Never Submit!

The Demon Emperor was dead. A supreme expert who had bestrode the realms from antiquity down to the present day had perished just like that. There was more than one Demon Emperor among the demon race. The one slain just now was the third generation. As for the first generation, reckoning from the end of the Archaic Era, that one had been pummeled to death by the Martial Emperor—something the Martial Emperor had mentioned once. The second, the Yanhuo Demon Emperor, had vanished countless years ago, rumored to have entered the Hell Gate alongside the Prison King. The one before them was the third-generation Demon Emperor. He was also the most formidable of them all—at least from what could be seen so far. In the ancient era, peerless experts roamed unhindered, and the Yanhuo Demon Emperor’s abdication had also involved considerations of strength. Among those capable of reaching the first rank, not a single one was weak... Yet now, he was dead. ... The Immortal Emperor was shaken; the God Emperor was appalled. Even so, there was still a chance. Yes, even with the fall of a first-rank powerhouse, the myriad races still had hope. The thirty-plus experts had already arrived, right before their eyes. Their presence was enough to turn the tide. No matter how strong Su Yu and King Dazhou were, two first-rank fighters could not withstand more than thirty Rulers of Rules. Perhaps the Human Sovereign at the height of his prime could have done so. Yet the Human Sovereign was not here. Even if these reinforcements mostly belonged to the third and fourth ranks with hardly any at the second rank, overwhelming two first-rank figures was entirely within their capabilities. What was more, with the Demon Emperor dead, they truly only had to pin down one. The Immortal Emperor threw all caution to the wind, roaring, "Kill! Slay Su Yu, and victory is ours!" So long as they killed Su Yu! They would still win! Victory was guaranteed! The Immortal Emperor roared frantically. The God Emperor bellowed as well, his divine fists rattling heaven and earth, forcing Su Yu into a steady retreat. Over on the other side, King Dazhou and the others, having just slain the Demon Emperor, hesitated for a split second. Should they go and assist Su Yu? Su Yu’s voice rang out, cold and chilling: "Go kill the Immortal Emperor! All of you, go!" At the command for everyone to go, shock rippled through them all. King Dazhou understood his intention. That meant Book Spirit, King Yue, and even the Martial Emperor—perhaps four first-rank combatants—would gang up on one heavily injured Immortal Emperor! What was Su Yu thinking? He couldn't hold out against this horde on his own! King Dazhou grappled with hesitation, but in the next instant, he gritted his teeth and roared, "Kill!" They skirted right past the thirty-plus powerhouses and charged straight for the Immortal Emperor. Despite his grave injuries, the Immortal Emperor’s expression shifted only slightly. A moment later, he barked, "Keep killing!" Those words sent ripples of shock across the battlefield. Multiple powerhouses were bearing down on a severely wounded Immortal Emperor, yet he refused to call his subordinates back for support. He was a ruthless man in his own right! Evidently, he was gambling on whether his people would kill Su Yu first, or King Dazhou's group would slay him first. Whoever died first lost the entire war! He was not surprised that Su Yu wanted him dead. Even the Human Sovereign had wanted him dead; who wouldn't? As a supreme powerhouse walking the Great Dao of Life, his existence was terrifying. In that regard, he was much like Su Yu. Take these thirty-plus injured Rulers of Rules—without him, they could never have recovered so swiftly! Both Su Yu and the Immortal Emperor were the linchpins of their respective factions. The time the Human Sovereign had been gravely injured had happened precisely because an unexpected turn occurred while trying to slay the Immortal Emperor. At this moment, King Dazhou and the others gritted their teeth and launched a frantic assault toward him! On Su Yu’s side, the God Emperor's face was grim. Su Yu was out of his mind. He was gambling his life against the Immortal Emperor, betting on who would perish first! Yet you don't know the Immortal Emperor well enough—you have no chance! The Demon Emperor's death had rattled him, to be sure. But as long as the Immortal Emperor lived, it was not an outright rout. Even if he were gravely wounded, everyone would still have a chance to recover. Furthermore, how could you, Su Yu, withstand more than thirty Rulers of Rules? Do you truly believe you are an invincible sovereign? In all other directions, fierce battles raged endlessly. It was a true bloodbath. The din of slaughter shook the heavens as figures fell continuously. At this point, all the reinforcements behind the God Emperor had arrived. The instant they reached the scene, boundless Dao powers swept toward Su Yu! Go die! No matter how strong you are, Su Yu, you are only one man! Besides, the God Emperor is here! In an instant, panic seized several observers. Everyone on Su Yu's side grew frantic. No one could stand against so many powerhouses! It was over! Truly over! Yet at this very moment, Su Yu's expression remained chilled. Suddenly, he reached out his hand, and an enormous brush materialized before him. A single stroke stabbed outward, and atop the giant brush, two figures emerged. Riding the giant brush, the pair charged out in an instant! The Brush Dao! The Brush Dao from within the River of Time! The moment the Brush Dao emerged, its power was boundless, sweeping across heaven and earth and catching the God Emperor off guard! That was not all. In that same breath, beneath Su Yu's heaven and earth, a jet-black Ink Dao unfurled, spreading outward. Brush and ink were presented together, the Ink Dao engulfing the world. Liu Hong’s faint voice echoed: "Liu Hong, Commander of the Secret Department of the Great Yu Residence, greets you all!" Su Yu said nothing. The power of his heaven and earth continued to surge, and in the blink of an eye, figure after figure materialized. Great Daos manifested one after another! "Zhu Tiandao, Commander of the Secret Department, greets you all!" With a soft chuckle, great formations emerged between heaven and earth. "Marquis Xia, Commander of the Secret Department, greets you all!" At that moment, powerhouse after powerhouse surged out from the nearby Great Daos. Yes, emerging directly from the Great Daos! Not only that, phantom traces of the Heavenly Gate hovered around some of them. Just then, Su Yu channeled the power of the Heavenly Gate, and the strength of the five powerhouses across the gate suddenly surged into those individuals. Those five across the gate were either first- or second-rank experts. Previously, Su Yu had not bothered channeling their power, but now he summoned and funneled it through. Their power provided little boost to Su Yu himself, but to these people, the enhancement was immense. As the Great Daos trembled, the bodies of the combatants cracked, only to instantly reassemble. Because none of them had physical bodies anymore. Dao Merging! I am the Dao, and the Dao is me! "Xia Wushen, Grand Commander of the Secret Department, greets you all! My respects!" A beam of saber qi slashed across heaven and earth! Counting the Brush Dao—where Nan Wujiang and Yun Chen counted as one—there were exactly five people, perfectly matching the five Daos within the Heavenly Gate! The Secret Department! Though... there didn't seem to be anything very secret about them now! Five Great Daos: Brush, Ink, Talisman, Flesh, and Saber! At this moment, five streams of power seeped from Su Yu's body. The power transmitted by the first-rank Gui was enough to manufacture a peak or middle second-rank combatant, while the power sent by the peak second-rank figures was sufficient to forge peak third-rank powerhouses. In the blink of an eye, five great powerhouses seemingly emerged from the Great Daos... In fact, that was precisely what they did! They had been concealed inside the Daos all along, striking without warning. With a crisp slash, a brilliant blade light flashed, ambushing the thirty-plus advancing powerhouses. One of them had his head cleaved clean off by the saber. The Ink Dao was like a loach wriggling through a river, sweeping forward to drag another combatant beneath the waters, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The Brush Dao was the strongest! This was King Wen's signature Dao, a first-rank path. With a single jab of the brush, the Ruler of Rules charging at the very front was struck dead on the spot, blown into pieces! In just an instant, three Rulers of Rules had fallen. Marquis Xia and Zhu Tiandao were slightly weaker, reaching only the third rank even with borrowed strength. Yet combining forces, they instantly trapped an enemy within a formation as countless talismans detonated. *Boom! Boom! Boom!* Amidst a deafening explosion, the one trapped in the formation was blown to bits. In a single breath! Within an instant, five individuals had suddenly appeared, killing four powerhouses among the vanguard. The God Emperor had been knocked back by a slash from Su Yu, while several others nearby were slain on the spot by the five newcomers! Still tumbling backward, the God Emperor’s face twisted in horror! Dead! Su Yu actually had more people hidden up his sleeve! "The Brush Dao?" The God Emperor's face was ashen as he stared at the Dao transformed into a giant brush, his teeth grinding. "Merging with the Dao as its spirit—how vicious! Su Yu, you are truly ruthless!" Merging with the Dao as a spirit! As a supreme being, he recognized it immediately: Su Yu had merged these people into the Daos to serve as their spirits! Not only that, he had borrowed external power—the Heavenly Gate! At this point, the God Emperor saw through it. His expression darkened severely. Four dead! More importantly, their momentum—that unstoppable, surging momentum—had been shattered! Earlier, the thirty-plus powerhouses had charged forward with overwhelming force, set on killing Su Yu at all costs. Who could have foreseen that Su Yu had several powerhouses lying in wait, appearing out of nowhere and wiping out those leading the charge? With that, the morale of the rest plummeted, and their footsteps faltered, terrified that more figures might pop out. Their faces drained of color. Were there more? Just how many powerhouses had Su Yu created? None left! Su Yu could guarantee that there were no more; this was everyone. In truth, Marquis Xia and Zhu Tiandao were not genuine Rulers of Rules. They had merely merged into the Daos and borrowed power from the Heavenly Gate to barely muster such strength. Furthermore, if they had not merged into the Daos so that the Daos themselves served as their bodies, the sheer power transmitted by the powerhouses across the Heavenly Gate would have ruptured them instantly! Now, however, they could not burst from the influx. Because they were the Daos themselves! Unless the enemy could blow the Great Daos apart! As for the fact that all of them claimed to be commanders, Su Yu paid it no heed. They could call themselves whatever they pleased. At this moment, Su Yu looked across the field with a calm, indifferent gaze: "Too weak, too few. My people... aren't limited to just these... Come on!" Behind him, more figures began to emerge once again. The God Emperor’s eyes narrowed. In the next instant, he barked, "Bastard, they're fakes! Kill him!" *Boom!* Leading the charge, he threw a punch, unleashing a tremendous blast of sacred power. With that single blow, the phantom figures behind Su Yu shattered one after another! Yes, they were fakes. Merely meant to scare them! In the end, the God Emperor hadn't fallen for it. Su Yu felt a twinge of disappointment. Not only did you refuse to fall for it, you even exposed me! Su Yu retreated swiftly, and the five Dao-merged powerhouses pulled back in unison, forming a defensive ring before him. Su Yu grinned, baring his teeth. "Gentlemen... your very first outing is a peak-level brawl. Thrilling, isn't it?" He had plenty of secret guards, but the rest were in no position to show themselves. Their cultivation was insufficient, and there was no one left to channel power to them. Without borrowed strength, what use were Dao Mergers and Heavenly Kings? Here, they would just be waiting to die. These five had merged into potent Daos and could borrow strength from five Heavenly Gate powerhouses, which allowed them to act as Rulers of Rules. The others simply couldn't pull it off! Ignoring Su Yu, the God Emperor wore a cold expression and barked, "Kill!" A single Su Yu alongside a handful of Rulers of Rules was still not enough! Su Yu let out a sigh, but soon smiled. "Then... let's fight!" *Boom!* The power of ten thousand Daos converged, flooding into Su Yu's body, and his aura surged noticeably. Clones of Su Yu emerged one after another from the River of Time—some manifested as book pages, while others were pages he had never recalled, continuously drawing out the power of the Daos. Across from him, within the Daos of the thirty-plus powerhouses, it was as if someone were present, sapping away their power! Su Yu's aura swelled slightly. He swept out a kick, and time began to wheel around! Mountain-Sea Shatterer, Sun-Moon Suppressor, Invincible Vanquisher... The time arts of the past were even more formidable beneath Su Yu's feet now, carrying the cycle of life and death, reversing the flow of time. With a single kick, he forced the God Emperor back half a step. Yet the God Emperor unleashed his sacred power, shattering Su Yu's force with a thunderous roar, and pressed forward once more. Su Yu bared his teeth. "Hold on, everyone! Let's see who dies first!" Just then, in the rear, the Immortal Emperor and King Dazhou's group collided. King Dazhou had been injured earlier, and his first-rank power was somewhat unstable. King Yue and Book Spirit were both only at the second rank. Even though the Immortal Emperor was heavily wounded, when they clashed, he actually managed to hold his ground against them. Over there, the Martial Emperor suddenly roared, his aura skyrocketing as he hurled himself at the Immortal Emperor! Only when the Martial Emperor joined the fray did the Immortal Emperor's expression finally change. Even so, he believed he could hold out longer than Su Yu! Meanwhile, Su Yu's side clashed in an instant, engaging in brutal melee! After all, they were vastly outnumbered. In the blink of an eye, upon the very first contact, two Great Daos trembled violently, even beginning to crack—those belonging to Marquis Xia and Zhu Tiandao. Under simultaneous siege from multiple foes, they quickly began to falter! Su Yu roared, fighting five opponents on his own—the God Emperor and four second-rank fighters, who constituted all the second-rank experts present. Their sole objective was to slay Su Yu! Surround and kill Su Yu! Only by slaying Su Yu would this battle truly end; killing anyone else was of little consequence. At this moment, Su Yu displayed the terrifying might of a world-opener! He was utterly ruthless and possessed an endless repertoire of methods. Just as a second-rank powerhouse charged in, his vision blurred, as though plunging into hell. The companions coordinating with him suddenly noticed his movements turning stiff. In the next instant, a horrifying sight unfolded: Su Yu’s physical body abruptly expanded into a gigantic canopy, trapping several of them inside. Just as the God Emperor moved to strike—*Boom!* A deafening explosion rang out as Su Yu's physical body shattered completely! The blast left several second-rank powerhouses covered in fractures. The one who had felt like he was falling into hell had just regained his wits when Su Yu suddenly transformed into a dog—the manifestation of his willpower, borrowing a Dao! Or rather, using his own Dao. In the distance, Feiqiu had just repelled a foe when its body suddenly went limp, tumbling downward. It looked back toward Su Yu, grumbling, "What are you doing?!" Su Yu had turned into a black dog—the Sun-Devouring Divine Dog, immensely formidable. He snapped his jaws shut, and with a crunch, bit clean through the heavily injured second-rank expert's Great Dao! The God Emperor's face fell. Before he could strike, Su Yu vanished. When he reappeared further away, Xia Longwu's expression also shifted, and he hastily retreated, his body drained of strength. Su Yu transformed into a saber and slashed out, a chilly gleam lighting up heaven and earth! With that single slash, *shink*, another second-rank expert was severed in two! "They say mastery of a single Dao brings invincibility, but today I'll show you that mastery of ten thousand Daos makes an emperor!" Su Yu's chilling voice echoed, and in the next moment, it turned sorrowful and resentful: "Your Majesty the God Emperor, I have waited for you for so many years... Can you truly be this heartless?" Even further away, Wan Tiansheng slumped, completely drained. The God Emperor's vision wavered for a split second. "Imperial Consort..." The instant the words slipped out, his face twisted in horror! "Monster!" He roared, sacred light radiating in all directions. This monster Su Yu was simply too terrifying! Yet Su Yu was already gone. The axe in Giant Axe's hands suddenly vanished, reappearing in Su Yu's grasp in the blink of an eye. Bringing the axe down, he pulverized yet another second-rank expert into dust! "I, too, can merge into heaven and earth... I am the spirit of this world, the Great Dao is me, and I am the Great Dao... Casting aside my physical form... only makes me stronger!" Su Yu's chilling voice drifted through the air, sending a violent shudder through the God Emperor's heart! Su Yu was completely deranged! He had detonated his own physical body just to grievously wound four second-rank experts, then cycled through various Daos to slaughter three of them in the blink of an eye. Three second-rank experts could match a first-rank powerhouse! Yet against a world-opener like Su Yu, who manipulated every Dao with consummate ease, the three of them had been nearly instantaneous kills! With a low roar, the God Emperor threw a punch, clearing everything in front of him! Yet Su Yu had already vanished, reappearing right before the last remaining second-rank expert. That expert's face drained of color, and a chill gripped the God Emperor's heart. This could not continue. Before Su Yu could be killed, the numerous powerhouses on their side would be slaughtered one by one by Su Yu's faction. He did not possess as many tricks as Su Yu! Today, Su Yu was putting the horrifying nature of a world-opener on full display! The God Emperor bellowed, "Immortal Emperor!" The Immortal Emperor, locked in a brutal struggle with several powerhouses, felt a sudden jolt. In an instant, he understood what the God Emperor meant! Destroy Su Yu's heaven and earth! Kill Su Yu! At this moment, Su Yu caught on to their intentions as well. Yet he could not back down. Gritting his teeth, he let out a sinister chuckle: "Book Spirit, Yue Shan..." In that very instant, the auras of Book Spirit and Yue Shan surged wildly—first rank! Four first-rank powerhouses! The Immortal Emperor’s face twisted in horror! He was utterly appalled, yet he still made a choice, shrieking, "Detonate! Remember... only by killing Su Yu is there any hope of survival..." *Rumble! Boom!* Over on his end, the four first-rank powerhouses hurled themselves at him with manic fury, their attacks snapping his Great Dao of Life repeatedly! Meanwhile, on Su Yu’s side, the Great Daos of the powerhouses surrounding them suddenly trembled. Panic flashed across some of their faces, and realizing what was happening, they wailed in anguish, "Immortal Emperor!" The Immortal Emperor had set them up! They didn't want to die! Right then, Su Yu laughed. Reaching out, he scooped up Marquis Xia and the others, then appeared before the fleeing God Emperor with a grin, asking cheerfully, "Why run?" In an instant, he sealed off this patch of heaven and earth. Looking at the trapped powerhouses around him, he laughed. "Come on! The God Emperor and the Immortal Emperor ordered your deaths. Let's see whether your explosions hit me harder, or whether you hate them more... Let's see who dies first, me or the God Emperor!" The God Emperor shattered the seal with a punch, intending to flee once more, but Su Yu threw his arms around him, chuckling softly. "We die together, or don't even think about leaving! If we block the blast together, maybe we'll both survive... Otherwise, we'll just perish together!" "Su Yu!" The God Emperor roared in fury, throwing a punch that split Su Yu's skull wide open. Su Yu paid it no mind, his smile dazzling as his cracked skull healed in an instant. He chuckled softly. "Are you an idiot? Here, I have become a spirit. As long as heaven and earth endure, I cannot be extinguished. Slaying me... isn't that simple!" *Boom!* A deafening detonation shook the world. Someone's Dao trembled violently, unable to hold on any longer, and exploded with a massive roar. A terrifying wave of destructive force swept across the battlefield. Yet Su Yu's voice cut through the explosions, laced with madness and laughter: "Kill! Slaughter them all! If you don't kill them all, and I survive, I'll settle the score with you!" *Rumble! Boom!* The explosions resounded without end! At this moment, on the periphery, King Ming and the others turned pale. King Ming's expression twisted completely, his eyes bloodshot. "You forced my hand!" He had not wanted to do this, but they had left him no choice! A colossal Great Dao materialized in an instant. King Ming ground his teeth. Slaying a first-rank powerhouse was no easy feat. Even though he was far stronger than the Spirit Emperor, taking the other down would require a prolonged, grueling struggle. Yet now... There was no time! "Boss... I can't stick with you anymore..." King Ming wore a desolate expression. Boss, I... might have to switch flags! King Ming ripped out his own Great Dao, transforming it into a vast formation that ensnared the Spirit Emperor. A tremendous blast drowned out everything, overpowering the noise from Su Yu's side—*Boom!* A mighty first-rank Great Dao cracked and shattered into pieces! Heaven and earth trembled! It was the portending omen of a powerhouse's fall! Blood spurted endlessly from King Ming's mouth, but he bared his teeth and snatched at the void, dragging out a fractured sea of will—the Spirit Emperor! King Ming paid no heed to the damage, clutching the enemy's sea of will and teleporting before King Daming. King Daming had just finished off his own opponent and had not even had the chance to speak when King Ming roared hoarsely, "Yield the Dao!" "..." King Daming froze. In the next instant, he understood. Gritting his teeth, he hurriedly severed his connection to the Formation Dao. King Ming roared in fury, grafting the heaven and earth's Great Dao straight onto his own head. His aura skyrocketed, just as Su Yu's world shook violently from the explosions! Yet with King Ming grafting the Dao, the world stabilized considerably. It all happened in the blink of an eye, too fast to follow. In the next moment, King Ming threw a punch, shattering the sea of will in his grasp. With a resounding boom, boundless Origin Qi and willpower swept across the entire world. The Spirit Emperor's voice echoed with utter despair: "You're mad... You are a first-rank..." You actually severed your own Dao just to merge into Su Yu's world! Now, your hopes of remaining in the first rank may be ruined forever. You were already a powerhouse with over twenty Daos under your belt, yet you severed your own path—have you lost your mind?! King Ming gritted his teeth. *I'm mad?* *I was driven mad by all of you!* *A bunch of lunatics, forcing my hand!* He hadn't wanted this either. He had wanted to wait until his boss perfected his own world before considering his options. But that lunatic Su Yu was actually counting on the God Emperor to join forces with him to stabilize his world! Did that madman truly believe the God Emperor wouldn't drag him down in mutual destruction?! He had been forced into this choice! Not only that, he roared, "King Zhan, quit gawking like an idiot! Sever your Dao and merge, hurry up!" Stabilize Su Yu's heaven and earth! That fool King Zhan widened his eyes. *Quit gawking like an idiot?* *Your ancestors have been dead for eons!* King Zhan had no words. In an instant, he snapped his own Great Dao, and countless rule forces surged into Su Yu's world to help anchor it. That lunatic Su Yu had trapped himself alongside the God Emperor and the others, and a horrific cascade of self-destructions was currently tearing the area apart! As the world trembled violently, Su Yu's subordinates fought with abandon, unleashing their final reserves of strength to slaughter their enemies! Yet they had no way to stop Su Yu's heaven-and-earth power from fracturing! If this went on, Su Yu's world might truly collapse! King Zhan instantly merged his Dao into it. King Ming bellowed, manifesting a grand formation and shoving the core remnants of the Spirit Emperor into it. Then, he grabbed King Daming, who had just yielded the Formation Dao. Under King Daming's stunned gaze, he reached into his body and pulled out a formation—yes, the one he had gifted King Daming last time. Yet he still held control over it. Seeing King Daming staring at him, he barked, "What are you looking at? This was mine to begin with, can't I take it back?!" With those words, the great formation manifested instantly! It was a stabilization formation! It was perfectly suited for the current crisis to anchor heaven and earth. Operating like a madman, he set down one formation after another. In this moment, the formidable prowess of the Four Extremes Human Kings was displayed to the fullest! Just because he disliked showing off did not mean he was weak. All right, among the Four Extremes Human Kings, his combat strength truly wasn't top-tier. Yet from detonating his own Dao, severing it, severely wounding the Spirit Emperor, seizing King Daming's Formation Dao, laying down the stabilization formation, to using the Spirit Emperor's sea of will as its core—the entire sequence was executed seamlessly, without a single hitch! At that exact moment, a colossal force erupted, heralding the catastrophic collapse of heaven and earth! Simultaneously, the Spirit Emperor's final shriek rang out. With a thunderous boom, King Ming's formation flared to life, incinerating everything of the Spirit Emperor. A stabilizing grand formation enveloped the bounds of Su Yu's world, instantly anchoring the collapsing realm! King Ming coughed up blood continuously, his physical body and Great Dao spiderwebbed with cracks, yet he laughed. Mid-laugh, he cursed under his breath. *Fuck!* *What a rip-off!* Right at that moment, another earth-shattering boom erupted! *Rumble!* The sounds of detonation echoed once more, accompanied by Su Yu's laughter: "God Emperor, my thanks!" Two figures were blasted backward. The God Emperor's body was battered, his face deathly pale as he hurtled out and fled frantically! He was on the brink of death! In the final moments, multiple powerhouses had self-destructed. To survive, the God Emperor had been forced to join Su Yu in warding off the shockwaves. By combining their might, they had barely managed to block the lethal aftermath! Yet those experts had all blown themselves to pieces, and the sheer force of their detonations had nearly brought Su Yu's world crashing down! It was during this window that King Ming had stabilized Su Yu's world! In an instant, Su Yu's figure materialized, battered and broken! Yet his smile was radiant, as though he felt nothing at all, as though he hadn't just walked the razor's edge between life and death. King Ming could not help but curse, "Fuck you, you idiot, you were almost killed..." This was an utter lunatic! An idiot! He had nearly died! If you died, do you have any idea that all these Rulers of Rules might have died with you?! Su Yu, wearing a peculiar look, glanced at him and cursed under his breath as well: "You damned idiot, who asked you to sever your Dao..." King Ming was taken aback! Far away, Xingyue's figure suddenly emerged, asking with a bewildered look, "Do I still need to extract the Life and Death Dao?" "..." What did that mean? King Ming was stunned, but Su Yu's smile quickly returned: "Thank you, King Ming. Fortunately... I had already prepared to strip everything down to just the Life and Death Dao. We would all have ended up crippled, and we could've just gone to seek refuge with the Human Sovereign... Luckily, thank you so much!" "..." Yes, at the final juncture, Su Yu had planned for the worst. If his world collapsed, he would extract the Life and Death Dao and abandon everything else. As for his people, he would save as many as he could. Once saved, the Human Sovereign might arrive, and they could all seek refuge with the Human Sovereign, whose world still had hundreds of unused Daos. If he truly had to cast off everyone on his side... even if his world were reduced to only Life and Death, it might have been a form of relief. He wouldn't need to look after them anymore! Yet before he could call upon Xingyue, King Ming had acted decisively, severing his own formidable Formation Dao of over twenty rules and even dragging King Zhan along to anchor Su Yu's world. At this moment, Su Yu was truly at a loss for words. He had never expected this to happen, yet it had! The Human Sovereign's subordinates—the Four Extremes Human Kings—truly lived up to their reputation! Such decisive resolve was something even Su Yu had never anticipated: that King Ming and King Zhan would choose to merge their Daos into his world at such a critical moment... even if King Ming had forcibly seized King Daming's Dao to do it! Oh well, as for King Daming... he could either rely on his ancestor, or go over to the Human Sovereign's side! Or perhaps they could find a way to switch it back later? That was possible too! King Ming was momentarily dazed, but looking at Xingyue, he roughly understood. Su Yu might not have died, but with his world collapsing, leaving only two Daos out of tens of thousands, Su Yu would have been crippled even if he survived! Had this lunatic clung desperately to the God Emperor to weather the blast with that very contingency in mind? Everything had unfolded far too swiftly. Right at this moment, a shrill, furious roar echoed across the battlefield! "Retreat! Follow the God Emperor and retreat... Dragon, Phoenix, Nether, all of you, retreat with the God Emperor... Everyone fall back... go... go upstream... await the opening of the Three Gates!" The Immortal Emperor's phantom emerged, shaking heaven and earth. With absolute resolve, he channeled every shred of power left within his Great Dao into the fleeing God Emperor, roaring, "Lead everyone away... I have failed..." His judgment had been flawed! This had been a trap laid by Su Yu! He had tried to trade the lives of over thirty Rulers of Rules for Su Yu's life, only for the gamble to fail completely! Su Yu had actually concealed multiple first-rank combatants on his side! The fleeing God Emperor's aura recovered instantly, but his expression warped. Suddenly, grinding his teeth, he spun around and charged back! In an instant, his sacred power erupted once more. A single punch sent King Zhenwu staggering back, and grabbing the Dragon Emperor, he bore down on Princess Consort Ming alongside him. Princess Consort Ming's face changed, and she retreated immediately. The Phoenix Emperor broke free as well. In the distance, the Nether Emperor had already begun retreating the moment King Zhan merged his Dao. The God Emperor paid him no mind; that fellow was cowardly and obsessed with self-preservation, so he would not die easily. With his sacred power blazing, the powerhouses of the myriad races fought with desperate valor, repelling their opponents in an instant. The God Emperor barked, "Retreat!" *Boom!* The group retreated swiftly. Su Yu barked coldly, "Kill! Pursue them!" Right at that moment, an earth-shattering boom resounded! Channeling the final remnants of the Great Dao of Life, the Immortal Emperor abruptly detonated them. He targeted no one, aiming solely at the River of Time! A colossal wave surged violently between the human race and the myriad races! As his Great Dao fractured continuously, the Immortal Emperor wore a despondent expression: "I did not know you well enough... otherwise... I might not have lost this battle... Su Yu... this time, I have been defeated..." Su Yu's expression changed slightly. This man had exceeded his expectations! The weaker members of the myriad races might be cowardly, but these supreme beings were beyond anything he had imagined. The God Emperor turning back to rescue his allies, and the Immortal Emperor detonating his Dao and severing everything to cover their retreat—it instantly reminded him of King Yue! The Immortal Emperor had possessed a chance of escaping alive! And the God Emperor turning back to reinforce his people had also caught Su Yu off guard. He hadn't been frightened out of his wits; instead, he had returned, risking being surrounded and killed just to save the Dragon and Phoenix Emperors! "The myriad races... the immortal race..." Su Yu murmured. The collapse of the Immortal Emperor's Dao kicked up monstrous waves, blocking all pursuing powerhouses and even forcing King Yue and the others to pull back. The Immortal Emperor's phantom wavered. With a mix of helplessness and dejection, he looked at Su Yu, then gazed into the distance at the faint specks of starlight—that seemed to be the Human Sovereign. He laughed! "Human Sovereign, Su Yu, I have lost... but you cannot slaughter us all... If you press the attack and shatter the seal on the River of Time, the Three Gates will open immediately... Hahaha... do you truly wish for them to open right now?" The Immortal Emperor blocked the river alone. He let out a laugh, looking back at Su Yu with a smile: "Has my immortal race also fallen to you in the Myriad Realms?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. "Tiangu fled with the survivors!" "Tiangu?" The Immortal Emperor murmured the name, then smiled. "Good! What a pity, though... Alas... that foolish creature insisted on practicing my Dao back then. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been defeated by you so easily..." As he spoke, he looked behind him at the fleeing powerhouses swimming against the current. At that moment, the God Emperor looked back at him. With a trace of sorrow and dejection, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Rest assured! So long as I draw breath, the immortals and gods are one! I will protect the immortal race!" "My thanks!" The Immortal Emperor laughed heartily. Turning his head once more, he looked at the Human Sovereign rushing over from afar, sighing, "After fighting for countless years... to think I would not fall by your hand... I cannot help feeling some regret... Su Yu... dying at the hands of a junior... I am truly unreconciled... Human Sovereign... will you send me off on my way?" The Human Sovereign rushed forward, quickly arriving before Su Yu's lines. Weary and panting heavily, his strength had not increased much and was even somewhat unstable; he had rushed over in too great a hurry. At this moment, he arrived entirely alone, the others having not yet caught up. Seeing the colossal wave severing the River of Time, his expression shifted slightly. Looking at the Immortal Emperor's phantom, a complex look entered his eyes. Soon, he nodded gently and turned to Su Yu: "Let me send him off. He and I fought for too many years... Even though he was danced upon my palm all along, these people are enemy combatants, not cowards!" Su Yu nodded slightly. The Human Sovereign stepped into the air, flying swiftly toward the Immortal Emperor's phantom. The Immortal Emperor's phantom laughed heartily and threw a punch toward the Human Sovereign! The Human Sovereign roared, giving it his all as he struck out with his own fist! *Boom!* A tremendous explosion rang out, and the Immortal Emperor's phantom dissolved completely. Traces of life essence dispersed into heaven, earth, and the river. Carrying a sense of relief and detachment, his voice lingered: "In the end, I still lost to you... The grudges stretching from archaic times down to the present day... end here! Xingyu... thank you... Let me tell you a little secret..." At this moment, the Immortal Emperor was entirely at ease. His body had long vanished, with only a wisp of willpower drifting between heaven and earth, his voice turning ethereal: "The Human Gate truly exists. Of the Three Gates, the Human Gate is the most perilous..." The voice grew fainter and fainter! Gradually fading away. Finally, a distant, airy voice drifted back with a chuckle: "Born as an immortal, the immortal lives forever! A person dwelling atop high mountains, looking down upon the mortal dust, transcending humanity—such is an immortal..." *Rumble! Boom!* Heaven and earth trembled. This mighty powerhouse had bought ample time for the God Emperor and the others, who had already vanished from sight. The Immortal Emperor's will dissolved entirely from heaven and earth. The Immortal Emperor had fallen! In a single battle, among the three supreme leaders, the Demon Emperor and the Immortal Emperor had perished, while the God Emperor had fled. As for the Spirit Emperor, he had died silently, slain by King Ming, his final remnants used to anchor Su Yu's world. *Rumble! Boom!* Monstrous waves surged! ... Within the Myriad Realms. The Immortal Realm shook violently; heaven fell and earth cracked. The ancient Immortal Emperor had fallen. The immortal race—a people that refused to be ordinary, that refused to submit beneath human feet. An immortal: a person standing atop a mountain, only then forming the character for immortal. Standing lofty and proud, how could they tolerate being bound by the human race? In the wars of the myriad races, the immortal race had continually stoked the flames, serving as the core driving force and the vanguard against the human race, leading every assault! Today, the Immortal Emperor, who had spearheaded the fight against humanity from antiquity down to the present day, had fallen within the River of Time. ... Behind the Hell Gate. Just as the Human Sovereign's strike landed, Tiangu's heart suddenly clenched. He looked toward the others. At that moment, Yuansheng's body trembled violently, his aura skyrocketing in the next breath. Yet Tiangu felt not a shred of joy. His lips trembled, his gaze turned blank. His master, that peerless expert who had bestrode the world... had fallen! Su Yu! Yuansheng's face was deathly pale. Looking at Tiangu, he suddenly let out a tragic smile, grabbing Tiangu as the power of his Great Dao surged relentlessly into Tiangu's body. Weeping in a near-inaudible voice, he said, "I... cannot bear such a heavy burden... You... you can... Junior Brother, this responsibility... is too great, too heavy... Master... is gone!" Tiangu remained silent and numb. *I know.* *I know!* Like a marionette, his body was stiff, utterly silent. That man was dead... I once thought that if I hadn't followed your Dao, perhaps I would have blazed my own path long ago... I thought you had harmed me, I wondered why you hadn't warned me sooner... Today, perhaps... I understand. Did you... know that this day would come sooner or later? A rigid, frozen smile appeared on his face. "Su Yu..." he murmured, his voice laced with despair and agony. How can I defeat you? Where should the immortal race go from here? How am I to shoulder this mountain of a burden? Master, you are gone. What if I cannot carry it? He looked around at the immortal powerhouses—Yuansheng, Marquis Sheng, Celestial Venerable Huang... and the other immortal experts brought into the Hell Gate. All of them were dejected, grieving, and filled with despair, looking at him with a sentiment... called hope! At this moment, Tiangu closed his eyes. In the next instant, he snapped them open. All sorrow and despair were concealed, replaced by utter calm as he murmured softly, "From this day forth, I am the Immortal Emperor, the sole sovereign of the immortal race! The immortal stands above humanity; the immortal shall never submit!" Never submit! Su Yu, I will lead the immortal race to fight you to the bitter end. Even if my race is wiped out, immortals shall never bow to humanity. We stand lofty and proud! Tiangu laughed heartily! Yes, an immortal was just like that: standing lofty, proud, and untouchable!