Team Battle

On the All Races Continent. The Immortal Emperor and the others looked grim. The Human Sovereign had actually relinquished authority to Su Yu, and Su Yu was continuously putting these veteran human experts through their paces. None of them were fools! After repeated drills like this, Su Yu's commands would become a single will imprinted in everyone's hearts. They might not be used to it the first time, but after enough repetitions, everyone would naturally follow Su Yu's directives. It was simple, yet exceedingly practical! The prerequisite was that you had to be able to suppress these proud and ferocious commanders and make them obey you. Su Yu's earlier battle had clearly intimidated them; none of the first-rank experts dared to step out of line. The Immortal Emperor's injuries had not yet healed. Too little time had passed, for according to the local flow of time... damn it all, the fighting had only ended yesterday! Yes, it was that fast... Could Su Yu truly intend to launch a second war? So many Rulers of Rules had died; were they still not satisfied? The Immortal Emperor looked toward the God Emperor, whose face was also somewhat pale. Earlier, all three of them had been severely injured by the Human Sovereign. Fortunately, the Immortal Emperor excelled in healing, so everyone was somewhat better now, but far from fully recovered. With a heavy expression, the God Emperor said in a low voice, "Everyone be careful!" Someone gritted their teeth and said, "God Emperor, why don't we strike preemptively? If they keep intimidating us like this, over and over, once our vigilance drops, it will be easy for them to breach our lines in an instant!" They were all formidable experts and understood this playbook well. First feign attacks, and the moment the enemy lets their guard down, launch a full-scale assault! In a clash of titans, the slightest carelessness could allow the opponent to punch through their encirclement in an instant and strike them down on the spot. Expressionless, the God Emperor looked toward the Immortal Emperor and the others. The Immortal Emperor sent a voice transmission: "We cannot let this go on. If all else fails... we should launch an attack of our own to repel them!" The God Emperor transmitted, "How much combat strength does the Human Sovereign still have?" In truth, what everyone still feared was the Human Sovereign. Earlier, the three Sovereigns had been routed by him in an instant, and that was when the Human Sovereign was not even in his prime. From this, one could imagine how terrifying the Human Sovereign had been at his peak. Back in those days, it was not merely three powerhouses who faced him; nearly all the top-tier experts had gone after the Human Sovereign. Only the remainder fought the human powerhouses. ... At the same time. After drilling the rhythm several times and leading everyone through multiple charges, Su Yu finally smiled once everyone grew numb and accustomed to his commands. A surprise attack actually had little chance of succeeding. He had never counted on catching them off guard; it was simply impossible. What he wanted to see was everyone obeying orders. That alone was enough. Opposite them, the enemy stood in battle readiness. Su Yu ran through a few more drills, and in the next moment, roared once more, "Charge!" Everyone charged forward together! They were used to it! After multiple repetitions, everyone was wondering at what point Su Yu would call for a retreat. Yet this time, there was no retreat. Retreat for what? Now that everyone was acting on command, there was no need to pull back. "Kill!" A thunderous shout snapped everyone awake, shaking their hearts in an instant. At this moment, the All Races Continent was less than ten thousand meters away. For powerhouses of their caliber, even in the River of Time, that was a matter of a split second. Across from them, countless auras erupted instantaneously, and the God Emperor's furious roar echoed between heaven and earth: "Face the enemy!" That lunatic Su Yu was truly waging battle once a day! Just yesterday, dozens of Rulers of Rules had fallen, and many of their survivors were still wounded, yet Su Yu was already charging at them! Bastard! This fellow was even crazier than the Human Sovereign. Even when the Human Sovereign fought them, it had never been this frequent. Over all these years, nearly a thousand years had passed on their side; yet comprehensive, all-out battles had occurred fewer than ten times. Clashes involving more than ten Rulers of Rules had happened quite a few times—once every three to five years, which was already considered extremely frequent. Su Yu, on the other hand, was doing it once a day! Counting the Rulers of Rules on both sides, the number was approaching nearly two hundred. This was an extraordinarily terrifying figure! The head count might not seem massive, but in any era, this group consisted of top-tier existences who held mastery over Daos. At this moment, like charging foot soldiers, they crashed into the opposing ranks. Boom! A world-shaking blade light tore through the void. Su Yu cleaved downward with his saber and roared, "Group charge! Do not cut off isolated foes—fight as a collective!" "..." Everyone was taken aback. Clashes between top experts usually took the form of matched duels; after all, in a massive battle, stray effects could easily drag down other fronts. Yet today, Su Yu actually wanted them to charge en masse, rather than isolating opponents for one-on-one duels or having several flank a single target. All at once, the myriad races were thrown into a bit of disarray. Fighting as a collective? Some of their powerhouses were entirely unaccustomed to such warfare and were caught unprepared. The God Emperor instantly barked, "Do not scatter! All out attack!" Such a tactic was rather unexpected. Yet the God Emperor thought Su Yu had lost his mind. His side possessed many first-rank combatants; once the fighting became tangled, the shockwaves could easily blast many weaker fighters to death. Was Su Yu mad? Did he truly think winning one battle made him invincible? At that moment, nearly two hundred powerhouses packed together, launching collective strikes against each other. Rumble! Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, and forks—all sorts of weapons were brought forth, and every manner of Dao power crisscrossed in sheer chaos! Such an utterly chaotic melee was a first for everyone... or rather, their first since becoming Rulers of Rules. ... Behind the host. The Human Sovereign's expression shifted slightly, and he could not help but curse under his breath, "Lunatic!" These were not foot soldiers! This was a gathering of top-tier powerhouses! Who ever heard of top-tier experts launching a group charge like this? In a clash between first-rank combatants, the aftershocks would harm both sides, sweeping up the weaker fighters on each flank! This was a textbook mutually destructive tactic, trading eight hundred of your own to wound eight hundred of the enemy. It offered no advantage whatsoever! Su Yu had fought his share of wars; why would he choose such an approach at this moment? The Human Sovereign could not quite understand! Soon, casualties began to appear under this style of combat. With so many powerhouses on both sides, Su Yu instantly charged toward the God Emperor, King Ming went after the Immortal Emperor, King Zhenwu struck at the Demon Emperor, and Princess Consort Ming lunged toward the Spirit Emperor. With that, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Nether Emperors had no direct opponents, but in the blink of an eye, the space around them was packed with people from both sides. The three Sovereigns, as well as Su Yu's side, all felt somewhat constrained. Furious cursing erupted abruptly: "Dragon Emperor, shrink your body! Don't hit our own people..." Near the Dragon Emperor, someone bellowed in rage! The Dragon and Phoenix Emperors had enormous bodies, and indeed, many beings of the myriad races were massive. Once they unleashed their might, the blast radius was so vast that many of their own allies were caught in the crossfire. Yet with their immense size, if they scattered, the humans would instantly devour them. If they grouped together... many powerhouses of the myriad races were forced to remain in humanoid form to fight, unable to revert to their true forms; otherwise, taking up so much space would force everyone apart. ... The God Emperor gave a cold snort. "Was it just for this?" Had Su Yu factored in the sheer size of the myriad races? Yet what could that really affect! A holy power erupted from the God Emperor, and Su Yu instantly summoned a formidable power to descend as well, chuckling darkly. "God descent!" Boom! In that moment, he too resembled a powerhouse of the god race, matching the God Emperor's aura. In a flash, he attacked the God Emperor. The God Emperor's expression grew grim; this fellow felt extraordinarily strong, far more powerful than before. Meanwhile, the power of Su Yu's heaven and earth was rapidly spreading in their direction! The God Emperor's expression changed! Frowning, he shouted in the next moment, "Fall back!" "Get out of his heaven and earth domain!" Fighting within Su Yu's heaven and earth domain was not a wise choice; their only option was to pull back! Yet in a battle where everyone was tangled together, retreating meant turning one's back to the enemy. Just as the God Emperor finished shouting, the Immortal Emperor roared furiously from nearby, "Do not retreat! Fight!" What was the God Emperor shouting blindly for! Retreating at this moment—wasn't that just serving people up for Su Yu's side to slaughter? He knew that the God Emperor probably had not experienced this kind of tangled melee in ages and had temporarily slipped up. The God Emperor had forgotten that this was not a duel where one could easily disengage. When everyone was locked together, how could they pull back? Fortunately, the Rulers of Rules of the myriad races were not stupid. When the God Emperor shouted to retreat, they all realized it was impossible, so no widespread disruption occurred. Yet in a localized pocket, several powerhouses did try to pull back. Right after the God Emperor shouted, they had only retreated a short distance when an ally who hesitated a step too long was slain on the spot! The God Emperor froze, instantly realizing he had made an error! This battle was being fought completely differently from before! This was not an isolated engagement, but a collective brawl; one person retreating would cause casualties among the others. He hurriedly roared, "Do not retreat! Slay the enemy!" Across from him, Su Yu swept his blade outward, sending shockwaves rippling in all directions. He paid no heed whatsoever to the humans around him! And why? Because he was the human leader! Even if you are injured, you must endure it. As for the God Emperor and the others... hehe! Sure enough, the God Emperor unleashed his full combat strength, his holy fist technique erupting in a punch. With a deafening boom, blade light collided with fist force, the blast sending many powerhouses coughing blood as they were thrown backward. There were both humans and members of the myriad races among them! The human side felt only helpless. On the side of the myriad races, however, some wanted to back away from the epicenter of the high-tier battle! Seeing this, the God Emperor's expression shifted again, and he roared, "Endure it! No one is permitted to back away!" If his own allies backed off to escape the shockwaves, the humans could swarm and surround him! Only at this moment did the God Emperor and the others fully grasp Su Yu's intentions. Because... the myriad races were not of one mind! Sure enough, Su Yu's voice rang out like a demon's: "One sovereign per race! If you die, your race is finished! The myriad realms have long fallen under my control; whenever a sovereign of a race perishes, I will notify the powerhouses holding the myriad realms to exterminate that race!" "When a sovereign falls, omens appear! When a race's sovereign perishes... their realm will tremble, and their skies will collapse..." The God Emperor shouted, his holy voice shaking heaven and earth: "Do not listen to him! Pay no heed! Once our lines collapse, the myriad races stand as one, and all will be wiped out!" At this moment, the top powerhouses were dripping with cold sweat! They had never expected the drawbacks of Su Yu's collective brawl to be so severe. Around the top powerhouses of the myriad races, people were constantly pulling back. If this continued, catastrophe would strike. The Immortal Emperor enveloped everyone with his Life Dao, roaring, "No matter how severe the injuries, I will help you recover! Do not retreat! After all these years, can you still not see through the humans' sinister intentions?" Humans were deceitful! Every time, it was the same old trick to sow division among the myriad races, yet maddeningly, this trick never failed! Su Yu sneered, ignoring the shouting, and let out a roar as he slashed ten million times in an instant! The aftershocks radiated, inflicting casualties on both sides. In the next moment, just as the God Emperor was about to erupt, Su Yu yelled, "Human Sovereign!" In the distance, the Human Sovereign's phantom manifestation instantly materialized and flew in their direction. The myriad races were shaken! "Retreat!" Su Yu shouted, and with the guidance of the power of his heaven and earth, the group of human powerhouses pulled back along with it, separating from the enemy in the blink of an eye. Under the unified coordination of heaven and earth, they possessed an advantage that the fragmented myriad races could never match. In a flash, Su Yu's forces withdrew. The God Emperor and the others wore expressions of extreme gravity! Neither side had gained an outright upper hand! The battle had lasted only a brief moment. The myriad races had suffered bad luck; earlier, due to the God Emperor's misstep, one Ruler of Rules had been killed. Aside from that one, a whole crowd was injured, though no one else had died. Su Yu's side had suffered no deaths, and the myriad races had lost no one else either. In this first chaotic clash, one Ruler of Rules had fallen—a failure that fell squarely on the God Emperor's shoulders. Both sides had severely wounded combatants! And not just one or two; Su Yu's side had over a dozen, as did the myriad races. All had been caught in the sweeping aftershocks of the top powerhouses! The losses were roughly equal! Yet the God Emperor and the others could not find it in themselves to rejoice. In fact, they should have been glad, since their Immortal Emperor could heal everyone; however, the other side seemed to have gained an expert of the Life Dao as well. The God Emperor suddenly said in a low voice, "Immortal Emperor, could he be trying to deplete your strength?" The Immortal Emperor was startled! For the moment, they did not pursue. The Immortal Emperor was rapidly healing the wounded, and hearing this, he frowned slightly. "Even if he depletes me, his own people are taking injuries. Would he simply ignore them?" Su Yu's side had severely wounded fighters as well! If you don't heal them, you lose Rulers of Rules. If you do heal them, you also deplete yourself. The Life Master on the other side seemed to be only a second-rank expert, meaning their consumption would be even greater than his. What benefit did that bring Su Yu? The God Emperor fell silent. For a time, he felt only irritation and turmoil. At this moment, he badly wanted to pursue and strike them down, but with the Human Sovereign taking the field, he did not dare. He could not help but grind his teeth. "Could it be that he expects to kill one of us each time through such chaotic melees?" Earlier, it had been his own mistake. That did not mean it would happen every time! Having his long-standing habits broken the first time had caused him to slip up, but that did not mean it would occur again! Su Yu's side had merely seized a small advantage this once. The powerhouses exchanged glances, feeling a growing headache. They did not know Su Yu at all! His method of warfare was completely different from the Human Sovereign's before him. Fighting like this was excruciatingly uncomfortable! ... On Su Yu's side. King Zhan and the others also wore heavy expressions. They had not gained much of an advantage; killing one Ruler of Rules was an unexpected windfall, but now both sides had many severely wounded. Was this the outcome Su Yu wanted? Did this serve any purpose? If it was merely a battle of mutual destruction, anyone could fight like that! Especially on the Human Sovereign's side. At this moment, King Zhan could not hold back and said in a low voice, "Human Master Su... Emperor Yu, seven of our Rulers of Rules are severely injured, and over a dozen are lightly injured. All of them... are His Majesty the Human Sovereign's people!" Did you do this on purpose? Because the three first-rank powerhouses were all the Human Sovereign's subordinates, Su Yu had deliberately joined the battle on their flank, causing the first-rank clashes to unfold almost entirely around them. Under the impact of the aftershocks, several powerhouses had been grievously wounded. This was only the first battle! You got so many of our people severely hurt right away. In a large-scale brawl that paid no heed to friend or foe, the casualties would be immense! Su Yu wore an indifferent expression. He looked at them for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Isn't this wonderful?" King Zhan frowned. He managed to restrain himself, but several powerhouses in the group instantly flared with anger. They turned toward the Human Sovereign's phantom, fuming, "Your Majesty, Human Master Su's actions..." Meanwhile, the Human Sovereign looked at Su Yu, seeming to understand something, and hesitated slightly. "You... did it deliberately? You want them to return with me?" Su Yu looked at the Human Sovereign and smiled. "Correct! A batch of severely injured... can simply recuperate in the rear! The more severe, the better—so severe that they cannot take the field and can only heal in the rear... Once they withdraw, no one will pay attention. We can even leave fakes behind; their injuries are so severe that their auras would naturally be unstable anyway!" The Human Sovereign understood Su Yu's reasoning and said in a heavy voice, "Can you hold out?" "Of course!" Su Yu smiled. "If we are severely injured, they are severely injured too. We aren't aiming to kill the enemy, only for mutual attrition! It works out perfectly... you take them and leave. It couldn't be better!" That way, their withdrawal could happen without a sound! The Human Sovereign took a deep breath. "If my people leave, the only ones remaining will be yours... If a major clash breaks out, the losses will be devastating..." Su Yu said indifferently, "Then let there be losses!" The Human Sovereign said no more. As for Su Yu, he stopped keeping them in suspense. Looking at the injured powerhouses—especially those who were severely hurt—he said coldly, "Severely wounded in a team battle? You're too weak! Since you are this weak, go back with the Human Sovereign! Merge into his heaven and earth and see if you can make yourselves stronger; otherwise... staying here serves little purpose! Keep fighting until you can fight no more, and at the very end, detonate your Daos for me! Sever your Daos, and when we return, merge into the Human Sovereign's heaven and earth!" At this moment, everyone's hearts trembled as they understood Su Yu's intention. It truly was a battle of mutual attrition! This was the exact outcome he wanted! To weed out the weak, eliminate them from the field, and have them withdraw with the Human Sovereign back to the myriad realms to merge into heaven and earth. That way, having severely injured people leave would not cause much of a stir. At this moment, King Zhenwu, holding his cleaver still dripping with blood, looked at Su Yu with a strange expression. "Then does Emperor Yu mean that we keep fighting and weeding people out until a batch can no longer fight and leaves with His Majesty... and only then will this battle cease?" "Cease?" Su Yu looked at the crowd and said coldly, "There is no ceasing! The fighting will not stop! Prepare for continuous battle!" Everyone stirred inwardly. Su Yu spoke rapidly: "Swap out the severely injured for the lightly injured! Place the uninjured weaker fighters near the first-rank experts! Keep fighting until the myriad races are utterly exhausted!" With that, Su Yu barked, "Attack again!" Boom! With practically no time to rest, the group—filled with shock and bitter smiles—followed Su Yu into the charge once more. What a lunatic! A few who were exceptionally severely injured were left behind by Su Yu; there were only two of them. At this moment, both powerhouses wore expressions of utter bitterness. Among them was King Ping of the flesh Dao, who said with helpless resignation, "Your Majesty, is he a lunatic?" No one fought like this! The Human Sovereign remained silent for a moment before speaking: "He is very clever. In such a chaotic melee, people don't die easily, but the weak are easily weeded out. Whether on their side or ours, the powerhouses will have reservations, which dilutes the dominance of first-rank experts!" Of course, if such combat continued, both sides would suffer massive losses! Perhaps by the end, a great many would perish! Yet in the early stages, not many would die. ... Boom! The God Emperor and his cohorts were going mad. That lunatic Su Yu, immediately after the first clash ended—practically the moment it concluded—had launched another charge! Boom! The battle erupted once more. It was still a collective team fight, both sides locked in close combat, their Daos sweeping across the entire world! The river surged! The Demon Emperor could not hold back and roared, "You lunatic! Don't you know that if this goes on, countless people will die on both sides? Once the Three Gates open, neither of us will have any power to resist! Do you understand anything at all?" Did clashing like this serve any purpose? It was utterly meaningless! They could not comprehend Su Yu's mind, or perhaps Su Yu had no idea what lurked behind the Three Gates? Su Yu ignored him and roared, "Assemble! Close ranks! Weak fighters up front, severely wounded detonate! I'd like to see whether the myriad races are ruthless enough, or my human race is more united!" Detonate your ancestors! Just as the Demon Emperor cursed inwardly, a massive boom rang out. A powerhouse of the flesh Dao, grinding his teeth, let out a furious roar and detonated his Dao! His physical body partially collapsed in an instant, but the blast left an enemy powerhouse severely wounded on the spot... Trading piece for piece! Inflicting severe injury after severe injury! The critically wounded were swiftly pulled to the rear, and the myriad races across from them did the same. The Immortal Emperor and the others shouted continuously, ordering the uninjured to protect their wounded comrades at all costs! It was infuriating! This kind of team brawl prevented them from displaying their advantages, yet they were forced to accept this format of combat! ... Five minutes later. The Human Sovereign's phantom manifested again. The Demon Emperor was nearing frenzy and roared, "Don't let them retreat! If we're going to fight to the death, let's fight to the bitter end!" Every time the Human Sovereign appeared, both sides would disengage. If this continued, that lunatic Su Yu would simply grind them down in endless attrition, and who knew how many would die before it ended. Yet this high-intensity combat had already left several powerhouses exhausted and terrified. As Su Yu's forces began to pull back, some no longer wished to pursue, and the God Emperor and the others could not advance deep into enemy lines alone. They could only watch as Su Yu's group withdrew. In this clash, more people on both sides were severely injured. Quite a few, in fact! The Immortal Emperor looked across and said in a deep voice, "The other side isn't healing their people at all! I think I understand... Is Su Yu trying to pull these severely injured fellows into his heaven and earth? Right now, he's merely depleting us?" He had a vague realization, but had not yet thought of the Human Sovereign, because the Human Sovereign's heaven and earth... was something no one knew about; its presence in the Upper Realm had only been discovered much later. Was this Su Yu's scheme? To constantly wear down the powerhouses of both sides! He fell silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Keep your eyes locked on Su Yu! The moment he dares to let anyone merge into his heaven and earth, launch an immediate, all-out offensive!" In this brief window of time, the injured Rulers of Rules on both sides were approaching more than thirty! In no era had anyone been crazier than Su Yu. Battle followed battle without pause. ... On this side, Su Yu led his forces back once more. Several were grievously injured. Su Yu glanced at them without lingering; so long as they were alive, it was enough. These were the ones being weeded out, who would soon leave together with the Human Sovereign. He looked across the field; the enemy had many severely injured as well. He smiled. "Will the Immortal Emperor heal them or not? If he does, after doing too much of it, he won't be able to bear the strain. If he doesn't... then just like us, they can only leave those severely injured behind, unable to participate in battle anymore; otherwise, the odds of their demise will be astronomical!" If they truly crippled the Immortal Emperor, it would be well worth it! Su Yu rubbed his chest. Truth be told, the God Emperor was remarkably formidable. Even with twenty Daos worth of power within his heaven and earth, Su Yu had failed to gain any advantage in their exchange. A single punch to the chest had shattered his bones. If not for his mastery over heaven and earth, he truly would not have been able to best the God Emperor outside of it. With that, Su Yu shouted once more, "Attack!" King Zhan and the others were on the verge of collapse! Can't you give us a moment to recover and catch our breath? Who fights like this? Even knowing Su Yu's objective, everyone was utterly exhausted by now! ... Boom! The battle erupted again. This time, the Demon Emperor and the others altered their strategy; seven first-rank powerhouses converged into a single formation, instantly shifting the tides of battle. On Su Yu's side, there were four first-rank combatants. At this moment, King Zhan, Book Spirit, King Yue, and King Dazhou gathered together to withstand the seven first-rank powerhouses, but they were forced back step by step. Seeing the situation turn sour, Su Yu immediately bellowed, "Human Sovereign!" In the rear, the Human Sovereign felt utterly helpless! I'm just an empty shell right now—why do you keep shouting for me! Though he grumbled inwardly, the Human Sovereign instantly unleashed a powerful aura and flew toward them. The first-rank powerhouses gritted their teeth! Retreat or not? Or should they test the waters to see how much strength the Human Sovereign really had left? His physical body had detonated and his sea of will was unstable—did the Human Sovereign truly have any combat strength remaining? No one knew for certain! The God Emperor quickly transmitted, "Shall we test him?" To see how much combat power the Human Sovereign still possessed? Yet among the seven first-rank experts, the Nether Emperor remained dead silent. He had no desire to test anything, because his own injuries were too grave. Having severed his Dao to merge into Su Yu's earlier, if recovery were so simple, he could sever his Dao and merge into Su Yu every day, and Su Yu would surpass the first rank in mere days! The Nether Emperor of today, though called a first-rank, was merely on par with King Zhan, and might even be at a slight disadvantage! With the Nether Emperor unwilling, and the others carrying wounds of their own, they hesitated. The Immortal Emperor sent a voice transmission: "Retreat for now!" Helpless, the God Emperor could only watch once again as Su Yu's group swiftly pulled back. ... Battles, relentless battles. Su Yu's side continuously traded pieces, not aiming to kill, so long as the enemy was severely injured! He was grinding down the forces on both sides! Fewer and fewer Rulers of Rules were able to take the field! In the blink of an eye, more than twenty Rulers of Rules on Su Yu's side were severely injured, some having even detonated their Daos. On the side of the myriad races, the situation was much the same, if not slightly worse. They did not dare detonate their Daos lightly; living was better than dying, and severe injury was better than a severed Dao. Nearly thirty Rulers of Rules were grievously wounded, recuperating in the rear. The Immortal Emperor had also stopped healing them. If he continued, he would cripple himself and become unable to take part in the fighting. A true contest of mutual attrition! ... "This cannot go on..." The Immortal Emperor looked at the exhausted crowd, gritting his teeth. "This cannot continue!" The once-elegant Immortal Emperor was elegant no longer, on the verge of frenzy. "Su Yu is a madman! He's constantly expending the Human Sovereign's men. Perhaps if the Human Sovereign's people die, he won't even bat an eye!" He had suddenly realized that the severely injured were almost entirely the Human Sovereign's subordinates. Whether to force them into merging with his heaven and earth or to weaken the Human Sovereign, the powerhouses Su Yu had brought with him had suffered very few injuries. Su Yu could afford to do this; they could not. At this moment, some among them were already extremely averse to taking part in such battles. Someone spoke up: "Immortal Emperor, in this kind of chaotic melee, our advantages cannot be brought to bear, and our first-rank powerhouses cannot suppress their first-rank counterparts... The enemy has only one conviction: to stick together. In doing so, when the top powerhouses clash, both sides deplete their power..." Logically speaking, if both sides depleted power, it should have been acceptable. Yet within the myriad races, some were deeply reluctant. Truly reluctant! "If we keep fighting like this, the first and second ranks will be fine in the end, but the third and fourth ranks will all be wiped out!" The speaker was a third-rank powerhouse who was currently wounded, carrying deep resentment: "We aren't able to accomplish much of anything. If we die like this, we won't accept it!" The Demon Emperor could not help but snap, "It's the same on the opposite side! If we don't accept it, neither do they! It just comes down to who can hold out longer!" Easy to say! Someone replied in a low voice, "You won't die, Demon Emperor—you're a first-rank. But we... are not! The ones dying will be us! Even if we truly defeat the humans in the end, if everyone below the first rank is dead... what then?" If the humans below the first rank died, they were still all human. We are different! If we die, we aren't of the same race—don't you understand that? The God Emperor furrowed his brows. "This is Su Yu's plot, as everyone understands. If you develop a fear of death and dare not fight, they can easily seize the opening and strike us with a thunderous blow. If he wants attrition, we'll grind him down!" With that, he took a deep breath and said heavily, "The Immortal Emperor will no longer participate in battle. He will be responsible for healing our people. Under these circumstances, missing one first-rank... won't affect things too drastically!" Even though losing the Immortal Emperor from the front would increase the pressure, he still chose to pull the Immortal Emperor from combat to soothe everyone's spirits. Otherwise, those powerhouses hovering on the brink of death would sink into despair. This was different from Su Yu's side! The Immortal Emperor nodded slightly. Here, the God Emperor and Immortal Emperor held more sway than the Demon Emperor; under normal circumstances, major decisions were discussed primarily between the Immortal Emperor and the God Emperor. The Demon Emperor said with growing irritation, "Is there no countermeasure at all?" They were constantly taking beatings passively! Even though Su Yu had not gained much either, the Demon Emperor still felt wretched. We have more first-rank experts; at worst, we fight them to the death! The Immortal Emperor fell silent for a moment, then transmitted, "A countermeasure? Yes! So long as you can convince a portion of the severely injured Rulers of Rules to detonate their Daos, I have the confidence to slay multiple enemy Rulers of Rules in a single battle!" "..." The Demon Emperor's mouth twitched, and he gave up. Fine, pretend I never asked. How could that be possible! He glanced back at those severely wounded fellows. Some might not even be grievously hurt, but were simply terrified of dying, unwilling to fight anymore, and nursing their wounds in the rear. Fuck! The Demon Emperor cursed inwardly! No wonder the humans never feared the myriad races even when outnumbered, let alone now when their numbers were substantial. On the human side, severely wounded Rulers of Rules dared to detonate their Daos. The myriad races did not dare! If they detonated, they could only await death; and if they died, their race's sovereign would perish, rendering the war meaningless. This was the greatest difference between the human race and the myriad races! Feeling helpless, the Demon Emperor transmitted, "So we just remain passive like this?" The Immortal Emperor looked toward the God Emperor, the God Emperor looked toward the Demon Emperor, and after a moment, the Immortal Emperor's eyes turned cold as he transmitted, "Su Yu must have another purpose... The God Emperor and I have discussed this... When the critical moment arrives, we will cast out all those severely wounded fellows—whether to detonate them or blow them apart... to grievously wound the human race!" The Demon Emperor's heart turned cold! How ruthless! The Immortal Emperor transmitted, "We have no other choice. We can only sacrifice a portion of our people. If we leave it to them to self-detonate, none will dare, none will be willing. Su Yu not seeking kills this time has actually dealt a blow to our morale! If this continues, more and more people will choose to get severely injured—or deliberately take heavy wounds—just to withdraw from the fighting!" He was no fool; everyone could see that several Rulers of Rules had almost deliberately allowed themselves to be heavily wounded just to pull out of the clash. Fear of death! Yet one could not scold them too harshly. If you pushed too hard, they were not of the same race after all, only an alliance. If they belonged to a single race, it would be much simpler! ... "Phew..." At this time, on Su Yu's side, everyone was panting heavily. Even King Ming could not help but speak up: "We need to slow down, Emperor Yu. If this goes on, we truly won't be able to fight anymore. We are too exhausted!" In such a massive battle, the attention, focus, and cost paid under mortal danger were on a completely different level. This was no sparring match! Su Yu was panting as well, deeply fatigued, having accumulated fresh wounds of his own. Yet looking across the field, Su Yu smiled. "We are tired, but are they not? At least we are on the same side, whereas across from us, each person looks out only for themselves. I imagine some of those exhausted powerhouses would rather take a heavy wound to avoid the battle than lose focus from fatigue and get killed, wouldn't you say?" What did he mean? Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, beginning to understand. Was this lunatic planning to launch another assault? They had already fought several rounds, and aside from that first unlucky fellow, none of the remaining powerhouses had died. Such bloodless battles were, in fact, even more tormenting! Su Yu paid no mind to their reactions and looked toward the Human Sovereign in the rear, transmitting, "Wear them down until both sides are completely exhausted... I will wait for your return. You take our people to rest in the rear for a few days, then return to reinforce us... When that time comes, we will face them with powerhouses in their prime! I believe we will certainly reap massive gains!" The Human Sovereign considered this for a moment and warned, "Do not underestimate the myriad races. Those old bastards are thoroughly sinister! Since we've been fighting this battle of attrition, they know we must have an ulterior motive... You must be careful lest they stir up some major trouble!" Major trouble? Su Yu weighed the possibilities. How could the enemy stir up major trouble? After thinking for a moment, Su Yu transmitted, "If they want to reverse the situation, it's either continuing the fight when you arrive, or... landing a vicious blow against me?" Thinking of this, his heart stirred slightly. "Could they be planning to blow apart my heaven and earth? To heavily damage my domain?" If so, the combat strength on Su Yu's side would plummet instantaneously! The Human Sovereign's expression shifted as well, and he transmitted, "That is entirely possible. Powerhouses like the Immortal Emperor and God Emperor are ruthless to the core. I can see that some among the myriad races are shirking the fight; those Sovereigns might make an example of them... or even scheme against them, sacrificing their lives to heavily damage your heaven and earth!" Su Yu considered this; such a possibility truly existed. If they really did that, his heaven and earth was not invincible. If enough powerhouses detonated themselves specifically targeting his heaven and earth, his domain could indeed be breached, or its connection to the myriad realms severed. The Human Sovereign asked again, "When do you want me to leave?" Su Yu looked at the severely injured powerhouses; their numbers were already substantial. Nearly all those below the second rank were severely wounded. Of course, they were primarily the Human Sovereign's people. Su Yu thought for a moment and transmitted, "Wait a little longer. Once some second-rank experts are also severely wounded and forced to sit out, you can leave!" The Human Sovereign nodded. And Su Yu shouted once more, "Charge!" The group, including Su Yu's own subordinates, were all panting from exhaustion. Fat Ball's tongue was hanging out frantically; it was dog-tired from fighting—taking hits, dealing hits, injured yet having to keep brawling without end... Su Yu was a supreme devil, an absolute lunatic. Fighting like this was driving their own people to the brink of collapse! That the myriad races had not collapsed by now was entirely due to the forceful suppression by their top powerhouses, who held the advantage in the first-rank clashes; otherwise, they might have truly routed. Even belligerent figures like Tianmie and the Martial Emperor felt like vomiting blood from exhaustion! Truly, it was too exhausting. For top-tier powerhouses, one high-intensity clash a year was plenty. Now they were doing it ten times a day—fighting to this point had left everyone utterly spent! ... Rumble! All manner of Dao powers erupted once more, the two sides tangling until both grew sick of battle. Today, this was already their ninth clash. In this fight, the Immortal Emperor did not participate at all, remaining in the rear to heal their wounded. Indeed, healing—and during this time, the Immortal Emperor was also making preparations, even assessing who was truly wounded and who was faking it. Having reached this stage, the Immortal Emperor and his peers knew that Su Yu and his forces had a hidden agenda, and they had one of their own; it was simply a matter of who could outmaneuver whom. The number of severely injured powerhouses continued to climb. The Immortal Emperor treated them continuously at massive personal cost, but it brought one benefit: it stabilized the front lines. Seeing that no one was dying, everyone felt much more at ease; if they truly couldn't hold out, taking a heavy wound and escaping the front-line meat grinder was an acceptable way out. Both sides were shedding active combatants! ... That day, the tenth battle erupted. And this time, the Human Sovereign's phantom led a group of people and swiftly vanished. King Dazhou's illusory divine characters were put to use once again. Disguising powerful fighters was difficult, but disguising injured powerhouses was far simpler, especially with the power of Su Yu's heaven and earth assisting them. Led by Marquis Tongtian, the Human Sovereign and his group soon vanished from the entire battlefield. As he departed, the Human Sovereign was actually deeply worried. Right now, this was merely the appetizer. The moment he severed his Dao, if the myriad races were not fools, they would inevitably launch a full-scale charge. That would be Su Yu's greatest crisis! "We must go and return swiftly!" The Human Sovereign felt immense urgency. He had to quickly merge into the heaven and earth, then have everyone merge their Daos into it, sever his Human Sovereign Dao to become a spirit of heaven and earth, and lead those healed, Dao-reconnected powerhouses back to the fray! To rescue Su Yu! Otherwise, Su Yu would face the same predicament he had faced back then. "Hurry!" The Human Sovereign called out in a low voice, looking at the crowd behind him with gravity. "Su Yu led his people to rescue us, and now more than half of our forces have pulled back... The moment I sever my Dao, if the myriad races have any wits about them, they will attack even if it costs them dearly! We... do not wish to be deserters, nor will we ever be deserters! I hope all of you will quickly merge your Daos into heaven and earth and immediately return to reinforce them!" Solemnly, everyone nodded. Soon, however, someone laughed. "Your Majesty, that lad... can truly fight! He truly dares to fight! Ten battles in a single day—I was almost ready to throw up... Earlier, when Giant Axe and the others said he was a madman, I didn't believe it. Now I believe it! That fellow is a bit perverse, Your Majesty; it feels like you weren't nearly as crazy as him..." The Human Sovereign laughed despite himself, then soon shook his head with a sigh. "He is different... Forget it, say no more, lest he come looking for trouble." Su Yu was different; he had experienced far too much death. That fellow was tenacious to the utmost extreme—what did ten battles matter to him? The myriad races would be ground into madness by him sooner or later!