Su Yu Takes Charge

Whether King Dazhou was meritorious or at fault depended on one's perspective and way of thinking. The most tragic of all was none other than Liu Wenyan. He had truly been the foremost genius of recent decades, a claim that was by no means an exaggeration. As a cultivator who had not even reached Soaring, he had withstood divine characters of the Sun and Moon Realm without his sea of will collapsing. Even Su Yu had never attempted such a feat, and he might not have been able to pull it off. In that golden age, figures like Xia Longwu had played supporting roles to Liu Wenyan, and people like Marquis Xia back then had all centered their activities around him. King Dazhou had intended for Liu Wenyan to inherit the Brush Dao—to inherit the Dao of King Wen. This was plain to see from how so many powerful divine characters had been passed down to Liu Wenyan... Yet in the end, Liu Wenyan had not succeeded. Thus, Liu Wenyan could perhaps be considered an abandoned pawn of King Dazhou. Because he had failed to succeed for so long, King Dazhou had grown disappointed in him, had even given up on him, and no longer intervened. Some matters might have been even more complicated. Su Yu was Liu Wenyan's student; Liu Wenyan had mentored Su Yu for five years. In this matter, Su Yu could not forgive King Dazhou on Liu Wenyan's behalf. And Su Yu himself could only try to put all of this out of mind, for faced with such an outcome, he had no idea how to handle it either. Was King Dazhou a meritorious contributor? He was. At least throughout this entire tide, he had protected the human race from start to finish. Otherwise, the human race might have been destroyed long ago. The failure of the Ninth Tide had made King Dazhou far more guarded and his methods much more ruthless. Sacrificing a small portion of people had become King Dazhou's choice, and among that small group were Liu Wenyan and his peers. At this moment, Su Yu stopped speaking of these things. The Human Sovereign and the others fell silent as well. Su Yu was one of the involved parties, King Dazhou was another, and Su Yu's teacher even more so. In such matters, it was difficult to distinguish right from wrong. Just as Bai Feng had asked Su Yu long ago: on the battlefield, if sacrificing a hundred-man guard squad could eliminate an enemy powerhouse, was it worth it? At first, Su Yu had said it was worth it! Then Bai Feng had asked again: what if your father is among that hundred-man squad? Su Yu had changed his tune in an instant: whoever dared to do that, he would kill them! That was human nature! ... Seeing the solemn atmosphere, the Human Sovereign gave a light cough and said, "Su Yu, come over here. Let's talk about something else. I have a few words for you." He called Su Yu away; otherwise, this stiff atmosphere might have dragged on indefinitely. ... The two walked to a secluded spot. The Human Sovereign sighed softly. "I'm sorry." Su Yu replied calmly, "Why must the Human Sovereign say such things?" The Human Sovereign said softly, "In the end, this started with me, and with King Wen and the others! Back then, King Wen's departure was a ploy, and my departure leading the myriad races was also a ploy! Someone schemed against us, and we turned around to scheme against them! We were all flowing with the currents; you were laying your plans, and I was laying mine... In the end, my move fell one step short, which led to the upheaval in the Ninth Tide and Hundred Battles' betrayal..." King Wen had left for the Heavenly Gate partly to rescue his sister, and partly to set a counter-scheme within the Heavenly Gate itself. It was just that King Wen had been outmatched by that being and had not succeeded to this day. The Human Sovereign leading the myriad races into the River of Time to travel upstream had also been intended to suppress the Three Gates; otherwise, the myriad races back then might not necessarily have rebelled. King Wu's departure had likely been prompted by the Human Sovereign himself sending King Wu to aid King Wen, something the Human Sovereign had vaguely mentioned earlier. From the Human Sovereign's perspective, everything he did was what he had to do. Yet plans did not always succeed, and errors had crept into his arrangements in the myriad realms. And at this moment, the one bearing the impact was Su Yu. He had to step forward and shoulder all of this, lest Su Yu develop negative thoughts. Yet Su Yu was exceptionally calm. "I passed that phase long ago. I am past the phase of blaming heaven and other men, past the era of resenting the world for being unfair. All I can say is that it was simply because I was not strong enough. That is why I wanted to grow stronger, why I wanted to overturn it all!" "King Dazhou may have been right... At least he forced me to find ways to make myself stronger!" A trace of mockery and self-deprecation curled the corners of Su Yu's mouth. "From the day I cried out to the heavens and received no response, I told myself that in this world, everything must depend on oneself—on fists, on wisdom, on one's own brain! When you encounter trouble, solve it yourself!" The Human Sovereign sighed, and only after a long pause did he say, "True enough. There is no need for me to comfort you. You are far more resilient and formidable than I imagined! To you, comfort from outsiders is nothing more than a joke." The Human Sovereign suddenly grew calm and smiled. "Never mind. I was worried you would be furious over this... but you won't be. You probably guessed everything long ago. If you were going to explode in rage, you would have done so already." He suddenly realized there was no need to soothe Su Yu; it was completely unnecessary. Su Yu was young, but he was no naive child who understood nothing. His heart was more resilient than anyone's; few setbacks could ever break him. At this moment, the Human Sovereign asked with some puzzlement, "You are only in your twenties and have rarely encountered failure..." Su Yu smiled. "Rarely? No, quite often! I have to thank the Time Master... She taught me a truth: failure is nothing, and death is nothing. If you endure it and make it through, you win!" The Human Sovereign's gaze shifted slightly. "Her cookbook?" Thinking of this, he suddenly realized he might have overlooked a question, his expression turning somewhat peculiar. "At what age did you inherit her cookbook?" "Six years old." Six years old! The Human Sovereign's expression shifted slightly, growing strange. "That cookbook is immensely powerful. Even the faintest wisp of its aftershocks would be... an irresistible force to you!" He murmured, "Within the cookbook, the might of myriad Daos dissipated. Even sealed, battered, and drained of power from traversing time... the faint slivers of might spilling out... though leaving no physical harm on you, surely left some mental brandings... Did you frequently have nightmares?" He abruptly looked at Su Yu, his eyes flickering. "You were able to open this heaven and earth, to open several thousand Daos... I think I understand something!" He suddenly understood a great deal! Su Yu's talent... was not like other people's talent. He drew a slight breath. "Every time, if a sliver of will imprint appeared, that was a remnant of a Great Dao. Each time, it would shatter your mental will, leaving behind a trace of Dao power... That is why you can comprehend myriad Daos, whereas in truth, it is extremely difficult for most people to comprehend them, or it requires vast amounts of time..." Su Yu opening a heaven and earth had borrowed everyone's strength, but if he had possessed no comprehension himself, he wouldn't even have been able to make the start, so how could others have helped him complete it? Therefore, Su Yu had truly completed the comprehension of myriad Daos! And this had not come out of nowhere; it wasn't that his innate talent was peerless to an absurd degree, surpassing all beings. Rather, it was because from childhood, Su Yu had continually been scoured by the power of one Great Dao after another, his spirit relentlessly battered. Thus, when Su Yu outlined divine characters, he could finish them instantaneously. It wasn't that he was inherently far superior to others, but that he had already grasped aspects of the Daos; he was simply too young and weak at the time, and had not known how to apply them or bring them forth. Divine characters were rules! Rules took form as divine characters! The moment he met Bai Feng, Su Yu had in fact already grasped the rudiments of many rules. Later, as he continuously outlined divine characters, others had to do so slowly, yet Su Yu alone could manifest them in an instant. Others needed a gradual process to understand rules, whereas Su Yu needed no such process—he only needed a framework, a spark of insight, to condense that rule power into tangible form! Yet the Human Sovereign could somewhat understand that this process must have been fraught with extreme peril, crisis, and agony! Su Yu had been far too young, and far too weak. During that period, he probably hadn't even begun cultivating, yet he had been enduring the inheritance and onslaught of rules. Only at this moment did the Human Sovereign understand what this young man before him had truly experienced. The Human Sovereign suddenly asked, "Back then, did you never feel despair? Did you never think of giving up?" Ending it all in death! He asked himself: if he had encountered such things during that stage of life, what would he have chosen? Every single day, every single night, enduring agony, nightmares, and despair... would he have chosen to take his own life? Su Yu smiled. "Despair? I felt it! In the beginning, I was in utter despair. I was terrified. I didn't even want to sleep—I wished I would never have to sleep for the rest of my life... Back then, I wished desperately that I were a powerhouse who could go without sleep or rest. Now, I have actually achieved that." From age six until now, for over a decade, Su Yu seemed never to have had a single full, uninterrupted sleep. Even at the academy, when he stopped having many dreams because he had experienced almost every Dao power once, he had become busy cultivating and needed only to sleep a brief moment each day. What did a full night's sleep even feel like? The memory had long since blurred. Su Yu didn't even know what it felt like to have a peaceful, restful sleep before the age of six. Now, he had thought about trying, but too many burdens weighed upon his heart. When he had died for an instant recently, he had briefly tasted it. Alas, he was interrupted by King Wen and King Wu; and even without that interruption, Su Yu would not have had time to indulge in it. The Human Sovereign looked at him silently. Only now did he seem to truly understand Su Yu. After a long pause, he whispered, "Outsiders all say your talent is peerless, Su Yu, but looking at it now... perhaps it was only average! The cookbook let you experience Dao power on one hand, while shielding you from collapsing on the other... It was an ordeal of relentless pounding and forging, treating a person as something less than human. A powerhouse might endure it, but for a child, it was far too cruel!" The Time Record had continually battered Su Yu's will on one side, while repairing it after each strike on the other, tempering him like steel through a hundred foldings. Yet this process was fundamentally cold, a form of inhuman devastation. Perhaps Su Yu would not be hammered to death directly, but he would break mentally. As the Human Sovereign spoke, he added, "Wen Yu probably never imagined that her treasure would fall into the hands of a six-year-old child..." He gave a wry smile. "By all rights, you shouldn't have been the one to inherit it." Su Yu chuckled. "Then I should thank Xing—your ancestor, shouldn't I?" Su Yu had mentioned this once before. Hearing it again, the Human Sovereign fell silent for a moment before saying, "Perhaps he also harmed you... As for Xing... perhaps he was an ancestor, or perhaps he ceased to have any connection long ago. There is no need to dwell on it." Separated by a Gate, everything changed. The Human Sovereign looked at Su Yu again. "Did you never have moments of breaking down?" Su Yu looked back at him, simply looking, and offered a radiant, dazzling smile. The Human Sovereign froze slightly... After a moment, a realization formed in his heart. He had! Not only had he broken down, but... he had been in that state all along! This white-haired young man before him had long since broken, had long since gone mad. He was hysterical, crazed, and desperate, yet unlike others, he never showed it before people. He had gone mad on the inside. "Wen Yu..." The Human Sovereign murmured in his heart. *You probably never imagined this either, did you?* Wen Yu had forged Su Yu! Yet she had also ruined him. She probably had no idea that she had created a madman—a hysterical madman. Calm, yet insane! At this moment, like Zhou Ji that day, the Human Sovereign saw it clearly: from beginning to end, Su Yu was a lunatic. And yet, this era seemed to depend on this very madman for salvation. The Human Sovereign stared deeply at Su Yu, who wore a radiant smile and finally said after a long time, "Do I have flowers on my face? The Human Sovereign doesn't have any strange ideas about me, does he?" The Human Sovereign laughed helplessly, and only after a while did he murmur in a nearly inaudible voice, "Perhaps you need the Three Gates to open..." Su Yu watched him without saying a word. And the Human Sovereign had already turned and walked away to continue speaking with King Yue and the others. Su Yu might truly need the Three Gates to open. Because he needed war. The pressure of war would force Su Yu to suppress everything. Otherwise, the Human Sovereign worried: once Su Yu had no pressure, once he lost the relentless spur of war, what would become of him? Would he completely collapse? Or would he gradually recover? He didn't know! Yet he had indeed guessed and seen that Su Yu was already teetering on the brink of collapse. Perhaps if things quieted down for even a moment, Su Yu might unravel—or perhaps not, because the Su Yu in his eyes was extraordinarily tough! Just as Zhao Li had recognized Su Yu at first sight and resolved that Su Yu could inherit his mantle, this young man's indomitable tenacity went far beyond Zhao Li's imagination. ... Watching the Human Sovereign walk away, Su Yu smiled. *I need the Three Gates to open?* *What an interesting thing to say!* Then again, having the Three Gates open—now that would be thrilling, wouldn't it? If they didn't open, it really wouldn't be exciting enough. Su Yu chuckled, then suddenly called out, "Why are you running off? We haven't even talked about proper business yet!" Over there, the Human Sovereign waved his hand. *What's the rush?* *Let me digest this!* *You lunatic, once I leave, who knows what you'll do? I need to think this through.* ... With the arrival of King Yue and the others, the combat power on Su Yu's side had risen once more. The Human Sovereign chatted with the newly arrived fellows for a while. Among them were top powerhouses who had stayed behind in the old days, powerhouses who had guarded the rear, and the spirit of King Wen's heaven and earth; he needed to speak with them at length. In passing, he also sought to understand how spirits functioned, along with their feelings and strength after fusing with a heaven and earth. The Human Sovereign's eye remained exceptionally sharp. Without needing Su Yu to introduce her, he had already discerned Book Spirit's condition. ... Meanwhile, Wan Tiansheng walked over to Su Yu's side. Seeing Su Yu gazing alone toward the myriad races across the river, he said softly, "Don't take what happened just now to heart. Our affairs, we will settle ourselves. Your teacher's affairs will also be resolved by himself!" Su Yu nodded slightly. "I don't mind. As for my teacher... we can address it after the war ends." Or after the myriad races were subdued. Wan Tiansheng did not pursue the topic further. He looked across the river, where terrifying auras crisscrossed the void in immense power. He said in a deep voice, "The myriad races are not easy to deal with. Even now, their combat power remains formidable." The previous major battle had actually united the myriad races. With the myriad races, it was always like this. Su Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "Director, your progress has slowed recently. Has severing your Dao to merge into my heaven and earth caused your insights to dwindle instead?" Wan Tiansheng and Lan Tian had advanced rapidly before, but now they had slowed considerably. By this point, Wan Tiansheng was merely at the third rank, just like the others. This was still thanks to the numerous Daos he possessed. However, Wan Tiansheng had not fully mastered some of those Daos; he had merely integrated them. Otherwise, the Seven Emotions and Six Desires alone accounted for thirteen Daos, not to mention that the Human Dao he cultivated encompassed more than just the Seven Emotions and Six Desires. If he mastered all of them, he would have reached at least the second rank by now. Wan Tiansheng thought for a moment and nodded. Indeed, compared to Su Yu's progress or that of certain others, he was not particularly exceptional at this stage. It wasn't that Wan Tiansheng insisted on being special, but as a top genius of this era, he had to be. After considering it, Wan Tiansheng said softly, "I command the Seven Emotions and Six Desires—joy, anger, sorrow, delight, greed, wrath, ignorance, malice... These are more general representations rather than fixed states! Over these past days, I have reflected on this: my six desires are not strong!" "Should I find you a woman?" Su Yu joked. Wan Tiansheng laughed helplessly. "Nonsense! The so-called six desires are not merely carnal lust; they encompass far more! The craving for life over death, the thirst to know the future, the longing for strength, the yearning for peace..." He spoke of many things; it had been a long time since he had spoken to Su Yu about matters of the Dao. The last time had been when they discussed the River of Time. After elaborating, Wan Tiansheng continued, "I thought about it. Perhaps recently, because your presence anchors everything, it has lessened my anxiety and unease about the future, leaving me lacking a sense of crisis..." Su Yu laughed. "I only just stepped into the first rank, and you've already lost your sense of crisis?" Wan Tiansheng smiled too. "Not just me, but everyone else as well! Because... you are undefeated in every battle!" Su Yu chuckled, glanced sideways, and then looked back at Wan Tiansheng. "What do you mean?" "Fight a tough battle!" Wan Tiansheng exhaled and said, "You always try to bear everything alone. You are always worried that someone will fall, always trying to scheme through every detail. But you must understand that even when the Human Sovereign and the others plotted for years, there were times they failed!" "Take advantage of this moment, before things reach the point where defeat means certain death. The myriad races are currently evenly matched with us—let's fight a tough battle!" Wan Tiansheng said earnestly, "You just focus on dealing with your opponent. You worry about too much, and meddling in too many things isn't necessarily good." Su Yu fell silent for a moment. "Is this everyone's sentiment as well?" "Yes!" Wan Tiansheng nodded. "Fight a tough battle. Right now, the myriad races are roughly equal in strength to us, and we may even hold a slight upper hand! Continuing like this won't do. If you forcefully elevate everyone, they will rely on you more and more, leaving their own comprehension of the Dao shallow. That is not what a competent commander should do!" "Su Yu, haven't you noticed? Everyone is thinking less and less for themselves." "If this goes on... everyone will regress." Su Yu laughed. "Managing too much is a bad thing too?" "Perhaps it is!" Wan Tiansheng smiled as well. "Let go where appropriate!" "So what you mean is, once the Human Sovereign leaves this time... we fight a tough battle?" "No!" Wan Tiansheng looked at Su Yu and suddenly chuckled. "Why must it wait until the Human Sovereign leaves? Why must you wait until he's gone and has severed his Dao before you fight? Su Yu, that isn't your style! While the Human Sovereign is still here and can keep his proud, fierce generals in check, let's fight a battle right now! Break in our coordination with the Human Sovereign's side! Having the Human Sovereign hold the rear to deter the myriad races is even better!" "Then, launch a second battle, a third battle... keep fighting until the myriad races dare not raise their heads! At that point, when the Human Sovereign departs, even if he severs his Dao, the myriad races will suspect it's a trap, wondering if something is amiss!" Wan Tiansheng grinned slyly. "You could even claim that the Human Sovereign has fallen! Say it every single time... After a few times, no one will believe it! Furthermore, those powerhouses who wish to fuse their Daos into the Human Sovereign's heaven and earth... why not make use of them before they leave?" "When it came to our own people, you knew to have them detonate themselves once before severing their Daos... What, now that it's the Human Sovereign's men, you're reluctant to pull the trigger, or embarrassed to do it?" Wan Tiansheng licked his lips and smiled. "We must take advantage of the Human Sovereign's presence to suppress those proud, unruly veterans of his! Suppress them right to the Human Sovereign's face! I can tell that the Human Sovereign supports it! Su Yu, I know you may not care about these people, nor do you have any interest in wrestling power from the Human Sovereign... But even if you don't think about it, what about the others?" He said with a smile, "It's not about seizing power... it's that people will subconsciously wonder: should I listen to the Human Sovereign, or should I listen to you, Su Yu? In a major battle, the Human Sovereign's men will think: *The Human Sovereign left, so do I have to obey Su Yu? The Human Sovereign isn't dead. If we obey you and suffer heavy losses, won't the Human Sovereign be weakened?*" Su Yu looked at Old Wan. There were many moments of confusion in life; sometimes one worked through them alone, but other times, one needed someone to point the way. Wan Tiansheng had indeed given Su Yu guidance many times. On the day he transformed into the Human Devil, he had told Su Yu what it truly meant to help the world when accomplished; that time, Su Yu had been deeply moved. It was precisely because of that lesson that when Su Yu ascended to the position of Human Lord, he had immediately seized power by force, ruthlessly suppressing anyone who disagreed with him without the slightest reservation. And now, Wan Tiansheng was once again offering him insight. Su Yu's original thought had been to wait until the Human Sovereign departed and severed his Dao before considering battle, but Wan Tiansheng's view differed from his own. Su Yu sank into thought. After a moment, he asked, "You mean I still need to bring the Human Sovereign's subordinates under my command?" "Of course!" Wan Tiansheng said gravely, "You can discuss matters with the Human Sovereign, but whenever the Human Sovereign is absent, you must give everyone the impression that your word is absolute!" "No—even when he is present, your word must remain absolute!" Wan Tiansheng said in a low voice, "They can appeal to the Human Sovereign after the battle, and have the Human Sovereign come to you. You can talk things over with the Human Sovereign, but you have no need to waste words on them!" Wan Tiansheng looked at Su Yu. "All they need to do is obey orders! So long as the Human Sovereign has not objected to you... you can ignore their words entirely. What you must do is make them obedient!" Su Yu pondered, then chuckled after a while. "Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?" "What's inappropriate about it?" Wan Tiansheng laughed. "To you, is there any difference between the Human Sovereign and King Daqin? Back when you became the Human Lord, didn't you suppress those old relics just the same? Whether they're four hundred years old or forty thousand years old, in your eyes they're all ancient relics—why care about their age? Don't go giving them special treatment, or King Daqin will probably be heartbroken wondering why he was treated differently from the Human Sovereign!" Su Yu burst out laughing! There was some sense to that! Wan Tiansheng added, "Right now, this isn't peacetime. The Human Sovereign is severely injured, King Wen isn't here, King Wu has departed, and King Ming isn't good at making major strategic decisions. Therefore, only you can take charge of this!" Su Yu smiled. "True. Aside from me, who else has the ability?" Wan Tiansheng grinned; this guy had finally returned to form. He chuckled and said, "Deep down, you still harbor a bit too much reverence toward the Human Sovereign. You feel he might always be right, and you don't want these matters to create a rift between you... But you must realize, did King Daqin ever grow distant from you just because you punished some people? The more sensible someone is, the better they understand this principle!" "If the Human Sovereign truly believed you were in the wrong over such matters... that would only prove he isn't wise enough!" "In that case, he wouldn't even be comparable to King Daqin!" Su Yu laughed. "Why do you keep bringing up King Daqin? King Daqin would be so sad if he heard you!" Wan Tiansheng was speechless, then amused. "Not necessarily. From what I see, King Daqin seems quite pleased with how things are; he isn't sad at all. Another point: dividing into two factions on the battlefield is exceptionally foolish! The myriad races are a prime example. Doing so will inevitably cause problems in synergy, coordination, and rescue. Therefore, while the Human Sovereign hasn't left yet, we must integrate and coordinate our forces!" Su Yu stroked his chin. "In that case, we need to take the initiative to attack..." Su Yu looked across the river. "My heaven and earth can extend there right now, but once they keep fleeing upstream, I won't be able to cover them!" "So what?" Wan Tiansheng said dismissively, "Then force them to keep heading upstream! Right now, heading upstream meets a fierce counter-current and drains immense energy. Here is already their limit; otherwise, why would the Human Sovereign and the others have drifted downstream? Wouldn't staying in place have been ideal?" Su Yu listened attentively. Having an experienced elder by his side to offer occasional advice was truly not bad. Su Yu rarely listened to advice from others, but there were exceptions—people like Wan Tiansheng, Zhao Li, Niu Baidao, Zhu Tiandao, Liu Wenyan, and the like. Even if Su Yu disagreed with their suggestions, he would consider them seriously. However, among them, only Wan Tiansheng was currently with him. Most of the others had been hidden away by Su Yu. Because they were too weak! Naturally, Su Yu had his own selfish motives. Everyone had selfish motives to varying degrees. His father, his teacher, some of his close friends... he had hidden them all away, letting no one know. He had even considered what his fate would be if he lost—dying without an intact corpse was a certainty. Having said his piece, Wan Tiansheng spoke no further. As for the rest, Su Yu understood it all himself. ... Su Yu pondered carefully; perhaps Old Wan's idea was indeed more suitable than his previous plan. Soon, Su Yu turned and walked toward the Human Sovereign. Seeing him approach, the Human Sovereign stepped forward and exchanged a few brief words with Su Yu. Hearing Su Yu's proposal, the Human Sovereign considered it for a moment and nodded slightly, agreeing to Su Yu's suggestion. What Su Yu said was correct. Although the Human Sovereign was somewhat anxious to return and merge his heaven and earth, Su Yu's approach would likely be more advantageous for what lay ahead. ... The others were still chatting, discussing, and talking. Right then, the Human Sovereign gave a light cough, instantly causing everyone to halt. The Human Sovereign said softly, "Everyone, you know my condition! I am no longer fit to engage in intense battles. If I fight another battle, I might perish completely!" Everyone grew solemn. The Human Sovereign chuckled and said, "I've thought it over... As for Su Yu, you have all seen him, seen his strength and his abilities! You also know what he accomplished in the myriad realms. One could say... he is a legend. Perhaps slightly inferior to me... Hahaha! But he is indeed legendary!" Smiles appeared on everyone's faces. They liked the Human Sovereign's confidence, even if they felt he was bragging again! The Human Sovereign laughed heartily. "So after some consideration, from now on, everyone will follow Su Yu's orders, obey military discipline, and engage in some battles. On the battlefield, having followed me for so many years, you all know one thing: military orders are as unyielding as mountains, strictly executed without fail!" Everyone felt a slight pang of tension in their hearts! The Human Sovereign continued, "Of course, not all of you may agree with Su Yu. However... if you have objections, you can tell me after the battle ends. We can conduct post-battle reviews, and improve on any shortcomings... But under no circumstances may anyone disobey orders on the battlefield!" The Human Sovereign's tone abruptly turned grave, imbued with solemnity and authority. "You are all veterans! Many brothers have fought alongside me from the Human Realm to the myriad heavens, and from the myriad heavens upstream into the River of Time! By today, you shouldn't be ignorant of how this works! Therefore, even if an order happens to be mistaken... I will stop it in time, or you can speak to me after the battle. Do not pull any stunts in the middle of battle and bring shame upon us!" At this moment, King Ming looked thoughtful and asked softly, "Your Majesty, what if Human Lord Su orders us to our deaths?" He chuckled. "For example, what if Human Lord Su says, 'All of you, go self-detonate to throw the myriad races into utter disarray first, and the rest will swoop in to reap the harvest'... do we comply with that as well?" The Human Sovereign said casually, "Su Yu wouldn't give such a brainless command..." Not far away, Su Yu crossed his arms and suddenly interjected, "That's hard to say!" The Human Sovereign was speechless. *Are you purposely arguing with me? I'm granting you authority right now!* Su Yu said nonchalantly, "On the battlefield, anything is possible. If a battle is fierce and only self-detonation can bring victory, and I order you to self-detonate, are you going to defy orders?" Su Yu continued coldly, "Sacrificing the few for the sake of the greater whole—isn't that what many people strive for? As long as victory is achieved, cannot everything be justified?" Everyone subconsciously glanced at King Dazhou nearby. Those familiar with Su Yu knew he was targeting King Dazhou again. King Ming chuckled. "Fair enough... However... what we fear is that Human Lord Su places more trust in his direct subordinates. When it's time to reap the harvest, it's your confidants; when it's time to sacrifice, it's us. In that case, we won't accept it!" "'Men fear not scarcity, but inequality'... that is no empty phrase!" King Ming looked at Su Yu. How would you resolve this? Su Yu thought for a moment and offered a casual example with a playful smirk. "Back when I ascended to the Upper Realm, I commanded a group of Dao Mergers, including Director Wan, King Dazhou, Marquis Dingjun, Marquis Anying, Marquis Yunshui, Marquis Nanxi, Tianmie... a whole crowd of them!" "I don't know if Xuelan and the others mentioned this to you... On that day, I ordered everyone to self-detonate!" A chill ran through the hearts of several people. Su Yu said nonchalantly, "Those who obeyed the order that day all survived—not a single one perished! Those who disobeyed and did not self-detonate—Anying, Yunshui, Wushan, Jianghai—all died! As for Nanxi, I simply let bygones be bygones and couldn't be bothered to hold him accountable! And Xuelan didn't obey, but an enemy self-detonation shattered her physical body; had King Xue not left behind a life-saving seal, she would have fallen long ago as well!" Su Yu said indifferently, "If everyone still cannot accept this example, then no matter what else I say, it will be useless! If you listen to me, I will naturally do everything in my power to keep you alive... If you don't listen, and people like that die, what does it have to do with me?" King Ming pondered for a moment, then asked, "And what if we have differing opinions from Human Lord Su?" "Keep it to yourselves!" Su Yu said coldly, "Wait until the battle ends, then go weep and complain to the Human Sovereign. The Human Sovereign will naturally come find me, and I will naturally give him an explanation! As for you... you have no right to bargain with me. Of course, if you think I am too domineering, you can choose not to participate and simply stay in the rear with the Human Sovereign! Let me speak plainly from the start... Anyone who thinks I, Su Yu, am not qualified to lead you may step aside. I don't mind having fewer people. If none of you are willing, I will lead my own people, and we can still hold off the myriad races just fine!" Some felt humiliated. King Zhan grumbled, "Human Lord Su's words are inappropriate. Since we have campaigned here for countless years, not one of us fears death. If we truly feared death, we would have fled back then!" Su Yu laughed. "I didn't say you fear death. You seniors have slaughtered on the frontlines for years, and I do not deny your merits... However..." Su Yu paused, his expression turning stern. "However, we aren't freeloaders either! Ask anyone present on our side—how many battles have they fought over these years? Since everyone here is a hero... there is no need for empty flattery! When it comes to killing... I'm afraid you seniors haven't killed as many as we have. We fought our way from the Human Realm into the myriad heavens, into the Upper Realm, into the dead spirit realm, and now we've fought our way upstream... Who fears death? If anyone feared death, there would have been no need to follow me here!" When it came to merits, everyone present possessed immense merits, so Su Yu couldn't be bothered to say more on it. Touting achievements? These people's merits weren't necessarily greater than King Daqin's and the others'. Not far away, the Human Sovereign glanced at Su Yu and smiled. "Human Lord Su, I have no other demands of you, only one point—or rather, my bottom line: dying in battle is acceptable, but dying unjustly is not! If someone clearly could have been saved and wasn't; or if losing one of your direct subordinates could have resolved a crisis, yet you let three or five of my old brothers die instead... then your selfish bias is too extreme!" The Human Sovereign added, "I can understand some normal favoritism. For example, if two people need rescue at the same time—one being King Zhan and the other Director Wan—and you can only save one, saving Director Wan... everyone may resent you, but we will still not oppose you... However, if you could save both, yet you rescue Director Wan and abandon King Zhan... then you are unfit to be this leader!" His smile faded, replaced by seriousness, speaking with utter frankness. A degree of favoritism was inevitable. However, Su Yu could not take it too far; otherwise, Su Yu would not be worthy of leading, nor would the Human Sovereign hand his people over to him to be sent to their deaths. Su Yu smiled. "Just supervise the battle, then!" The Human Sovereign nodded. "I will be watching!" Su Yu said no more. Turning directly to King Zhan and his cohort, he said calmly, "You have all heard the Human Sovereign's words. If any of you have objections, raise them now. Past this moment, my word is final, and no questions will be tolerated!" Among the crowd, King Tong, who had previously displayed three eyes, hesitated briefly before asking, "Human Lord Su, are we to obey orders only during wartime, or must we obey orders after the battle as well?" "Only during wartime. After the battle, do as you please!" Su Yu said casually, "The Emperor Yu Mansion has no interest in recruiting new members anyway—isn't the Human Sovereign still alive? Right now, consider it a loan of troops. During the loan, just obey me. Of course, after the battle, you might be reluctant to leave me and end up weeping and begging me to accept you into the Emperor Yu Mansion... We can talk about that when the time comes!" The atmosphere instantly broke from its frozen tension, turning somewhat peculiar. The group felt rather awkward. *Listen to him!* *Who would weep and beg you to take them in? How disrespectful would that be to the Human Sovereign?* The Human Sovereign was between laughter and tears as well! *Good grief, you really don't put me in your eyes, do you?* Su Yu narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Anything is possible. Don't think it impossible now, only to slap your own faces later!" Everyone gave dry laughs, choosing not to respond. *Whatever makes you happy!* *We can't even be bothered to argue with you.* Suddenly, almost instantaneously, Su Yu's expression changed, turning deadly serious. "From this moment on, it is wartime. Everyone, hear my command!" Everyone stiffened! Su Yu barked, "Change your address—call me Emperor Yu!" "..." King Zhan and the others were taken aback. Wan Tiansheng laughed, and his group swiftly bowed, roaring in unison: "Greetings, Your Majesty Emperor Yu!" "..." King Zhan and the others looked back and forth at one another. After a pause, King Ming smiled and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty Emperor Yu!" The next instant, several dozen Rulers of Rules, whether resigned or exasperated, spoke up one after another: "Greetings, Your Majesty Emperor Yu!" Su Yu laughed heartily and bellowed again, "May the Human Sovereign withdraw—exit the war zone!" Looking at one another, the crowd had no choice but to follow suit and shout, "May the Human Sovereign withdraw—exit the war zone!" "..." The Human Sovereign was at a loss for words, but he smiled nonetheless and stepped back, exiting the combat zone designated by Su Yu. He stood alone at the rear with a faint smile. At this moment, the Human Sovereign did not know whether to feel gratified or troubled. Su Yu was indeed quite interesting. Moreover, he believed that as long as Su Yu wasn't excessively selfish, nothing would go wrong with his old brothers. After a few drills to build coordination, they could launch a large-scale offensive. Yet just as that gratification crossed his mind, Su Yu abruptly roared, "Hear my command—charge! Kill!" With those words, he hurtled forward toward the myriad races! Wan Tiansheng and his group did not hesitate in the slightest, immediately lunging forward. King Zhan and the others were stunned, utterly dumbfounded! *Fuck!* King Ming and the others were stunned as well, freezing for a split second before nearly losing their minds. *You... you're charging just like that?!* Hesitating for a heartbeat, they all gritted their teeth and rushed forward. Across the river, auras surged abruptly as powerhouse after powerhouse rose into the air. Yet Su Yu halted instantly. "Halt! Fall back! You bunch of bastards, why did you hesitate?!" Su Yu was furious! Under the dazed stares of the myriad races across the river, he instantly led everyone back. Less than five minutes later, Su Yu roared again: "Charge!" Boom! The entire group rapidly charged forward! "Retreat!" Su Yu led them back! Now, the myriad races were dumbfounded, and King Ming and his cohort were completely bewildered too. Su Yu, visibly enraged, continuously berated those who lagged behind, leaving those veteran powerhouses flushed red with embarrassment. *I... I just didn't expect you to charge the moment you said charge, and retreat the moment you said retreat!* *They simply hadn't reacted in time!* They were truly left in a daze by Su Yu's antics! Yet Su Yu repeated this sequence over and over. Gradually, the myriad race powerhouses opposite them grew solemn. Far from lowering their guard, they became intensely vigilant. They could faintly tell... Su Yu seemed to be drilling his troops and breaking in their coordination. At the very least, strict adherence to orders had been achieved. With a single command from Su Yu, the Human Sovereign's subordinates no longer hesitated; the instant he said charge, they charged!