. Finally, he looked at King Dazhou. King Dazhou had his head bowed, filled with shame. He... had failed to complete the task entrusted to him by the Human Sovereign. The Human Sovereign looked at King Dazhou, only sighing after a long while. "I have inquired about your affairs and heard of them. Although there were no grand achievements, you managed to help the human race hold on for a hundred thousand years. For a hundred thousand years, the human race did not perish, and ultimately you waited until Su Yu arrived. You still succeeded! You have toiled hard; all these years, guarding my physical body, you sacrificed a great deal..." With his head lowered, King Dazhou said shamefully, "I have failed Your Majesty! In the end, the Flame Inheritor lineage was ruined in my hands!" With that, he sighed. "If not for Emperor Yu's rise, then I... would have had no face left to see Your Majesty!" To the side, Su Yu folded his arms, watching with a beam. The Human Sovereign said nothing more, merely clapping King Dazhou on the shoulder. For a moment, his feelings were immensely complicated. How had this commander of his hidden guards actually performed? It was hard to say. If you said he succeeded, he hadn't been able to break the seal for a hundred thousand years, nor had he fulfilled the Human Sovereign's instructions to bring reinforcements. If you said he failed, in the end, he had kept the human race enduring for a hundred thousand years until Su Yu arrived. The Flame Inheritor passed on the flame... passing on the fire of civilization, passing on the fire of the human race. King Dazhou had actually completed his mission to the fullest. In a lifetime, how many hundred thousand years could one have? A steadfast watch of a hundred thousand years... Whatever else he said, it wouldn't be appropriate. Meanwhile, King Dazhou's heart was an overwhelming swirl of complex emotions. There were countless words he wished to say, yet he didn't know where to begin. After an unknown amount of time had passed, King Dazhou suddenly spoke: "Your Majesty, these hundred thousand years, I was a failure... but these hundred thousand years, I was also a success!" He smiled. "I failed to bring reinforcements to Your Majesty, but over these hundred thousand years, I did accomplish one thing..." At this point, he glanced sideways at Su Yu, visibly lacking confidence, and said cautiously, "I trained a grand-disciple, or rather a great-grand-disciple, who turned out to have quite some capability!" The Human Sovereign paused slightly, looking at him, then looking at Su Yu. Su Yu, however, wore a completely calm expression. Utterly calm! Did he count? He supposed so! He had already guessed it long ago. Not far away, Wan Tiansheng walked over, looking at King Dazhou with flickering eyes. After a long while, he finally said, "You're admitting it?" King Dazhou looked sheepish and embarrassed. He wanted to force a smile, but couldn't manage one. Su Yu stood with folded arms, simply staring at King Dazhou. King Dazhou was profoundly awkward. He coughed lightly and said, "Back then... back then, I also wanted to use that crisis to see if a formidable powerhouse could rise... In the end... in the end... it succeeded..." Su Yu said calmly, "You did succeed! But you ruined my Teacher Liu's entire life! My targeting of you was partly because of this—you know it in your heart, and your conscience is guilty! You didn't dare admit it! Today, seeing the Human Sovereign, you feel someone is shielding you, so now you dare to admit it?" King Dazhou fell silent for a moment before speaking: "What I thought back then was that Liu Wenyan... might be the hope... but I never expected..." Su Yu said indifferently, "Why didn't you dare admit it later on?" King Dazhou said bitterly, "Later... later things went wrong. I... I had no face left to admit it... I kept my eyes fixed on King Jintian's side, watching the Prison King's lineage. In the end... Fen Hai found an opening..." "Found an opening?" Su Yu said coldly, "Not necessarily, right? Most of the Liu family died. Perhaps you thought that my Teacher Liu might take the opportunity to rise? But Teacher Liu couldn't do it and fell into complete despair... Were you very disappointed?" King Dazhou fell silent. By this point, those who understood began to realize what was going on, while those who didn't remained utterly bewildered. Soon, others gathered around. Some had no right to speak, but someone said in a heavy voice, "So, King Dazhou is that cheap martial uncle of mine?" Xia Longwu's saber intent surged as he asked in a low voice, "Was there any need for that?" King Dazhou remained silent. Wan Tiansheng sneered, "Of course there was a need. In his eyes, what are we? We are nothing. If a powerhouse could rise, did the process matter? It didn't matter! All he wanted was the result!" Wan Tiansheng said coldly, "A single Ye Batian ushered in more than fifty years of chaos! Had it not been for Ye Batian, the human race would have been far too peaceful. The myriad heavens wouldn't have targeted us, and everyone would have waited for the Upper Realm to open... But with Ye Batian, the human race's predicament became far more dire! Only in times of chaos can heroes emerge, right?" His eyes were frosty. "If you hadn't admitted it, fine; I would have treated you as having died long ago! Now that you have admitted it, there are certain consequences you ought to bear!" King Dazhou didn't make a sound. Wan Tiansheng took a deep breath. "How you treated me... that doesn't matter! How you treated the others doesn't really matter either. You fostered the Multiple Divine Characters Department like breeding venomous insects... That's also fine. But tell me, did Fen Hai truly lose control on his own, or did you intentionally induce it?" King Dazhou said in a deep voice, "I did not induce Fen Hai... Back then, the Prison King's lineage was infiltrating... There was no need for me to push a human Eternal into treason. Because the personnel of the Flame Inheritor lineage were nearly wiped out, I was truly stretched thin, lacking control over the human race's interior... which allowed complications to arise with Fen Hai..." "Humph!" Wan Tiansheng let out a cold snort. "Illogical! You must know that Ye Batian was attacked by Fen Hai first. Since you were Ye Batian, you knew that Fen Hai had turned traitor. Only after that did the extermination of the Liu family occur! Don't tell me that throughout that entire process, you didn't know Fen Hai had betrayed us!" King Dazhou sighed. "I knew, but back then, I wanted to leave Fen Hai for you to resolve..." "Humph!" Wan Tiansheng sneered once again. After a long pause, he suddenly gave a cold laugh. "All this time, you never admitted it, yet today you suddenly confess. You clearly know that as long as this matter remained buried, even if His Majesty and I guessed the truth, we wouldn't pursue it. Why must you admit it now?" "If you hadn't admitted it, Ye Batian would live on in our memories as a formidable genius who died at the hands of a traitor... He would have remained spotless. Today, you insist on breaking this unspoken understanding. What are you trying to do?" He looked at King Dazhou and said icily, "Are you trying to prove that over these hundred thousand years, you succeeded? That you successfully drove His Majesty into the Multiple Divine Characters Department, finally allowing him to rise under the persecution of the myriad heavens? Is this your grand accomplishment?" At this moment, the others vaguely understood as well! Everyone on Su Yu's side understood completely! As for the Human Sovereign's side, they had vaguely heard about Ye Batian before, and their expressions shifted with realization—they understood now too! Ye Batian, who had caused the Multiple Divine Characters Department to be hunted by the myriad realms, was the chief culprit behind the human race's decades of upheaval! Of course, perhaps he was also a meritorious contributor! Had Ye Batian not ushered in this chaotic era, the day the Upper Realm opened would have been the day the Human Sovereign and his forces returned, and perhaps Su Yu would never have entered the picture. From the collective perspective, King Dazhou had succeeded! Yet from the perspective of those directly affected, King Dazhou... was detestable! Evidently, more than fifty years ago, King Dazhou had grown desperate. He had chosen an even more radical method to plunge the human race into chaos. Regardless of the process, the result was that Su Yu had risen from this era. Otherwise, had the heavens remained peaceful, the Su Yu of this era would never have appeared, nor would people like Wan Tiansheng have risen in this age. Heroes emerge in troubled times—this was no empty saying! King Dazhou fell silent once more. After a moment, he said, "I did not do this to prove I was right or that I succeeded. In truth... I merely wanted to give His Majesty the Human Sovereign an explanation, and also give Emperor Yu an explanation!" He had disguised himself as Ye Batian... or rather, he had deliberately created a figure like Ye Batian. It was indeed effective; everything had unfolded according to the situation he envisioned. From Su Yu's perspective, his greatest crime was causing the extermination of Liu Wenyan's entire clan. Yet from another perspective, sacrificing one clan to allow Su Yu to rise was a success! Otherwise, far more people would have died across the heavens; far more of the human race would have perished! At this moment, everyone fell silent. This was not a matter they could easily intervene in. Meanwhile, the Human Sovereign drew a gentle breath and spoke: "This matter was my arrangement..." He had to shoulder this burden! "I will give you and your teacher an explanation..." Su Yu said indifferently, "No need!" The Human Sovereign's brow furrowed slightly. "Su Yu, I know..." Su Yu raised his hand, cutting him off. He looked at King Dazhou and said after a long silence, "Bringing this up suddenly in front of the Human Sovereign today, your intention isn't just that. Speak plainly—what do you want?" King Dazhou went silent again. After a long pause, he dropped to one knee before the Human Sovereign. "Your Majesty, the mission you entrusted to me back then... I have completed it! Emperor Yu has brought reinforcements! A hundred thousand years... I think... I can take this opportunity... to leave the Flame Inheritor lineage, and leave... the Human Sovereign's manor!" The Human Sovereign's expression turned complicated. "You..." King Dazhou kowtowed. "Your Majesty, I believe that perhaps... Emperor Yu's manor is more suitable for the present me!" The Human Sovereign sighed. "You... in this matter, I made things difficult for you..." He looked at Su Yu and said softly, "Lay this blame on my head. Once the war concludes, I will naturally give you all an explanation!" "Unnecessary!" Su Yu looked at King Dazhou and said indifferently, "Forget it, I can't be bothered to pursue it! As for this matter, when you see Teacher Liu, go explain it to him yourself! Ye Batian... heh!" Su Yu curled his lip. "Do you really think Teacher Liu never suspected anything? When your identity was exposed—as the leader of the Flame Inheritor lineage, the commander of the Human Sovereign's hidden guards, the one who secretly nurtured King Daqin and the others... do you truly think Teacher Liu didn't understand? Couldn't see through it? He simply didn't feel like acknowledging you! Teacher Liu has a knot in his heart, and that knot is that his teacher never actually died! If you had truly died, he wouldn't have this knot!" King Dazhou was momentarily left at a loss for words! Revealing his identity and confessing everything to Su Yu and the others today was, in truth, telling the Human Sovereign that his mission was complete, that he wanted to detach from the Human Sovereign's system and join Su Yu's system. Was this meant as a form of atonement? Su Yu didn't know, nor did he want to know. He didn't wish to meddle in this matter; meddling too much in certain affairs only made things worse. This was an issue between King Dazhou and Liu Wenyan. Wan Tiansheng also sneered, "Forget it, our fellowship as fellow disciples ended long ago! If you were dead, I'd still call you Senior Brother. Since you're alive... you're not worth a damn thing; I can't be bothered with you!" King Dazhou smiled bitterly. He knew that when his identity was exposed, clever people like Su Yu had already guessed much of the truth, yet everyone had kept silent. Today, he had torn through the veil himself, leaving him with thoroughly tangled feelings! He had accomplished his mission. The task the Human Sovereign had assigned him had been carried out with flawless success, even exceeding expectations. Yet... in the end, he had still wronged certain people. Suppressing the stirrings in his heart, Su Yu soon said in a deep voice, "All right, I'll pretend I heard nothing! Let Grandmaster Ye Batian live on in my heart; everything else... has nothing to do with me. Nor do I have an elder like you, King Dazhou... so don't go claiming random relatives!" "..." King Dazhou offered a bitter smile and nodded without saying more. I never intended to do that either. I merely laid out the truth. Everyone pretending to be ignorant when they knew the truth all along was painful in its own right. Su Yu's constant targeting of him had certainly stemmed partly from this. Behind Su Yu, the expressions of the others were peculiar. Soon, however, no one brought up the topic again. Even Tianmie and Tongtian refrained from speaking; this was not an easy subject to touch upon. Strictly speaking, this was an internal dispute of the Multiple Divine Characters Department. In truth, some people had already harbored suspicions beforehand, but none had voiced them. After all, with a figure like King Dazhou watching over things, how could a top-tier genius like Ye Batian—someone capable of inheriting King Wen's legacy—have been assassinated by a mere traitor like Fen Hai? That in itself was riddled with glaring problems. In the early days, not knowing his identity was one thing. Once they knew, and knew that King Dazhou existed to nurture top geniuses, Ye Batian should never have died back then. Now, naturally, everything was crystal clear to everyone. The top geniuses of the human race were almost all alive, because King Dazhou needed them alive. How could he have possibly abandoned Ye Batian, the greatest genius of the past century?