The white-haired old man looked at Su Yu, a thoughtful expression surfacing on his face.
Soon, a smile broke across his features as he said, "Fellow Daoist, you cultivate the Dao of Yin and Death, and you now possess the power of eighteen Daos. Why... haven't you gone to Dead Spirit Hell?"
He chuckled. "Dead Spirit Hell turns away no one whose Dao falls under the domain of Death. If you went there, even the Four Great Emperors would vie for you..."
Su Yu curled his lip, then bared his teeth in a grin. "I wouldn't dare!"
"Oh?"
Su Yu looked somewhat embarrassed and lowered his voice: "The Lord of Dead Spirits is incomparably powerful, and Dead Spirit Hell is a place everyone yearns for. A forbidden ground... who wouldn't want to go? But... I'm afraid of dying! The Heavenly Gate is about to open, and no matter how you look at it, the Lord of Dead Spirits is an outsider... If I go now without being part of his inner circle, I worry I'll just end up as cannon fodder!"
Su Yu let out a sigh, then adopted an easygoing, nonchalant air. "So, I'd rather not go to Dead Spirit Hell. It's better to be a regional hegemon. That way, I'll have far more say!"
The old man smiled.
Sensible!
Dead Spirit Hell was indeed fraught with peril. The Lord of Dead Spirits was too powerful, and beings that powerful were destined to become targets. The masters of the forbidden grounds would never allow the Lord of Dead Spirits to return easily to the myriad realms. Otherwise, once his two heavens merged, just how terrifying would he become?
Right now, the Forbidden Land Conference among all the forbidden grounds was about to begin.
Dealing with King Wen, King Wu, the Lord of Dead Spirits, and the myriad realms would all be placed on the agenda.
Still, the old man probed, "Fellow Daoist, your reputation was obscure before this, yet your Dao cultivation is far from weak. Do you have a master or lineage?"
Su Yu smiled and shook his head. "None. But I fought alongside Lord Mu for many years, so I gained some insights..."
With that, Su Yu looked at the trio and cupped his hands. "Seniors of the forbidden ground, I... must take my leave now!"
Su Yu said in a grave voice, "I have arranged for the experts from every territory in the northeastern region to gather at Mount Liufang tomorrow... I must hurry back. Otherwise, things might fall into chaos in my absence!"
Having said this, Su Yu offered an awkward, sheepish smile. "Um... I must ask you seniors to keep this quiet. A clash among rogue cultivators brings no harm to seniors like you, so regarding the secret of Mount Liufang, please..."
The old man nodded with a smile. "Fellow Daoist Heimu told us the truth because you trust us. We are cultivators of Mount Tianqiong and have no stakes in that area, so why would we leak your secret? What is more, with your strength, even if Mount Liufang had only you, you would still be the absolute hegemon of that region."
Eighteen Daos of power, and an expert seasoned in battle.
The old man also knew a bit about that region. Aside from Mount Liufang, only Mount Xuelong and Blade Valley seemed somewhat strong, but even if those two joined forces, they might not be able to defeat this Heimu.
Su Yu offered his thanks, turned, and prepared to leave with decisive briskness.
Seeing that he was genuinely leaving, the old man hesitated briefly before calling out, "Fellow Daoist, hold on a moment!"
Su Yu turned back, a look of suspicion and slight vigilance crossing his face.
Faintly, a sliver of Dao power leaked from his body. Seeing him on guard, the old man took no offense; inside the gate, anyone who lacked caution was already dead.
"Does Senior have something to say?"
Su Yu kept his distance, making no move to come closer.
The old man smiled. "I have not yet introduced myself to you, which was rather remiss of me. My name is Jian Kong. I am the son of Jianzun, Chief of Mount Tianqiong's Weapon Hall..."
Su Yu's expression changed dramatically!
He bowed hastily in terror: "Forgive my insolence, my Lord!"
Panic was written across his face!
Naturally, it was an act.
Even so, Su Yu was genuinely a bit surprised. He had some inkling of the internal hierarchy within the four great forbidden grounds. In Dead Spirit Hell, for instance, beneath the Lord of Dead Spirits stood the Four Great Emperors, each immensely powerful, possessing twenty-five Daos or more.
Mount Tianqiong was roughly the same.
Beneath the Lord of Mount Tianqiong, the mountain was divided into the Weapon, Technique, Battle, and Trapping Halls. The chiefs of these halls held a status comparable to that of the Four Great Emperors.
As for strength... they might be even stronger than the Four Great Emperors.
The Lord of Dead Spirits was, after all, merely an outsider, and he imposed strict requirements regarding the nature of one's Dao.
Jianzun, the Chief of Mount Tianqiong's Weapon Hall, was bound to possess terrifying might!
As for precisely how strong, that was beyond Su Yu's ability to know.
Yet this old man before him, Jian Kong, son of Jianzun, wielded the power of twenty-two Daos. That alone proved how extraordinarily formidable Chief Jianzun had to be.
The old man smiled, finding nothing unusual in Su Yu's sudden shift in attitude.
Jianzun, his father, was undoubtedly one of the highest-ranking experts among the four great forbidden grounds. Excluding the four forbidden land masters, his father could easily rank in the top three.
To a rogue cultivator like Heimu, such a figure belonged strictly to legend.
Jian Kong smiled. "There is no need to stand on ceremony, Fellow Daoist Heimu. I see that your strength is considerable, yet you are still a rogue cultivator... Are you seeking to exit the Heavenly Gate early? Is establishing Mount Liufang your way of seizing more slots?"
Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "Indeed! I know the strength of a single person cannot alter the grand tide of events. Only by seizing more slots will I have the chance to take another step forward once I step outside the Heavenly Gate!"
Su Yu lowered his tone: "I harbor grand ambitions, which may draw laughter from my Lord... but I refuse to resign myself to mediocrity!"
Su Yu's eyes suddenly blazed with sharp light. "My Lord is the son of Jianzun, so I will not conceal the truth: I desire to become the next master of a forbidden ground! That is why I want to leave the Heavenly Gate at the earliest opportunity and wage war across the myriad realms..."
"Pfft!"
Behind Jian Kong, the woman suddenly burst into laughter.
There was a trace of mockery in her tone, but that was the normal reaction.
Jian Kong found himself torn between laughter and tears. He had just inwardly praised this man for his wisdom, but now... was he an idiot?
Su Yu's expression hardened, his eyes turning cold and stern. Suddenly, waves of Great Dao power erupted from him—fifteen, sixteen Daos manifested at once! Jian Kong froze!
Su Yu cast a chilly glance at the woman and spoke in a deep, gravelly voice: "I am a rogue cultivator, but I know I am destined for greatness! Right now, I possess only eighteen Daos of power, yet I cultivate sixteen other Daos! I simply haven't advanced them to wield one full Dao of power each, nor have I merged them!"
Su Yu declared solemnly, "However, all of them are on the verge of mastery! Once I take command of them, once all sixteen Daos are within my grasp and fused with the Daos I command today, I dare not claim I will become a peerless expert like Jianzun... but given time, I, Heimu, will never yield to any man!"
Jian Kong stared in shock, and the man and woman behind him were equally stunned.
At this moment, their mockery had vanished, replaced by genuine astonishment.
This man was actually cultivating sixteen other Great Daos.
Su Yu turned toward Jian Kong and said solemnly, "Senior is the scion of a supreme expert. I had no intention of saying any of this to you, but you called out to halt me..."
Su Yu's gaze burned. "I do not know whether Senior wishes to make a friend or subjugate me... but whichever it is, I, Heimu, must display my worth, my talent, and my strength! Yes, today I wield eighteen Daos, but who can say whether tomorrow I will soar to the heavens in a single bound, instantly merge these Daos, and become one of the supreme powerhouses?"
Jian Kong drew in a soft breath. Soon, his voice turned grave: "You truly surprise me!"
A genuine surprise!
The moment this Heimu revealed the sixteen Great Daos that had not yet reached the level of a Ruler of Rules, Jian Kong's attitude shifted completely.
Before, Su Yu could only be described as a capable warrior of decent strength.
Now, however, he held sixteen Daos on the cusp of breakthrough. Eighteen Daos of power plus sixteen Daos would make thirty-four Daos... Naturally, it could not be calculated so simply. Once you reached thirty-one Daos, even if you cultivated ten or twenty more, mastered them, and merged them, you might not necessarily reach thirty-two Daos.
The further along one progressed, the greater the might of each individual Dao, and the harder advancement became.
Nevertheless, if Heimu truly brought all sixteen Daos to the level of a Ruler of Rules and merged them, reaching twenty-five Daos was well within reason.
If that happened, he would be even stronger than Jian Kong himself!
What a surprise!
As for whether this was cause for joy or concern, Jian Kong could not say for sure.
Little did he know that Su Yu was merely laying the groundwork for his future breakthroughs. Otherwise, if an eighteen-Dao cultivator reached nineteen tomorrow and twenty the day after... any fool would know something was wrong.
If he had truly been such an absurd prodigy, his fame would have spread long ago!
Now, Su Yu had established his persona: an ascetic who had long cultivated multiple Daos in quiet seclusion until they all hovered on the brink of breakthrough. With a stroke of luck, he could become a top-tier powerhouse overnight!
With this cover, his subsequent advances would not arouse suspicion.
"Your talent is truly peerless, Fellow Daoist!"
Jian Kong nodded repeatedly. "Forbidden grounds appreciate nothing more than talent! Since you have spoken so openly, I will not beat around the bush and make you laugh at me."
Jian Kong smiled. "Mount Tianqiong does indeed intend to recruit you. We originally thought that with eighteen Daos, you were bound for great achievements, but now... it seems we underestimated you! If you can grasp those sixteen Great Daos, even without merging them, you will surpass twenty Daos! Once you merge them... you might very well become a powerhouse like my father... Incredible!"
Su Yu cupped his hands and said in a heavy voice, "My Lord flatters me! It is not that easy. That is why... I wish to gamble for an opportunity to step out of this place early, enter the myriad realms, and slay experts of the realms to perfect my Dao power!"
At this moment, Jian Kong understood why Su Yu was in such a hurry.
If he were in Su Yu's shoes, stuck with sixteen Daos that refused to break through, he too would want to go to the myriad realms to slay experts of the same Daos. That might allow him to become a top-tier expert in no time.
Who would have guessed?
He looked at Su Yu again, sinking into thought.
This fellow possessed immense potential!
Yet he had concealed those sixteen Daos all this time, leading the outside world to believe he was only at the peak of fifteen Daos... The man possessed great ambition and was far from lacking in schemes.
Soon, Jian Kong made up his mind. He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, you possess exceptional talent and formidable strength. Mount Tianqiong has not cultivated many external factions over the years. If you are interested, you could take an honorary guest elder token under our Weapon Hall. That would make it convenient for you to visit Mount Tianqiong and converse with us in the future..."
Though phrased delicately, Su Yu understood his meaning.
Raising his brows slightly, Su Yu quickly responded with a grave voice: "Senior, I am honored... that an expert of a forbidden ground invites me to join... However, as people of the Heavenly Gate, there are words that must be stated up front!"
Su Yu looked up, a hint of arrogance showing on his face. "Senior, my efforts to expand Mount Liufang are, to put it bluntly, just to sell myself to a forbidden ground for a better price! I don't mind laying down my life for a forbidden ground, but risking my life comes with a price! Originally, my first choice was Luohun Valley. They actually sent an emissary to Mount Liufang... but I refused to see him. Their posture was too arrogant, clearly treating me like cannon fodder!"
"Second was Dead Spirit Hell. I know Dead Spirit Hell is troublesome, but if they offer me sufficient benefits, I would be willing to take the gamble!"
"Third was Mount Yongsheng... After all, it is close to me, even if their current situation isn't great."
"And last was Mount Tianqiong, which lies far from me and has made little movement in recent years!"
Jian Kong smiled. It was only natural. For people within the Heavenly Gate to speak of sentiment instead of interest was nothing short of playing the rogue!
Ordinary experts would jump at the chance to join a forbidden ground.
Yet someone of Heimu's caliber had high ambitions. If they offered him no benefits, he had other options; no matter which forbidden ground he approached, he would be welcomed.
Jian Kong chuckled. "Well, Fellow Daoist Heimu, since we've laid all our cards on the table, what is it that you want?"
Su Yu shook his head. "It is not about what I want, but the balance of give and take! What does Mount Tianqiong need me to do? What price must I pay? If my Lord states Mount Tianqiong's objective first, I will know what price to name! If it is merely trivial errands or small matters, you wouldn't even need to ask; even without joining Mount Tianqiong, I would gladly do it for you!"
Su Yu smiled. "For instance, killing a fifteen-Dao cultivator—difficult, but not overly so. I'd be happy to do that for my Lord just to earn a favor... But if it's a fifteen-Dao expert from a forbidden ground, then no. That would be far too dangerous, and I cannot risk my life merely for a favor!"
Jian Kong laughed again. "Sensible!"
This Heimu was indeed an interesting fellow!
Jian Kong wasted no more time. "As for what we specifically need you to do, to be frank, my invitation was merely a spur-of-the-moment thought... but it won't go beyond helping Mount Tianqiong with matters within your capabilities."
Jian Kong pondered for a moment before continuing, "As for what you need... right now, what you care about most is likely mastering those unmastered Daos, followed by subjugating more rogue cultivators."
"First, to strengthen yourself; second, to strengthen your faction. Am I right?"
He looked at Su Yu, and Su Yu nodded. Indeed, that was what everyone pursued.
Jian Kong smiled. "As for your side, I imagine you are unwilling to openly declare allegiance to a forbidden ground right now. After all, Mount Liufang sits between Dead Spirit Hell and Mount Yongsheng. The way I see it... revealing your Dao of Yin and Death means you still harbor thoughts of negotiating with Dead Spirit Hell, am I right?"
Su Yu didn't blush. He nodded candidly. "Indeed. Comparing different offers—I certainly have such intentions!"
Jian Kong understood the mindset of these rogue cultivators and smiled without taking offense. "Yet I believe Mount Tianqiong will provide you with far more opportunities, because... the Heavenly Gate lies directly west of Mount Tianqiong!"
He smiled!
"Any faction seeking the Heavenly Gate cannot bypass Mount Tianqiong. Furthermore, the Human Sovereign, the strongest expert of the myriad realms, has been entangled with Mount Tianqiong for years. What we can offer you far surpasses what anyone else can!"
Jian Kong said briskly, "For now, you only need to register your name under the Weapon Hall. We need not discuss anything else for the moment. I happen to have several Great Daos with around ten Daos of power on hand, which may help you take a step forward..."
Su Yu arched an eyebrow. "Just that simple?"
"For now, yes!"
Jian Kong nodded with a smile. "As I said, this was a spur-of-the-moment decision, not a deliberate search to bring you into Mount Tianqiong. If other matters arise later, we can negotiate further!"
It truly had been an impulse. Moreover, an eighteen-Dao powerhouse who also possessed sixteen Daos awaiting breakthrough was not someone Jian Kong would normally negotiate with if Heimu's full potential had been known earlier. Though Jian Kong was stronger than Su Yu, an affair of this scale would typically require an even greater powerhouse to negotiate!
With that in mind, he smiled again. "Fellow Daoist, your fame is currently limited, yet Mount Liufang has already caught the attention of several forbidden grounds. The way I see it, you likely wish to play the various forbidden grounds off one another first... without any sincere intention of joining..."
Su Yu's expression flickered!
Jian Kong merely waved his hand and laughed. "It is only natural! After all, you did not rise from a forbidden ground; you are a rogue cultivator. For a rogue cultivator to have such thoughts is entirely normal! If that were not the case, you wouldn't have mentioned the envoy from Luohun Valley arriving at Mount Liufang."
He understood the mindset of these rogue cultivators all too well.
Especially experts like Heimu!
Yet Jian Kong possessed immense confidence. He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, you currently know little about the forbidden grounds, assuming that all masters of forbidden grounds are equal... You are mistaken! When the Heavenly Gate is about to open and the Forbidden Land Conference convenes, you will understand which forbidden ground is truly stronger, which one is worth aligning with, and which can secure more benefits for you!"
"Mount Tianqiong occupies the territory bordering the Heavenly Gate... That is a strategic chokepoint, the most vital area of all! That alone is something no other forbidden ground can match!"
"My Lord of Mount Tianqiong ranks among the absolute peak of the forbidden land masters!"
There was pride in his voice—the pride of belonging to a mighty forbidden ground!
Su Yu actually had some inkling of this, as the Human Sovereign had mentioned it once.
Gui had once stated that the Lord of Mount Tianqiong was one of the strongest masters among the forbidden grounds, while the Human Sovereign had claimed that at most, the man wielded thirty-five Daos of power, and that during his own peak, he hadn't feared him in the slightest!
From what Su Yu knew, some masters of forbidden grounds possessed only thirty or thirty-one Daos of power—though those were rare exceptions.
Under normal circumstances, most had reached thirty-two Daos.
And the Lord of Mount Tianqiong had thirty-five Daos. Given the Human Sovereign's discerning eye, that estimate was likely accurate. That indeed placed him among the highest tier of forbidden land masters.
Having exposed Su Yu's thoughts, Jian Kong chuckled and flicked a medallion toward Su Yu.
"This is the guest elder medallion of the Weapon Hall. With this medallion, you may enter Mount Tianqiong at any time!"
Su Yu was surprised!
Jian Kong smiled. "Keep it. If we require anything, we will contact you! As for your desire to join other forbidden grounds to reap further benefits... we don't mind in the slightest!"
Because they never expected rogue cultivators to serve them with genuine loyalty!
He smiled. "You don't need to worry. So long as you can carry out tasks for the forbidden ground, it matters little which other forbidden grounds you serve, provided you do not infringe upon our interests!"
It was as simple as that!
Who would expect rogue cultivators to fight to the death with unwavering devotion?
What a joke!
Rogue cultivators rose from the void with no organization, no sentiment, and no lineage; they were all cold, ruthless opportunists!
As long as you could perform tasks for the forbidden ground and refrained from harming their interests, it didn't matter how many masters you pledged allegiance to!
Su Yu fell into thought.
He had not fully adapted to the logic inside the gate after all. In here, playing both ends against the middle was the norm. There was no need to hide it; even the forbidden grounds themselves knew full well!
Thus, they didn't care, so long as you could get the job done!
A purely mercenary relationship!
Su Yu understood!
At this moment, he truly understood, grasping the rules of this realm ever more clearly.
All his previous acting had been largely unnecessary.
Su Yu let out a long breath. "Senior makes me ashamed. Only today do I realize how vast the vision and perspective of a forbidden ground expert truly are. It is far beyond what I can match!"
Jian Kong laughed. "Not at all. It is merely a matter of our differing positions!"
With that, he flicked a glowing orb toward Su Yu. "This is some Dao power I have personally gathered. It is not much, nor is it extraordinarily strong, and you may not even lack it, but consider it a gesture of goodwill from Mount Tianqiong! Should we require your services in the future, we will naturally compensate you appropriately!"
Catching the orb, Su Yu clicked his tongue in silent amazement. Where had he obtained so much Dao power? Didn't the forbidden grounds rarely make a move?
Probing it with his senses, Su Yu found three second-rank Great Daos and over a dozen below the second rank.
He must have killed quite a few people!
Of course, these people had lived for countless years, and experts abounded here, so keeping a personal stockpile was normal.
Sure enough, the people behind the gate were wealthy!
"Many thanks, my Lord!"
Su Yu showed no polite reluctance, storing it directly away with a smile. "Should my Lord have any need, feel free to send someone to Mount Liufang at any time! So long as it lies within my power, I will spare no effort!"
"Good!"
Jian Kong nodded. Su Yu said no more, stepping into the void and departing.
Once he was gone, the woman behind Jian Kong said softly, "Senior Brother Jian Kong, was this appropriate? If we wanted to subjugate him... we could have simply forced him to serve. If not, we could have ignored him, or simply killed him..."
Why bother giving him benefits?
Jian Kong shook his head. "Times have changed! The situation is shifting. With the Heavenly Gate about to open, conflict will erupt among the forbidden grounds first—the big fish eating the small fish. Soon, figures among the rogue cultivators will emerge, and ancient eccentrics will step out from their secluded cultivations! This fellow is a rogue cultivator. Judging by his ambitions, his desire to dominate the Jinduan Gorge is advantageous to us..."
"In recent years, our Mountain Master has rarely shown himself, consumed by his contest against the Human Sovereign. Our influence has been waning!"
Otherwise, Mount Tianqiong would be the undisputed overlord of this region!
How could they let anyone else interfere in the Jinduan Gorge?
With that, Jian Kong smiled. "It was merely a bit of Dao power. Making him work for us in exchange is a good bargain. Most rogue cultivators are destitute and dare not keep treasures on their person; they consume whatever they obtain, lest it invite disaster... Therefore, to him, this Dao power is enough to buy his life!"
Looking around, he chuckled, "Let us go. Heimu is merely a casual pawn. If he proves useful, wonderful; if not, it doesn't matter. In any case, his territory isn't near ours. If other areas descend into chaos... let them!"
The pair nodded. Without another word, Jian Kong led them swiftly toward Mount Tianqiong.
The man activated a rapid teleportation, and a moment later, they arrived before a void boundary stele.
Reaching this place, Jian Kong retrieved a medallion that flared with faint radiance. In the next breath, a void passageway materialized. Jian Kong quickly led the two inside, vanishing from the spot in the blink of an eye.
Such was the capability of a forbidden ground!
They could traverse vast distances in an instant precisely because of this.
After a short while, Jian Kong returned.
Amidst the colossal mountain range, atop the central peak, a solitary figure seemed to emerge. Jian Kong dared not look directly at it, bowing low as he whispered, "Mountain Master, the Devouring Locusts have been eradicated. While there, we encountered Heimu of Mount Liufang..."
He gave a concise summary of the encounter. Though his voice was soft, he knew the Mountain Master would hear every word.
After an indeterminate silence, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong's indifferent voice drifted down: "Understood. You may withdraw!"
"Understood!"
Jian Kong swiftly led his companions away.
...
Atop the peak of Mount Tianqiong.
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong glanced in that direction, his brow furrowing slightly. "Heimu?"
Just moments ago, a peculiar ripple had emanated from that area. He had been unable to discern its exact nature, but could it have been related to this Heimu?
An eighteen-Dao cultivator was not weak.
Yet he shouldn't have caused such a massive disturbance.
"Heimu... Mount Liufang..."
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong was inclined to investigate personally, but recently, the Human Sovereign had shown unusual movements again. He worried that if he left, the man might break through immediately. Coincidences often struck at the worst times.
After a moment's thought, an eye suddenly manifested at the center of his brow like a heavenly eye, projecting its gaze across the distant expanse!
It stretched across vast distances!
A moment later, a figure appeared within his vision.
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong observed for a while, nodding slightly. Abundant Dao power, considerable strength, surging murderous aura—a noteworthy figure, and seemingly not very old.
After a meticulous inspection, he found nothing truly out of the ordinary.
Wait... Looking closer, he was mildly surprised. This fellow seemed to have concealed a sliver of his strength. His eighteen Daos of power did not appear to be the pure strength of a single Dao, but the merged power of multiple Daos!
"So that's how it is... He has already found the method of fusion. Once the remaining sixteen Daos advance, they will swiftly be merged... He is indeed prime material for a powerhouse!"
Not bad at all!
Of course, to him, it was merely that.
He saw nothing else.
Passable!
There was nothing overly peculiar about him, nor was there any trace of myriad realms power. He was a native of the Heavenly Gate through and through.
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong was, after all, a supreme existence. Though Heimu possessed decent talent and fair strength, seeing nothing suspicious, he paid the matter no further heed. Figures like Heimu were far from uncommon within the Heavenly Gate.
Just as he was thinking this, a gateway flickered faintly into view before him. Instantly tossing Su Yu to the back of his mind, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong's eyes brightened, which quickly turned into a cold sneer: "Xingyu, you have been rather active lately!"
How many years had it been? Thousands of years since Xingyu had been grievously wounded, and he had rarely opened the Heavenly Gate during that time. Yet recently, he had opened it repeatedly.
From within the shimmering gateway, the Human Sovereign's voice drifted out, laced with a chuckle: "Tianqiong, don't be like that! We're old acquaintances! Here's the thing: the Heavenly Gate will open soon, and my strength has yet to recover... Tianqiong, do you have any Dao power on hand? Nothing too strong—just a few dozen first-rank Great Daos will do. I need them to patch up my injuries..."
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong sneered. "What do you think?"
The Human Sovereign chuckled. "Come now, it's not like I won't give you anything in return! You and my Heavenly Gate ended up next to each other; that's destiny! Don't spend all day plotting to kill me. You don't have the ability to kill me anyway, so why waste this grand opportunity?"
The Human Sovereign continued, "How about this: I'll trade you a Myriad Dao Stone for thirty first-rank Great Daos?"
"A Myriad Dao Stone?"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong was visibly startled!
The Human Sovereign smiled. "Deal or no deal? It contains the remnant primordial power of the myriad Daos from when the Lord of Time opened the heavens back then... What do you say?"
"You have one?"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong scoffed coldly. "Would you possess such a thing? Even if you did, you wouldn't give it to me!"
"I don't have it!"
The Human Sovereign answered with shameless candor, adding, "I'm injured, and that item is in the hands of an expert. I can't take it by force right now. Give me a few dozen first-rank Great Daos so I can recover, then I'll go slaughter him, seize the Myriad Dao Stone, and give it to you!"
"..."
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong laughed out of sheer exasperation!
What kind of logic was this?
Xingyu truly dared to say anything!
He wanted Dao power up front so he could kill someone and take their treasure, and only after killing them would he deliver the benefit—trading something he didn't even own for benefits right now?
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong sneered, "Xingyu, let me make a deal with you. I'll sell you the River of Time. What price will you offer?"
What a ridiculous clown!
Would you buy it?
The Human Sovereign sounded aggrieved: "Hey, you're not the Lord of Time's match. If you were, I'd genuinely buy it! The point is, I can handle my opponent. Don't you know what I'm capable of? The situation is this: the Human Gate and the Earth Gate are conducting a transaction. The Lord of Chaos wants a Myriad Dao Stone, and the Human Gate seems to have agreed. I have to intercept it!"
"This is for your own good too! Otherwise, if the Lord of Chaos really gets his hands on the Myriad Dao Stone, he might make further progress! Are you sure you can contend with him? If the two of us cooperate, it's an alliance of giants!"
"Tianqiong, of the Three Gates and the myriad realms, the myriad realms are the weakest! I'm wounded on top of that. If you don't give me some benefits, there's a fissure in the Earth Gate, and I might just blow it open ahead of time... When that happens, don't come crying! Once the Lord of Chaos gets the Myriad Dao Stone and truly opens the Earth Gate first... it'll be too late for regrets!"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong frowned.
The Human Sovereign pressed on, "Think it over. An emperor never goes back on his word! Once I secure the Myriad Dao Stone, I will definitely give you a piece!"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong ignored him.
Keep barking, and I'll shatter your Heavenly Gate with a single punch!
The Human Sovereign sighed, sounding frustrated. "I know you don't trust me! But if I don't step in to stop them, and they complete the exchange, what good does that do you? Those fellows from Mount Yongsheng might have dealings with the Human Gate as well. Tianqiong, do you have any deals with the Human Gate?"
Without waiting for Tianqiong to reply, the Human Sovereign scoffed, "You don't have squat! You're immensely strong, so you probably disdain cutting deals with the Human Gate! Back then, you had thirty-five Daos of power, and now you might have thirty-six... You should be among the very highest tier of forbidden land masters... You shouldn't have any collusion with the Human Gate..."
"If I don't stop it, the Human Gate and Earth Gate will be joined at the hip!"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong's brow furrowed slightly.
The Human Sovereign added, "How about this: I'll put up collateral first, and you lend me a few dozen first-rank Great Daos. How about that?"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong scoffed coldly. "Are you dreaming?"
"Dreaming?"
The Human Sovereign chuckled. "How could I be? Listen to what I'm offering as collateral first... You'll never guess!"
"What?"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong felt a flicker of curiosity. Xingyu was immensely powerful; what could he possibly offer as collateral to borrow a massive quantity of first-rank Great Daos?
"The Human Sovereign Seal!"
The Human Sovereign was audacious to the extreme as he chuckled: "Listen well: the Human Sovereign Seal! The token of my rule over the heavens and myriad realms! It contains an immense reserve of rule power, embodies the faith of the myriad realms, and is the supreme treasure that stabilized the River of Time!"
"If I don't deliver the Myriad Dao Stone, you can keep it. When the Heavenly Gate opens, with the Human Sovereign Seal in hand, you will hold absolute initiative in the myriad realms!"
Tianqiong's expression shifted slightly.
The Human Sovereign Seal!
That was something he truly had not anticipated.
Xingyu had gone mad!
He dared to use even that as collateral!
"Are you certain?"
The Human Sovereign laughed. "Of course I am! It's merely an external object! Besides, it's not as if I'm giving it to you outright. As I said, once I seize the Myriad Dao Stone, we'll trade back! In truth, my Human Sovereign Seal might well have been forged from a Myriad Dao Stone... It wasn't something I crafted, but something I stumbled upon... though this one can't be used that way. A true Myriad Dao Stone should be capable of drawing power... If you refuse to return it after I secure the stone... I'll just forge another one and transfer the fortune of the myriad realms to it! When that happens, don't blame me for leaving you with an empty shell!"
At this moment, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong fell into deep thought.
The Human Sovereign Seal!
To recover, this bastard truly stooped to any means necessary!
The power of the myriad realms!
Countless thoughts raced through his mind as he weighed whether to accept the offer.
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong remained silent in contemplation.
Growing impatient, the Human Sovereign urged, "You must realize that time flows slower on your end than on mine. If you hesitate for a few days, the exchange on my side will already be finished!"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong remained silent for a while before asking, "Can the Human Gate emerge?"
Otherwise, how could they conduct a transaction?
"It's hard to say right now... But if there is an expert who cultivates the Human Gate forcefully guiding it, and if such a person is inside the Earth Gate, they might be able to bridge the Human Gate and Earth Gate to transfer items across... What I must do during that window is sever their connection!"
"However, that requires immense strength to step into the River of Time and sever the link between them... Right now, I'm injured and cannot do it!"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong fell silent for a moment. "You truly intend to use the Human Sovereign Seal as collateral?"
"Not an exchange, collateral!"
The Human Sovereign snapped angrily. "Collateral, do you understand? Once I get the Myriad Dao Stone, I'll redeem it!"
"And what if you fail to obtain it?"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong said coldly, "The Human Sovereign Seal belongs to you after all, and you have always maintained forceful control over it. If you fail to secure the Myriad Dao Stone..."
"Then destroy it!"
The Human Sovereign snapped irritably. "If you can't use it, can't you destroy it? If you can't even do that, you're utterly useless! Having it destroyed would be a far greater loss to me than losing a single Myriad Dao Stone!"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong went quiet for a moment, then spoke: "Three first-rank Daos."
"Fine, the thirty-one Dao kind!"
The Human Sovereign agreed readily.
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong wanted to curse!
To hell with you!
"Around twenty Daos of power!"
"Go drop dead!"
The Human Sovereign roared furiously, "Who do you take me for? I am the Sovereign of the myriad realms! In my prime, a whelp like you didn't even dare cross blades with me, and now you dare brush me off with twenty-Dao Great Daos?"
"Even heavily injured, I resolved the crisis of all races, and my strength exceeds twenty-five Daos! Otherwise, do you think I could have dealt with the trouble from all races? Offering me twenty-Dao power now—who are you looking down on?"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong considered this. Indeed, the man might have recovered somewhat.
His strength was formidable!
Offering twenty-Dao power... was indeed somewhat insulting.
"Two twenty-five-Dao Great Daos!"
The Human Sovereign fumed, "You... Forget it, you bastard probably don't even have that many. Five will do! And throw in thirty to fifty of those seventeen or eighteen-Dao Great Daos as a bonus!"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong frowned. "I don't have that many!"
"How is that possible!"
The Human Sovereign roared, "Is my Human Sovereign Seal only worth five twenty-five-Dao Great Daos?"
"Three. Take it or leave it!"
The Lord of Mount Tianqiong refused to indulge him further. That was his final offer!
He was certainly interested in the Human Sovereign Seal... but if he gave too much, he worried that this monster might genuinely recover to his peak.
One had to remember how much effort the various forbidden grounds had exerted back then just to grievously wound the Human Sovereign.
Twenty-five-Dao power wasn't a problem.
Regardless of whether the Human Sovereign was telling the truth, twenty-five Daos would at most help him recover to twenty-five or twenty-six Daos of power, which posed no real threat.
Since the Human Sovereign had resolved the trouble from all races, he might truly have recovered to twenty-five Daos.
The Human Sovereign fell silent. Only after a long while did he curse, "We'll talk later! Three twenty-five-Dao Great Daos—are you trying to brush off a beggar?!"
With those words, the projection of the Heavenly Gate vanished.
Watching the phantom gate fade, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong sank into contemplation.
Had the Earth Gate and Human Gate begun making contact as well?
Furthermore, Xingyu was exceptionally cunning. When he offered to trade using the Human Sovereign Seal, was there a trap waiting?
One thought after another surfaced in his mind.
...
At the same time.
Within the myriad realms.
The Human Sovereign stroked his chin, muttering to himself, "The Human Sovereign Seal is the core of my heaven and earth... The crucial issue is that Tianqiong is too strong. Will he notice?"
If he noticed, it would be troublesome.
If he didn't... his heaven and earth would infiltrate right into his domain!
And along the way, he would pocket three twenty-five-Dao Great Daos...
The Human Sovereign bared his teeth, practically grinning from ear to ear.
As for himself—what twenty-five Daos? Don't be ridiculous! To this day, he had only barely recovered to around eighteen Daos of power. His state was as miserable as could be!
Chapter 892