The Three Gates

Su Yu and the Human Sovereign walked side by side toward the Myriad Realms. Behind them followed numerous powerhouses. Many looked upon them as though seeing King Wen and the Human Sovereign from the old days walking together just like this. Now King Wen had entered the Heavenly Gate while the Human Sovereign had fought alone for years; the Human Sovereign's veteran subordinates could not help feeling deeply moved. Perhaps the Human Sovereign was truly overjoyed by Su Yu's arrival. What the strong feared most was loneliness—the solitude of having the entire world as enemies. ... At this moment, the Human Sovereign had a smile on his face, hands clasped behind his back. As he walked, he asked, "Next, are you planning to rely on the Heavenly Gate to restore the power of your heaven and earth?" He paused in thought before adding, "Using the Heavenly Gate too much might not be a good thing. The stronger your Heavenly Gate projection becomes, the more likely top powerhouses will use your illusory gate to come looking for trouble!" Su Yu nodded slightly. With a chuckle, he said, "Let's see how things go first." Then Su Yu asked, "Your Majesty, if the Three Gates open, the three of them shouldn't be on the same side either. I know a bit about the Heavenly Gate and the Earth Gate, but what about the Human Gate? What did the Immortal Emperor say earlier?" Su Yu had only caught a few words and missed what followed. The Human Sovereign sighed softly. "He said the Human Gate is the most complicated and the most sinister... Even he doesn't truly know their strength, but he claimed the Human Gate has long laid down their schemes. Misleading hearts and bewitching the myriad races—all of it bears the handiwork of the Human Gate." After pondering a moment, the Human Sovereign added, "Whether it is Yu, or this Baizhan you speak of, or even the Human Ancestor, all might have ties to the Human Gate. And among the myriad races, there are also powerhouses who have had contact with the Human Gate." Su Yu knitted his brows slightly. He truly knew very little about the Human Gate. Hearing this, he frowned and asked, "What kind of beings actually reside within the Human Gate? The so-called Human Gate... could it be humans inside?" The Human Sovereign shook his head. "At present, we know exceedingly little about the Human Gate. We know nothing of their strength, cultivation realms, or numbers. Nor can we investigate deeply, because it lies downstream on the River of Time... By all logic, that means in the future!" The Human Sovereign smiled bitterly. "In other words, if you want to seek out the Human Gate, by the time you see it and come back out, eons might have passed in the world!" Past, future, present. Su Yu fell into deep contemplation. Of the Three Gates, the Heavenly Gate lay upstream on the River of Time—was that the past? The Human Gate lay downstream—was that the future? As for the Earth Gate... The Earth Gate existed on a parallel plane with the Myriad Realms, so was that the present? The past was singular, the present was singular, and the future was unpredictable. If judged this way, then the Human Gate was indeed unfathomable, far too mysterious. Though Baizhan and his followers had opened the Human Gate, Su Yu knew nothing of the specifics. The Human Ancestor's side was likely connected to the Human Gate, including that Zhou Ji. Su Yu didn't dwell on it further. There was simply too little information; thinking would yield no answers anyway. Seeing him shake his head, the Human Sovereign chuckled. "Don't worry too much! In truth, I've never feared the Three Gates. If the experts within the Three Gates were truly so formidable, they wouldn't have been sealed away! What worries me more is the master of the River of Time. That being is the one who is truly mysterious, truly powerful, and unpredictable!" Su Yu frowned. "Does Your Majesty know anything about him?" "Nothing at all!" The Human Sovereign laughed. "That is precisely why such an existence is terrifying! Everyone knows of him, everyone cultivates within his heaven and earth, yet no one knows a thing about him—whether male or female, human or ghost, completely unknown. Yet he is everywhere. Tell me, compared to him, what do the Three Gates amount to?" Su Yu nodded slightly, agreeing with the Human Sovereign's words. The Human Sovereign continued, "The opening of the Three Gates probably won't be too far off. You felt it just now—the river has begun to surge. At this rate, in about ten years of Myriad Realms time, the Three Gates will fully open!" Ten years. In truth, had Su Yu not stirred up chaos and proactively unsealed the Upper Realm, ten years from now would have been exactly when the Upper Realm opened and when the Martial Emperor and the others broke their seals. Everything would have unfolded in ten years. At that time, the Three Gates would open, the Upper Realm would open, the sealed powerhouses would break free, and the Human Sovereign would return... Su Yu thought about it and asked, "Will there really be ten years? So many of the myriad races have died now, their powerhouses cut by half. And on our side, our departure will actually reduce the suppressing force compared to before." Previously, powerhouses staying in the River of Time had also served as an anchor, delaying the opening of the Three Gates. Now, although the human race's powerhouses had grown in number, the myriad races were drastically diminished. With Su Yu, the Human Sovereign, and their people returning to the Myriad Realms, would there still be ten years? The Human Sovereign calculated for a moment before speaking: "Even so, there will still be five or six years at least. So we still have at least five or six years to build up our strength." Su Yu considered this and nodded. "At least one or two years to build up strength." The Human Sovereign almost asked if he was hallucinating. I said five or six years! Su Yu added, "Perhaps even less!" "..." The Human Sovereign was speechless. Did you get hit so hard in battle that water got into your brain? I said at least five or six years! Su Yu continued, "Waiting for the Three Gates to open isn't ideal. If we take the initiative to enter one gate and attack it, pulling our people away might quickly trigger the opening of the Three Gates. Therefore... we probably only have a year or two!" Only then did the Human Sovereign understand what he meant, bursting into laughter. This kid was truly ruthless. Someone as proactive as Su Yu, eager to take the fight to the Three Gates, was truly rare. Anyone else hearing about past eras and countless ancient powerhouses gathering within the Three Gates would feel apprehensive and afraid. But this fellow Su Yu seemed not to know what fear was. "Do you have a plan?" He looked at Su Yu, and Su Yu nodded. "The Earth Gate!" The Human Sovereign raised an eyebrow slightly, pondering for a moment. "The Earth Gate is indeed the weakest era among the Three Gates. However... we might not be the only ones who have infiltrated people inside!" "The situation in the Earth Gate is quite complicated!" The Human Sovereign explained, "Because the Earth Gate opened during both the Archaic and Ancient Eras, when things were utterly chaotic. So inside the Earth Gate, there may even be people from the Heavenly Gate and the Human Gate who snuck in—not necessarily their true bodies, but perhaps clones or cultivated lackeys." Among the Three Gates, the Earth Gate was roughly the weakest, but also the messiest. If nothing else, the Prison King lineage was thriving inside. Now, Su Yu had also driven Tiangu, Zhou Ji, and the others into it, so it would likely become even more chaotic. "Chaos is good!" Su Yu chuckled, but soon asked, "Does the Earth Gate... hold any benefit for us?" He genuinely did not know. Su Yu explained, "Something similar to the Great Daos in the Heavenly Gate that can complement ours. But from what I know, the Earth Gate mostly houses the ancient chaos race. Their Dao powers are indistinct, all chaotic Great Daos... In that case, the benefit of the Earth Gate to us shouldn't be very great, right? Moreover, even if Earth Gate beings come out, the benefit isn't huge either, is it?" For Heavenly Gate powerhouses wanting to come out, the benefits were tremendous. What about the Earth Gate? Su Yu had killed ancient chaos experts from the Earth Gate before; aside from integrating them into his heaven and earth to strengthen it a bit, he hadn't felt any extraordinary benefit. "There are benefits!" The Human Sovereign smiled. "We fought the Earth Gate for many years and slaughtered countless ancient chaos beasts, so we understand the Earth Gate somewhat. Its benefits aren't as direct as the Heavenly Gate's, but killing beings from the Earth Gate is actually a process of strengthening one's origin. I'm not sure if you've experienced this." The Human Sovereign explained, "When we devour our past and future bodies, we either rely on carriers or rely solely on our own strength to merge the past and future and empower ourselves! But the original self struggles to bear the three bodies! Even you and I can't bear very many... Slaying Earth Gate powerhouses, however, strengthens one's own origin!" Su Yu understood. His eyes flickered slightly. "You mean, if I slay enough beings from the Earth Gate... for instance, I've already fused one past body and one future body; if I kill more beings from the Earth Gate, I can continue guiding down past bodies to strengthen myself?" The past was singular, but there were many past selves across different points in time. They could be guided down! However, Su Yu himself wasn't strong enough and needed carriers. But killing Earth Gate entities could actually strengthen the original self—that changed everything! The Human Sovereign nodded, smiling as well. At this moment, both men broke into grins. Laughter aside, the Human Sovereign warned, "Although the Earth Gate is the weakest of the three, it must never be underestimated. Back in my era when the Earth Gate opened, Second Brother Wen and I were very curious about the Three Gates and thought of investigating them... I didn't go in, but Second Brother Wen wanted to enter the Earth Gate back then. As a result, not long after stepping in, he was beaten right back out!" Su Yu froze. King Wen had visited the Earth Gate? What guts! That man was truly reckless, daring to barge into both the Heavenly Gate and the Earth Gate. "Back then, the one who attacked him was a mighty being inside the Earth Gate: the Lord of Chaos. Of course, whether he was truly the ruler of the Chaos Era is something no one knows, but he was exceptionally formidable. Second Brother Wen didn't dare fight him rashly and chose to retreat!" The Human Sovereign explained for a bit before concluding, "So, do you still intend to enter the Earth Gate ahead of time, as you thought before?" Su Yu pondered for a moment. "Hard to say right now. I'm considering whether entering the Earth Gate would trigger the early opening of the Three Gates... or whether I should conduct a small-scale reconnaissance first." He then added, "Besides, I still have an extremely important matter unfinished..." "What matter?" "Rescue someone!" Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "The Time Master!" This matter was of utmost importance! The Human Sovereign froze, looking at Su Yu in surprise. "You..." Su Yu let out a breath and said, "I have to save her; her situation isn't good! The fact that I've reached this point today is largely thanks to the Time Master altering the course of my life. Compared to King Wen, the Time Master is my true legacy..." As for the Brush Dao, Su Yu had only come into contact with it partway through. It was the Time Master's Time Book that had been the key to opening his heaven and earth. Su Yu still remembered how back then, in a dream, the Time Master had vaguely transmitted some messages to him, weeping. She had said King Wen was dying... Su Yu was speechless. King Wen wasn't dead at all! Sure enough, a woman's words were not to be trusted. As for the Time Master's current situation, Su Yu had learned a few things from Gui. She had likely been captured by some supreme powerhouse who captured her without killing her... or perhaps couldn't kill her. This was also what puzzled Su Yu. Knowing full well that King Wen and King Wu were no weaklings, the captor should have either released her or killed her outright without giving King Wen and the others any opportunity. Why drag things out, failing to kill the Time Master even now? What were they playing at? Furthermore, when the Time Master entered the Heavenly Gate back then, she had likely been plotted against—or something had lured her in, something she knew was dangerous yet went for anyway. Thoughts surfaced one after another. Su Yu spoke again: "I might visit the Heavenly Gate first. Not necessarily in my true body—perhaps sending in an avatar. Your Majesty said you once projected yourself inside and were driven out, right?" The Human Sovereign nodded. "I ran into a formidable fellow. Later, so as not to expose the position of my Heavenly Gate and let that bastard find me, I didn't try again. Chiefly, my Heavenly Gate projection seemed to land right in his territory, so I didn't bother fighting him, nor did I have the energy to spare over the years." He looked at Su Yu and said softly, "You want to save Wen Yu... That girl... loved making trouble back then. If you truly can save her, that's great, but if there's no way... let Second Brother Wen shoulder it himself first!" Su Yu's true body could not enter. Entering the Heavenly Gate was easy, but leaving was hard; an accident could easily occur. And what could an avatar accomplish inside? Even so, with Su Yu determined to go, the Human Sovereign had no way to dissuade him. Wen Yu's Time Book had indeed exerted an immense influence on Su Yu; in fact, the Human Sovereign could see traces of Wen Yu within Su Yu's heaven and earth. Now that the Time Master had been mentioned, Su Yu wanted to learn more. "Does Your Majesty know details about the Time Master? How strong is she? If she didn't open a world of heaven and earth, was she connected to the Great Dao?" "Wen Yu..." Speaking of that girl in his memories, the Human Sovereign smiled. "A girl who loved raising hell! Back when Second Brother Wen and I were conquering the realm, she kept Xingyue company. She was younger than Xingyue, but far more troublesome. Xingyue had a gentle temperament, but Wen Yu was completely different—she was a real handful!" Speaking of the Time Master, the Human Sovereign couldn't help laughing. "She never sat still from childhood. When Second Brother Wen and the rest of us went out on campaigns, we left her and Xingyue at Second Brother Wen's place. Xingyue could stay put, but Wen Yu couldn't. She often snuck out. Because we killed many ancient beasts from the Earth Gate back then, that girl ate plenty of them. She was a bit of a glutton and insisted on going out herself to gather ingredients and cook..." Su Yu's mouth twitched. Was this the origin of the cookbook? The Human Sovereign laughed again. "Just like Second Brother Wen, she was extraordinarily talented! Initially, Second Brother Wen and I wanted her to follow an orthodox cultivation path. Later, fooling around on her own, she actually created the so-called Time Book—that is, the cookbook." "Back then, she had actually found her own Dao..." The Human Sovereign sighed with emotion. "She was truly gifted. Perhaps from following us and seeing so much, she didn't want to follow routine and walk the path of opening or merging Daos. She said the Myriad Realms covered by the River of Time were just a breeding farm where one could eat whatever food one liked... So she wanted to open a farm of her own!" Su Yu's gaze flickered slightly. The Human Sovereign laughed. "Don't take it to heart. I know what you're thinking, but calling it a farm was an exaggeration. Look at your own heaven and earth—do you treat your world like a breeding farm?" Su Yu thought about it and held his tongue. The Human Sovereign continued, "Later, she began refining her cookbook, wanting to open a new heaven. Second Brother Wen and I both supported her. Back then, Second Brother Wen and I had similar ideas, but unlike Wen Yu, we opened our Daos first before opening a world of heaven and earth!" "Wen Yu didn't open a Dao. According to her plan, she would directly open heaven and earth!" Su Yu pictured it and nodded. "The Time Master is truly remarkable and decisive. Directly opening a world and forging the Time Book were both astonishing feats!" The Human Sovereign laughed as well. "She was just too troublesome. She went around collecting corpses everywhere, leaving Second Brother Wen and me with no choice but to pretend we didn't know her. Back then, the Myriad Realms had just been pacified; her scavenging corpses everywhere risked driving the myriad races to rebellion, so she didn't dare reveal her identity either. Later, everyone called her the Time Master, and she simply went along with it." "Without opening a world, how strong was she?" Su Yu asked. The Human Sovereign thought for a moment. "Not weak at all! At her peak, utilizing the Time Book, she probably approached first-rank strength!" Seeing Su Yu look at him, the Human Sovereign chuckled. "Think she wasn't strong?" "You must realize that back in that era, how many first-ranks were there in the entire Myriad Realms? Just me, Second Brother Wen, and King Wu had barely stepped into the first rank. King Ming was only at the peak of the second rank at that time... Her strength back then was already enough to rank among the top ten in the Myriad Realms!" The Human Sovereign sighed and continued, "Later, as her Time Book grew closer to completion, she resolved to open a world. Her ambitions were far from small. We had actually urged her long before to open her world early... but she refused, saying the myriad Daos were incomplete and her insights insufficient. She wanted to gain deeper comprehension and gather even more Daos, hoping to open her world in one fell swoop and surpass both Second Brother Wen and me!" Even Su Yu sucked in a breath. "That ambition... was truly massive! I merged her Time Book, but I didn't feel opening her world would have made her ridiculously strong. Still... if she opened it herself, opening a first-rank world wouldn't have been an issue." That was already terrifying! Yet that fell short of the Time Master's ambitions. The Human Sovereign smiled. "The Time Book she sent out... are you sure it was the original?" Su Yu was startled. What did that mean? The Human Sovereign laughed. "Wen Yu's core power resides within the Time Book. If she truly sent out the original and it was dismantled by you, she would have plummeted to the Sun Moon Realm long ago—and wouldn't she have died by now? What she sent out was likely a rubbing or a duplicate." Su Yu was stunned. Could that really be? The Human Sovereign explained, "Wen Yu is quick-witted and mischievous. She isn't the sort of child who just sits around weeping. She knows how to save herself. Knowing she was in danger, why would she entrust her greatest hope entirely to the outside? So your Time Book might be a duplicate. You said Xing came out alongside the Time Book back then, right?" Su Yu nodded. The Human Sovereign smiled. "How could Xing follow the Time Book out? If Wen Yu truly used the Time Book to breach the Heavenly Gate for an instant, she would have been battling powerful enemies. What strength did Xing have to follow it out?" Su Yu was stunned again. On the one hand, the Human Sovereign's words gave him pause; on the other, the man wasn't particularly respectful toward his own ancestor. The Human Sovereign paid him no mind, continuing, "So that girl Wen Yu likely has ideas of her own. Danger certainly exists, or else she wouldn't have produced the Time Book. But since Second Brother Wen is still alive today, Wen Yu won't fall so easily." Su Yu raised his brows. "Your Majesty means the Time Master had her own arrangements?" "Certainly." The Human Sovereign looked at Su Yu and chuckled. "Aren't you one?" "Me?" Su Yu fell into thought. The Human Sovereign smiled. "What? Aren't you her backup plan? Look, haven't you risen to power?" Su Yu smiled wryly. True enough. "Yet when I saw some of her residual imprints back then, she was crying..." The Human Sovereign sighed helplessly. "Isn't that normal? The crying baby gets the milk; she was just seeking sympathy. When Wen Yu scavenged corpses from people, she'd cry a little too—fake weeping, a bit of mourning—yet I never saw her hesitate when it came to eating those ancient beasts." "..." Su Yu bared his teeth, speechless for a long time. Damn! Really? Fake crying? Could it really be like that? Regarding King Wen's younger sister, Su Yu was at a loss for words. After a long while, he asked, "Then she isn't living comfortably right now, is she?" "Probably not that well." The Human Sovereign chuckled. "But she probably isn't as miserable as you think, so don't be misled by her!" Su Yu felt helpless. These days, playing the victim truly worked wonders. Here he had been worrying that the Time Master was on the verge of death, weeping so tragically that he had to rush to her rescue as fast as possible. "Of course, these are merely my conjectures. She might truly be in mortal danger," the Human Sovereign added, lest his guess proved wrong and caused Su Yu to miscalculate. Su Yu was speechless. Nonsense, of course I know it's just your guess. ... Amid their conversation, the group had arrived at the Myriad Realms. Tearing open the void, Su Yu and his party entered the Upper Realm. At this moment, Su Yu also saw the Human Sovereign's heaven and earth radiating golden light. Several powerhouses remained behind on guard here. Yunxiao and the others had not followed to the upstream battle. Seeing Su Yu and the rest return, the vigilant experts breathed sighs of relief. Yunxiao hurried forward and said, "That scared us to death! Your Majesty, when your heaven and earth shook earlier, Jiantian nearly rolled his eyes back and dropped dead! Is everything all right now?" "All is well!" Su Yu smiled, then turned to the Human Sovereign. "Then let each go to our own homes. You stabilize your world, and I will stabilize mine. Have those Heavenly Kings and Celestial Venerables merge into your world as soon as possible; for now, I don't need any more on my side!" The Human Sovereign nodded, considered it, and said, "Very well. If you want to enter the Heavenly Gate, let me know in advance!" In a grave tone, he added, "Don't go slipping in quietly without a sound; it's easy for things to go wrong!" "Understood." Su Yu waved his hand and stepped into his own heaven and earth. Behind him, just as a group was about to step in, Yunxiao exclaimed in surprise, "Dingjun, what are you coming here for? Your home is over on His Majesty the Human Sovereign's side!" "..." Marquis Dingjun nearly coughed up blood! Yet thinking about it carefully—damn, she was right! He had reconnected his Dao in the Human Sovereign's world; going to Su Yu's world was utterly pointless for him! For a time, those who had merged their Daos into the Human Sovereign's world felt utterly helpless. King Ming and King Zhan were equally helpless. There were two worlds, but right now things were a mess and boundaries weren't so clear-cut. He and King Zhan had merged into Su Yu's world. Yet the crux was that they weren't very familiar with Su Yu, and they still had to oversee important affairs in the Human Sovereign's world. For a moment, no one knew quite where they ought to go. ... Su Yu paid no attention to any of this. With the battle over, his injuries were severe; he needed to heal and stabilize his heaven and earth lest it truly collapse. Since it hadn't collapsed, Su Yu wouldn't voluntarily let his world fall apart. Previously, facing desperation, he had thought that at worst, he would transfer everyone over to the Human Sovereign's side. This time, although many had been slain, the harvest hadn't been as grand as expected. Even so, there were benefits—such as the Martial Emperor reaching the first rank, King Dazhou reaching the first rank, King Ming merging his Dao, King Zhan merging his Dao... With several first-ranks emerging in succession and their first-rank Great Dao comprehensions flowing into the world, Su Yu's heaven and earth was merely damaged right now; otherwise, it would certainly have advanced. While he couldn't promise a massive leap, with several more first-rank experts, his own strength within his heaven and earth would have increased by the power of several Daos. Su Yu entered the Human Lord Seal and began his period of recuperation. This time, it would take him some time to recover—perhaps around a month. A day had passed upstream; as for the promise to settle the myriad races within three months, it happened to align with nearly three months having elapsed in the Myriad Realms. ... At this moment, Su Yu and the Human Sovereign were both resting and recovering. At the same time. In other regions, figures were likewise making preparations for the impending opening of the Three Gates. Within the Earth Gate. In the depths of chaos. The might of the Human Sovereign's earlier punch had intimidated all directions, dampening the momentum of the Earth Gate. The morale that had previously burned with eagerness to fight their way out plummeted. Right at this moment, laughter echoed from the depths: "An envoy of the Human Gate requests an audience with the Lord of Chaos!" As the voice sounded, a phantom figure materialized in an instant. The phantom looked toward the periphery, gazing at the distant silhouette, its voice ancient and utterly detached: "Can you represent the Human Gate?" "Perhaps." The phantom—the Lord of Chaos—spoke with aloof indifference: "State your business." "The Three Gates are about to open and reappear in the Myriad Realms! The Heavenly Gate and Human Gate cannot be traversed for the time being, yet a crack has appeared in the Earth Gate. Within the Myriad Realms, the Human Sovereign, King Wen, and Su Yu are all monstrous talents... If these people are not eliminated, the Myriad Realms will never be quelled..." The Lord of Chaos remained impassive. After listening to the envoy speak for a while, he said calmly, "Over the years, you are not the first envoy sent by the Human Gate, nor, I believe, will you be the last! Yet every single time, it is this same rhetoric. Try a different tune! Where are the benefits? Where is the profit? What can you offer me?" In the distance, the silhouette laughed. "There will naturally be benefits. So long as the Lord of Chaos is willing to forcefully open the Earth Gate right now and attack the Myriad Realms first, then once the Human Gate opens, we can help the Lord of Chaos hold back the Heavenly Gate! The Heavenly Gate has countless powerhouses and multiple forbidden ground masters. Formidable though the Lord of Chaos is, within the Heavenly Gate, you would likely be merely one forbidden ground master..." The Lord of Chaos remained untroubled. "So the Earth Gate acts as the vanguard while your Human Gate hides behind to reap the harvest? Wishful thinking. The Heavenly Gate has many powerhouses, but so what? The Earth Gate is the weakest, and the Human Gate is the most mysterious. If the Heavenly Gate targets anyone, it will deal with the Human Gate first. Would they bother with my Earth Gate?" Saying this, the Lord of Chaos added in an ancient voice, "Speak no more of these empty promises. They are utterly meaningless!" "Then what does the Lord of Chaos desire?" The silhouette smiled. "Name your terms. We ask for very little—only that the Earth Gate open first, so as not to give the Human Sovereign, Su Yu, and the others time. They are stalling; the longer they delay, the more advantageous it is for them! If the Lord of Chaos knows anything about them, you should know my words are true! In perhaps three or five years, their strength could advance by leaps and bounds!" The Lord of Chaos fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "I want Myriad Daos Stones!" The silhouette paused slightly, surprised. "The Lord of Chaos... must be joking! Besides, you do not cultivate the myriad Daos; why would you need Myriad Daos Stones?" The Lord of Chaos said calmly, "Why shouldn't I? In the past, when that being opened the River of Time and the Myriad Realms, he used the Human Gate as the foundation. On that day, I saw it: at the origin of the myriad Daos, the foundation-laying ground, several Myriad Daos Stones appeared. They must have fallen into the Human Gate... If you wish to cooperate, trade those for it!" The silhouette gave a wry smile. "Those... even if there were any, they have long been used up! They are supreme treasures; who would leave them unused in hand?" The Lord of Chaos replied impassively, "That is none of my concern. If you want our Earth Gate to serve as your stepping stone, trade those for it! Over the years, whether your side, the Heavenly Gate, or even the Myriad Realms, people have snuck into the Earth Gate! Wasn't that fissure deliberately created by you as well? I simply didn't bother to interfere... Do as you please! But if you want me to exert effort on your behalf... I want at least three Myriad Daos Stones!" The silhouette nearly choked, managing only after a long pause, "When that being opened the heavens, opened the Daos, and opened the Myriad Realms, the origin was indeed at the Human Gate. Yet back then, not many Myriad Daos Stones appeared..." "None back then!" The Lord of Chaos said heavily, "The Myriad Daos Stones of that era were Origin Stones! But over the years, as the River of Time flowed from upstream to downstream and the power of myriad Daos converged, there must also be many Myriad Daos Stones formed by the coalescing power of myriad Daos. Those can be considered Myriad Daos Rule Stones... I want one Origin Stone to comprehend that being's Great Dao rule insights; the other two can be Myriad Daos Rule Stones!" "This... is beyond my authority to decide." "Then scram!" The Lord of Chaos was chillingly indifferent. "If you cannot decide, what did you come here for? Have someone with the authority come find me. If someone unqualified disturbs me next time..." Boom! A claw reached out, directly shattering the distant silhouette! Not only that, a strand of chaotic power surged outward to parts unknown, followed abruptly by a muffled grunt. The Lord of Chaos's voice remained cold and aloof, echoing along that strand of chaotic power: "You heard it as well. This was merely a small chastisement. Give me what I want, and I will consider it. Otherwise... there is no need to speak further!" With those words, the Lord of Chaos's phantom faded away. Silence descended once more within the Hell Gate. ... At the same time. Within the Heavenly Gate. A massive mountain towered between heaven and earth, traversing the void and radiating across tens of millions of li. Within the mountain was like a world of its own. Living beings of all kinds inhabited this great mountain, dwelling inside this forbidden ground. Like a celestial body, this great mountain cast off a faint luminescence. Mount Eternal! Mighty for countless ages, deathless and indestructible, forbidden to living mortals. Yet today, a white-robed figure appeared between heaven and earth, standing atop the high mountain's peak. A voice tinged with laughter rang out, blanketing the colossal Mount Eternal. "Fa! Hand over my younger sister, or I will raze Mount Eternal to the ground! For so many years, you haven't been able to kill me, which means I will kill you sooner or later. Do not fail to appreciate my kindness!" "Insolent!" "Courting death!" "Kill him!" Within Mount Eternal, powerful silhouettes manifested one after another, swiftly charging toward King Wen. For many years, they had been battling these two and were well acquainted with them. Seeing him appear once more, Mount Eternal showed little panic, only fury. This fellow was far too brazen! He actually dared approach the forbidden ground directly! King Wen was formidable, but this was Mount Eternal! In the void, King Wen looked at them and let out a light laugh. "In the past, I worried about destabilizing heaven and earth and causing the Heavenly Gate to open, so I couldn't be bothered to settle scores with you. Did you really think you were someone important?" As he finished speaking, a pair of white shoes appeared between heaven and earth. A kick lashed out, and the white shoe instantly materialized before the eyes of an expert. In the blink of an eye, with a loud bang, it blasted the expert's head to pieces! The powerhouses rushing out froze, followed by sheer terror! How was that possible?! At this moment, an aura surged from within Mount Eternal. King Wen's eyes flickered, and he laughed: "Fa, come out and play with me!!" In an instant, a figure materialized out of thin air, looking at King Wen and stating impassively, "You have grown bolder." As though making casual conversation, his tone was calm as he walked step by step toward King Wen. "Do you wish to die?" King Wen's smile was radiant. "A little!" With those words, King Wen vanished from the spot in an instant. Watching him depart, the silhouette raised his eyebrows slightly, eyes shining as brilliantly as the sun and moon. Seeing King Wen flee, he said softly, "You wish to lure me away? Then I shall walk with you a while." He stepped forward, golden lotuses blooming beneath his feet, traversing the void across tens of millions of li in a single step. In the blink of an eye, King Wen's figure reappeared before him. Ahead, King Wen chuckled, glanced back at him, and flashed a radiant smile. "Fa, tell me, who ordered you to trap my sister? I might let you die with an easier mind!" The master of Mount Eternal, known as Fa, said softly, "Kill me first before speaking of such things!" With lotuses springing up beneath his feet, Fa took another step, closing the distance to King Wen once more. Yet King Wen did not linger, fleeing rapidly through the void. After giving chase for a while, Fa suddenly halted! At the same time, in the distance, a pitch-black world resembling an abyssal hell emerged. Right at that moment, a booming voice echoed over: "Do the two of you wish to die? I haven't sought you out, yet you dare come to my domain—do both of you have a death wish?" An unimaginably powerful figure surging with sky-piercing death qi materialized! The Lord of Dead Spirits! Behind, Fa knitted his brows slightly. What was King Wen trying to do? That being was not someone to provoke lightly. Entering his territory would only make the situation messier! King Wen, however, laughed and called out, "Lord of Dead Spirits, help me take him out!" "..." In the distance, the Lord of Dead Spirits thought he had lost his mind. Who did you think you were? Did I need to take orders from you? Even within this Heavenly Gate, he was a supreme overlord. Not to mention King Wen, even this Fa had no right to act arrogant before him! King Wen laughed. "What are you staring at? I've already made contact with the outside world! Su Yu's strength is growing by the day, and I'm currently having him break your Dead Spirit Dao. Do you still want to take back control of the Dead Spirit Dao when you return? If you're not afraid of having it severed, then don't help me!" The Lord of Dead Spirits was so furious he laughed. "You speak of that bastard? Does he possess such ability? Never mind him—even if you got out, what could you possibly do?" King Wen smiled again. "He commands the Dao of Life and Death and has opened a world of heaven and earth. Did you know that?" "..." The Lord of Dead Spirits fell instantly silent. King Wen said leisurely, "I didn't open Life and Death, so of course I couldn't do anything to you. But... once Life and Death is opened, your Dao isn't unbreakable. Why put on an invincible front? If you were on the outside, he naturally wouldn't be your match, but right now, aren't you stuck here? Think about it—kill Fa, and we can have a proper talk!" The Lord of Dead Spirits sneered, "Threatening me? Then let that fellow try! So what if he opened the Dead Spirit Dao? I opened this Dao countless eons ago; is it something he can meddle with?" "You're a dull fellow..." King Wen laughed and swiftly vanished. "Never mind, do as you please. Fa, come on, keep chasing me!" Fa raised an eyebrow slightly. What in the world was King Wen up to? Chasing him was no easy task. Although that fellow was weaker than himself, he possessed endless tricks and ran swiftly. Fa had initially thought King Wen was relying on the Lord of Dead Spirits, but that wasn't the case; he seemed to have only come here to make a casual circle. For a moment, Fa hesitated. After some thought, Fa swiftly vanished from the spot, returning to Mount Eternal. As for King Wen... let him run on his own. There was no point in chasing; he would return sooner or later anyway! Not far away, the Lord of Dead Spirits cast a glance at the two of them before vanishing from the spot after a long moment. At the same time, King Wen also halted, wearing a faint smile. Soon, he turned back around and flew toward Mount Eternal once more! Fa, I will play with you properly. Over all these years, you bastard have caused me no shortage of trouble. Before the Heavenly Gate opens, I must resolve this nuisance as soon as possible.