A Formidable Su Yu

Atop Mount Liufang. Su Yu swiftly crushed all those who dared resist. When he produced the guest elder medallion of Mount Tianqiong, the onlookers were stunned. Even if a guest elder of Mount Tianqiong held no monumental authority, becoming one was no easy feat for an unaffiliated cultivator who had not originated from a forbidden ground. Mount Tianqiong had not recruited outsiders for a very long time. Coupled with Su Yu's brazen audacity and his utter lack of deference toward the two emissaries, everyone subconsciously concluded that this medallion was the source of his confidence. Everything he did was for Mount Tianqiong, backed by Mount Tianqiong's might. In terms of status, he stood on equal footing with the emissaries of the two forbidden grounds. And he was far more powerful! Under such circumstances, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong was peerlessly strong and naturally wouldn't care in the slightest whether the emissaries of two rival forbidden grounds were pleased or not. At that moment, the elder from Dead Spirit Hell looked toward Su Yu, his expression dark as he spoke. "So Fellow Daoist Heimu hails from Mount Tianqiong. Had we known that Mount Tianqiong had already claimed Mount Liufang, we would never have come here to bring humiliation upon ourselves!" Su Yu replied with an aloof expression, "What difference does it make whether you knew early or late? When your strength falls short, you accept the outcome! My Lord of Mount Tianqiong is peerlessly mighty—what fear does he have of the surrounding realms?" Arrogant! The emissary of Dead Spirit Hell cursed silently. He was far too arrogant. No matter how strong your lord is, could he possibly be stronger than the Lord of Dead Spirits? Naturally, that was hard to say right now. Yet in everyone's eyes, once the Lord of Dead Spirits returned to the myriad realms and fused his heavens and earth, he was bound to surpass the Lord of Mount Tianqiong. Still, within the Heavenly Gate, there was no way to judge whether the Lord of Dead Spirits was stronger than the Lord of Mount Tianqiong. The two seemed never to have clashed one-on-one. Both emissaries fell silent. Since the man before them was backed by a forbidden ground—and a remarkably formidable one like Mount Tianqiong at that—this affair had become a contest between forbidden grounds. And when it came to disputes between forbidden grounds... a trivial matter in the northeastern region was hardly worth significant effort to them. No one was going to wage war against Mount Tianqiong over something like this. Down below, the crowd kneeling on the ground gradually found peace of mind. Not only had their prior terror evaporated, but faint excitement even stirred within them. Mount Tianqiong? That was a good thing! Did this mean that by joining Mount Liufang, they would effectively become members of Mount Tianqiong? Some glanced at the corpses of the slain experts and cursed under their breath. Fools who didn't recognize good fortune when it stared them in the face! How utterly idiotic! Had they known Heimu came from Mount Tianqiong, why bother resisting? Seeking shelter under any forbidden ground was still seeking shelter under a forbidden ground! At this moment, the charming woman from Luohun Valley gradually regained her composure. Looking toward Su Yu, she said, "Since Fellow Daoist Heimu hails from Mount Tianqiong, then we were indeed reckless today. Since Fellow Daoist has already taken the northeastern region... we will no longer meddle here. Fellow Daoist Heimu, this humble woman shall take her leave first..." Su Yu looked at her without a word, remaining seated upon the high chair above. At this moment, throughout the entire hall inside and out, Su Yu was the only person seated. Below him, only the two emissaries remained standing. Everyone else, including the Blade Master and the others, was half-kneeling on the floor, awaiting Su Yu's command! "Leaving just like that?" Seeing that the woman intended to depart, Su Yu said coldly, "Business isn't even finished, and you're already in a rush to leave?" The charming woman's expression shifted slightly as she looked toward the elder beside her. The elder from Dead Spirit Hell also looked uneasy. Their cultivation was decent, but they were by no means peerless—both hovered around eighteen Daos, slightly stronger than an ordinary newly ascended first-rank expert, yet still inferior to Su Yu. Under Su Yu's gaze, both felt their hearts palpitate. Do you intend to kill us too? Seizing the northeastern region was a minor affair, but slaying an emissary of a forbidden ground—even if you hailed from Mount Tianqiong—would invite no small amount of trouble. Su Yu smiled, his demeanor suddenly turning warmer. "What's the rush? Fellow Daoists, please wait a moment longer! Whether it's Mount Tianqiong, Dead Spirit Hell, or Luohun Valley, people like us may not be bottom-tier cannon fodder, but we certainly aren't paramount figures either..." The two emissaries said nothing. Still, as first-rank experts, even if they weren't rulers of forbidden grounds, they possessed considerable authority within their respective factions. The world within the gate was boundless, and while experts abounded, those of the first rank still stood among the pinnacle tier. They didn't take Su Yu's words to heart. Seeing this, Su Yu smiled and dropped the subject. These two likely enjoyed higher status than the Blade Master and Xuelong; being able to flaunt an emissary title outside granted them far more freedom than Xuelong or the Blade Master had ever enjoyed. To them, Su Yu's overtures held little temptation. Su Yu didn't dwell on it. Instead, he swiftly drew in the Great Dao power of the three slain experts. However, those three had not willingly integrated; they had been forcibly slaughtered. In such cases, massive amounts of Great Dao power scattered, and because they had died by violence, there was no willing fusion of their insights. Consequently, even three first-rank experts provided very little boost to Su Yu. It truly might not match a single first-rank expert who willingly fused into his world. Thus, relying on slaughter was a relatively inefficient way to expand a world. Only by having them willingly integrate into one's world could one reap massive gains. There were many experts gathered here. There were twenty-two second-rank experts alone. Of course, Jin Feng had already integrated into his world, so in truth, twenty-one second-rank experts remained unintegrated. Followers like Zhigu had been directly executed by Su Yu. Luoyun, on the other hand, stood completely dazed, still unable to recover his wits. From time to time, he stole a glance at Su Yu, his eyes filled with shock. When had Heimu become so terrifyingly powerful? Had he concealed his true strength from the very beginning? Su Yu swept his gaze over the experts below and suddenly fixed his eyes on Luoyun. Luoyun's heart leaped in his chest. Su Yu looked at him and smiled. "Luoyun, you cultivate the Dao of ropes and grappling, don't you?" Luoyun hurriedly answered, "Milord, yes!" Su Yu nodded slightly and smiled. "Do you know why the Blade Master and Xuelong serve me?" "Because Milord hails from Mount Tianqiong..." "Nonsense!" Su Yu chuckled. "I am merely a guest elder. Those two—one from Dragon Domain, one from Blade Domain—may not hold supreme status, but they still outrank an ordinary guest elder!" Indeed! At these words, everyone froze. That was true! Then why would those two serve Heimu? How strange! Even the two emissaries were surprised. Had Su Yu not brought it up, they would have almost overlooked it. Thinking about it now, the status of those two wasn't low, nor was their strength weak. Why would they serve Heimu—or Mount Tianqiong, for that matter? Su Yu looked at Luoyun again and said with a smile, "On my side, you are the only expert above eight Daos who did not betray me, even if that might not have been your willing choice!" Luoyun said in haste, "Milord jokes! I have always been loyal to Milord!" "Heh!" Su Yu let out a soft laugh, then added, "I'll give you a chance now. Want to give it a try?" "Of course!" Luoyun answered without hesitation. Chance or no chance, whatever Su Yu commanded right now, he would obey. "How about severing your own Dao?" Suicide? Luoyun froze. A chill ran down the spines of everyone else as well. What was the meaning of this? Luoyun might have contemplated betrayal, but he was still the only expert under you who hadn't fled. To treat him like this? Then... what about us? Su Yu smiled. "Severing your Dao doesn't necessarily mean death. Sometimes, it might just be a great fortune." Luoyun looked at Su Yu, then glanced around, rapidly weighing his options. There was no reason for Heimu to kill him! Yet... wasn't severing one's Dao certain death? For a moment, he struggled internally. But soon, gritting his teeth, he said hurriedly, "If Milord bids Luoyun die, Luoyun would not dare refuse!" Su Yu chuckled. Flattery delivered decently enough; it would be even better if his body weren't trembling so violently. Su Yu didn't bother to say more. The power of his world surged outward, instantly enveloping Luoyun. At that moment, a stream of Great Dao power extended from one of Su Yu's acupoints. The others couldn't discern much, but the two emissaries, blessed with formidable strength, caught a faint glimpse of something extraordinary. They exchanged a glance, their expressions brimming with bewilderment and doubt. What... was that? Su Yu made no effort to hide it. In front of Luoyun, a Great Dao manifested like a rope, though it was currently weak. Su Yu looked at Luoyun. "Condense your own Great Dao, extract all your rule power, merge that rule power into the Great Dao before you, and infuse all your personal insights into it!" Luoyun looked utterly confused. He raised his head toward Su Yu, having no idea what this meant. "You'll know once you try!" Su Yu smiled. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have waited until now. Right now, you count as my direct subordinate. Wouldn't killing you chill everyone's hearts? Give it a try!" Luoyun gritted his teeth. That was true! Yet severing one's Dao... was still terrifying. It was like someone telling you: go ahead and kill yourself, you won't die, I'll save you. No sane person would agree. But... when someone held a broadsword to your neck, you had to agree whether you liked it or not. He could only gamble that the man was telling the truth! Luoyun clenched his teeth. Come what may! Facing an existence like Heimu, he had no other choice. If he acted with composure, perhaps Heimu wouldn't mistreat him. His Great Dao manifested, and he began extracting rule power, fracturing the Dao inch by inch. As it fractured, he glanced at Su Yu several times with anxious eyes. Aren't you going to yell for me to stop? I thought you were testing my loyalty! As the Dao shattered bit by bit, panic gripped him. After a moment, the Dao was on the verge of complete collapse. Luoyun's face was deathly pale as he looked toward Su Yu. Su Yu rolled his eyes. Are you waiting for me to shout stop? Su Yu reached out, causing the void to tremble. In that instant, just as Luoyun's eyes lit up with relief thinking Heimu had finally stepped in to stop it, Su Yu's giant hand clamped down and snapped his Great Dao completely in two! "..." Luoyun stood frozen in shock. The next moment, a massive surge of rule power ran amok in his body, boiling violently as if about to blow him apart! Despair flooded his eyes! I... I've truly been killed! Right then, Su Yu snapped impatiently, "Hurry up and merge into the Great Dao before you! Are you waiting to die?" Only then did Luoyun remember what had been said earlier. Casting all else aside, he frantically poured his rule power into the rope-like Dao before him. Thoughts raced through his mind: Does he want to kill me and use my power to forge a weapon? How ruthless! To him, the thing before him resembled Great Dao power, yet also looked like the embryonic form of a weapon. Who could tell? Regardless, he had no choice. The next instant, his rule power merged with the Dao before him. Everyone watched him with fearful expressions. If Heimu even slaughters his own people, what will become of us? Gradually, however, strange looks appeared on their faces. Not only them—even Luoyun, who had been merging his power in bleak despair, suddenly froze. His severed Great Dao was beginning to reconnect at astounding speed. Vast amounts of rule power poured into the Dao before him, causing it to surge rapidly in strength. Su Yu's voice rang out again: "Comprehend the Dao! Channel all your previous insights into this Great Dao, integrate with it, and reinforce it!" Luoyun had no time to think and hurriedly followed Su Yu's instructions. At least I'm not dead! He continually channeled his comprehension, pouring his lifetime of insights into the new Dao. It felt no different from his previous Great Dao, yet it carried the sensation of cultivating anew from weakness to strength. With his comprehension intact and his rule power present, the rope Dao quickly grew powerful. Seven Daos, eight Daos... All the way until it reached ten Daos, fully recovering to his prior level! Luoyun's body shuddered as he snapped out of his trance. He frantically patted his own body. A strand of Great Dao power radiated from his hands. He stared at Su Yu in complete bewilderment. What was going on? It felt identical to before, yet subtly different. I... I severed my Dao, didn't I? Why does it feel like I haven't? Could that whole ordeal just now have been a dream? Only then did the Blade Master glance at Luoyun, sneering, "Fool! You fail to appreciate Milord's painstaking efforts, nor do you comprehend his unfathomable might! This is Milord's Dao of world-opening! You have already integrated into Milord's world! As a first-generation integrator into the world, your Great Dao is singular and unique—it is nothing like ordinary Daos today!" Nowadays, a single Great Dao might be comprehended in ten different directions by ten different people, or even more. Take the Dead Spirit Dao: originally, there was only one in the world, but now there were thousands, and what the Lord of Dead Spirits wanted was to unite them all into one. When a world first opens, each Great Dao is unique! For example, the Blade Master knew that within this world, there was only a single Dao of the blade, which represented an immense opportunity for him. Even as Luoyun remained in a stupor, the two emissaries suddenly gasped in shock! The gaunt elder cried out in utter terror: "A world opener!" He snapped his head toward Su Yu. "You are a world opener?!" Impossible! The Lord of Dead Spirits was one, so he possessed some understanding of the matter. Under the Lord of Dead Spirits, a few people had indeed integrated their Great Dao power into his world, but very few. That was because the path walked by the Lord of Dead Spirits was different from Su Yu's. The path of the Lord of Dead Spirits could be seen from the dead spirit realm: when subordinates integrated their Daos under him, it was a true absorption where the Dao merged into the origin and was assimilated, leaving everyone with identical Great Dao power. Broadly speaking, it was similar to Su Yu's method, but the Lord of Dead Spirits possessed a fierce desire for control; those who integrated had very little freedom. Su Yu's world offered considerably greater freedom. Of course, as lords of worlds, they were fundamentally similar: both were absolute masters of their respective domains, wielding supreme authority! Su Yu said nothing, offering only a faint smile as he looked at the others. The gaunt elder, however, grew frantic. Looking at Su Yu in utter shock, he cried, "Fellow Daoist Heimu... this is impossible!" How could this be! Su Yu ignored him and turned to the crowd, smiling. "You all saw it. Learn from Luoyun! This is your chance to survive, as well as your chance to expand your potential. Both the Blade Master and Xuelong integrated into my world long ago!" At this moment, a second-rank expert below seemed to realize something. Trembling, he swallowed hard and stammered, "Mi... Milord... you... you opened a world?" Su Yu smiled faintly. "Empty words carry no weight; you might not believe me if I just told you. Seeing is believing. Now that you've seen it with your own eyes, be quick about it! That way, I will be at ease with you, and you can be at ease with me. Once you've integrated into my world, if you die for no good reason, my Great Dao will suffer damage as well... As the very first batch of Dao integrators in my world, if the opportunity arises... opening another era is not out of the question!" The crowd was dumbfounded! He truly opened a world? That should be impossible! Yet they had witnessed it with their own eyes! The next instant, before those inside the hall could speak, someone outside among the ranks below second rank shouted at the top of their lungs, "Milord, I am willing to integrate my Dao! Please grant me this opportunity!" Su Yu beamed. As expected, there were always those willing to take a gamble. Without a word, a strand of Great Dao power extended from him as he said calmly, "In my world, there is only one of each type of Great Dao! First come, first served! As for those whose Daos are already claimed... then there truly won't be another!" At these words, everyone's hearts tightened. If it was already claimed... what would happen then? In the myriad realms and inside the gate, many people cultivated the same Great Dao. In the myriad realms, there were distinct racial boundaries, making it difficult for members of the same race to forge different Daos. Inside the gate, however, things were different: a single Great Dao could have countless branches cultivated by many people. All of them could become Rulers of Rules! Yet in Su Yu's world, there was only one. Instantly, another voice shouted, "Milord, I am also willing to integrate into your world!" Su Yu extended another strand of Great Dao power! One expert after another clamored to join. Inside the hall, several second-rank experts turned pale and hastily cried out, "Milord, I am willing too!" Su Yu continued extending his Daos. Gradually, more and more people chose to integrate into Su Yu's world. Meanwhile, some watched helplessly as cultivators who shared their exact Daos integrated ahead of them, and they panicked instantly. What about me? If my Dao is gone, will I be killed, or what? Someone shouted urgently, "Milord, I cultivate the Dao of Fire, but someone has already integrated into it! Milord, I am also willing to integrate into your world..." Su Yu's voice was utterly chilling: "Pour all of your Fire Dao into the Dao of the person before you. He will hold mastery over the Dao of Fire, and you will cultivate alongside him. He will be the Lord of Fire. When he dies one day, your opportunity will naturally come!" At these words, the speaker's face changed drastically! "Milord, I can switch Daos..." He didn't want to do that! Wouldn't that just be paving the way for someone else? What a joke! Pouring his entire Great Dao power into a Dao controlled by someone else, waiting for them to die... how long would that take? Without another word, Su Yu reached out with a sudden grasp. Before the man's terrified eyes, a loud blast echoed as he was torn to shreds, his Great Dao rules scattering everywhere. Beneath the horrified gazes of the crowd, Su Yu seized all of the man's Dao power and forcefully fused it into the Dao of the expert who had previously integrated into the Dao of Fire. The cultivator who held the Dao of Fire had been terrified just moments ago, because he was only fourth-rank while the speaker had been a third-rank Ruler of Rules; he had assumed he would be forced to yield his Dao. But... no! Not only was he not forced to yield, Su Yu had executed the challenger on the spot! Su Yu's icy voice drifted down: "There is only one of each type of Dao. First come, first served. Those who come later must either merge into it or... face death!" It was that simple! In the myriad realms, he would have allowed experts of identical Daos to switch to a different path so they could at least preserve their cultivation and strength. Here, Su Yu would do no such thing. He only possessed 720 Great Daos here. While that was enough, cultivating a Dao that didn't match one's essence yielded slow progress and faint comprehension, offering little real benefit to Su Yu. Here, he chose to be more pragmatic, more ruthless. Since you cultivated the Dao of Fire, merge into it! Only that would rapidly strengthen a single Dao without waste! Back in the myriad realms, had Su Yu been willing to act this way, many people could have cultivated the same Dao together, allowing the master of that Dao to grow terrifyingly strong by absorbing the insights of others! Yet Su Yu hadn't done it because it was too cruel! Cruelty might very well be the true essence of the Great Dao. In the myriad realms, Su Yu was willing to tolerate some waste and grant everyone time to slowly comprehend new Daos. Here, he granted no such luxury! Because here, it was a dog-eat-dog world! At this moment, many experts turned pale and cried out in succession, "Milord, I wish to integrate into your world!" There was no longer any hesitation! Those who shared similar Daos shouted simultaneously, then glared at one another with wildly shifting expressions! Who would be the primary? Who would be the subordinate? If they didn't want to die, one of them had to hold the Dao while the other merged into it to empower the first. Although a strengthened Dao would allow the subordinate to grow stronger as well, without holding the Dao themselves, they would generally peak around the level of a Celestial Venerable or a fifth-rank Ruler of Rules unless the Dao became exceptionally formidable. No one wanted their strength to plummet! Meanwhile, those who had already claimed their Daos wore relaxed smiles, cheering wildly in their hearts. What a bargain! Those who had integrated first had struck gold! The Blade Master and his companions felt immensely fortunate as well. A conventional path like the Dao of the blade was cultivated by many. Yet according to Su Yu's rule, any latecomers who wished to integrate could only merge into his Dao of the blade; Su Yu's world would not open a second identical Dao! That path had only one master! At that moment, the Blade Master suddenly grinned, because there truly was an expert who cultivated the Dao of the blade. Left with no choice whatsoever, that expert had to merge into the Blade Dao within Su Yu's world! The Blade Master broke into a broad grin as he watched a second-rank expert, filled with sorrow and helplessness, merge his Dao into his own! The Blade Master instantly felt a surge of mighty power flowing in, along with fresh insights regarding the blade flooding his mind! He savored it, comprehending every bit, thoroughly elated! Although Su Yu had not yet reached twenty-five Daos—meaning the Blade Master could not yet break through to the first rank—once Su Yu's restrictions were lifted, with sufficient comprehension and rule power absorbed, he would naturally advance in no time. As he absorbed the insights, he looked at the second-rank expert... no, that man's strength had now halted around the level of a fifth-rank Ruler of Rules, advancing no further. The Blade Master grinned ear to ear, baring his teeth, and offered some quick comfort: "Don't worry. Once my Dao breaks through and strengthens, even if you can't open a separate path, your power will still rise!" The second-rank expert's expression was grim, but he said nothing. What else could he do? The Blade Master had integrated first and was stronger than him. Refusing to integrate meant meeting the same fate as the man before—slain on the spot! If everyone resisted together, that might have worked. Yet out of over a hundred people, not everyone cultivated the same Dao. Overlapping Daos accounted for only a dozen or so individuals. Count on those dozen to rebel? Forget it! The rest wouldn't agree! Letting them duel one-on-one was another matter. Sure enough, someone shouted, "Milord, I want to duel Taiwu! Milord, survival of the fittest, might makes right! Whoever loses will integrate into the Dao, and whoever wins will hold the Dao! That way, everyone will accept it willingly!" The victor takes all! The speaker was a third-rank expert, while his counterpart was only fourth-rank. He was unwilling to play second fiddle to someone weaker than himself! As for resisting Su Yu, he dared not even entertain the thought. Su Yu glanced at him and smiled faintly. "A duel?" "Yes!" The man said in haste, "Milord, if I lose the duel, I will willingly pour all my comprehension and rule power into the Dao, granting him a massive boost! But if I am unwilling and resentful, even if Milord kills me, all you will get is rule power... not my comprehension of the Great Dao! If he integrates without that, he will only possess three Daos of power, instead of reaching six Daos like me!" Because his comprehension was right there! The problem was, you, an expert of six Daos, want to duel an expert of three Daos... Was there any suspense about the outcome? The man he had called out turned ashen. He had shouted faster, so by right of first come, first served, he was supposed to hold the Dao while the other served as subordinate. Yet now the man wanted to duel him! There was no need to ask what the result would be! Deciding matters by strength was common practice inside the gate. Su Yu merely chuckled. Suddenly, his palm shot out. Before the man's terrified eyes, a single slap shattered him to pieces! Su Yu said coldly, "Alright, continue! If there is no comprehension, so be it; absorbing some rule power works just as well! I said first come, first served. Why provoke me? Even if he is useless... he holds the Dao by my command, and you must comply!" His giant hand clenched, crushing the man's Great Dao into complete dispersion! Su Yu looked at the crowd and said indifferently, "First come, first served! It's that simple! No one may question my orders until I myself choose to retract them!" Everyone's hearts froze! No one dared utter another word! Su Yu continued calmly, "Whether you merge your comprehension into the Dao is your own choice! When the Dao grows stronger, even if you merged into someone else's Dao, you will grow stronger as well! If they become strong enough to eventually switch Daos... won't your chance arrive then? Of course, comprehension cannot be forced! If you don't wish to merge it, do as you please!" Su Yu smiled faintly. "Continue!" With that, total silence fell over the hall. No one dared raise any objections! Meanwhile, the emissaries from Dead Spirit Hell and Luohun Valley looked deathly pale. By this point, everyone was integrating their Daos while the two of them remained standing... What were they supposed to do? Heimu hadn't let them leave, yet he had allowed them to witness this immense secret: a world opener! What did that signify? Anyone with half a brain knew what the outcome had to be! The woman from Luohun Valley was ashen-faced. Looking at Su Yu, her coquettish charm vanished, replaced by frantic agitation: "Heimu... Milord... we... we belong to forbidden grounds! If we integrate rashly... that would be betraying our forbidden grounds! The forbidden grounds might not care about who rules the northeast, but the betrayal of an eighteen-Dao expert will never be tolerated!" A forbidden ground could tolerate many things, but betrayal... once it happened, there would be a second time. If the forbidden grounds discovered it, they would relentlessly hunt them down! That would mean pitting themselves against forbidden grounds! Su Yu smiled. "I haven't asked you to betray them! Nor have I forced you to integrate, have I?" Su Yu added with a faint smile, "Right now, no one has integrated into the Dao of Death or the Dao of Charm. Once I find cultivators of similar Daos... I imagine opportunities for you two will be scarce!" Both turned pale! What should they do? Integrating into a world opener's domain wasn't a bad thing in itself, but... it was impossible; doing so would offend the forbidden grounds! They were emissaries, meaning they held connections within their factions. Moreover, they still needed to return. As for the Blade Master and Xuelong, they had been dispatched and effectively discarded; whatever happened to them, nobody cared! Did they have a choice? The elder from Dead Spirit Hell struggled internally before asking, "If we... do not integrate, will Milord Heimu... kill us?" Because opening a world was an absolute secret! Would he kill them? He would! In truth, the elder already knew the answer! The next moment, he said dejectedly, "Milord, we can integrate our Daos, but we... can never show our faces again. Even if we feign our deaths, the forbidden grounds might investigate, or they might not. But once we reveal ourselves and someone discovers our betrayal... not only us, but Milord will also face catastrophic doom!" Su Yu chuckled and nodded slightly. "That's fine! Naturally, it won't be forever—otherwise, what use would I have for you? Once I can stand against the forbidden grounds, it won't matter! Besides, with Mount Tianqiong at my back, what fear do I have of other forbidden grounds?" Alas! The two first-rank experts knew they had reached a dead end; integration was their only option. If they refused, the newly integrated experts around them were already glaring at them with murderous intent. Those who had reached this level of cultivation were no fools. Fearful of death as they were, they also recognized Heimu's terrifying potential and knew he could easily be smothered early by the forbidden grounds! Between choosing certain death now and potential death later, they chose the latter! At this moment, the two first-rank experts began integrating their Daos as well! ... Meanwhile, Su Yu closed his eyes and began to absorb the influx of comprehension. The insights of over a hundred Rulers of Rules! The Great Dao power of over a hundred Rulers of Rules merged into his world! At that moment, the rules here fluctuated, causing the Great River to tremble faintly. With so many Daos severed and so much river power drawn, Su Yu suspected that some powerful experts might have already sensed the disturbances. With so many people, discovery was inevitable sooner or later! Unless they never took action. Still, he couldn't afford to worry about that now. His strength was climbing relentlessly. He had just stepped into the strength of twenty Daos, but as countless experts merged their Daos, infinite insights flooded Su Yu's mind—the cultivation processes of various Great Daos, their philosophical foundations, the very essence of the Daos... all surged upward! Some of these people were ancient beings who, despite modest strength over countless years, had accumulated abundant comprehension. Su Yu extracted the essence, causing one Great Dao after another to swell in power! Twenty-one Daos was reached in an instant! Twenty-two Daos, twenty-three Daos, twenty-four Daos... In short order, Su Yu's strength here caught up to his level in the myriad realms, where he had also stood at twenty-four Daos. Yet now, he had over a hundred Rulers of Rules, along with four first-rank experts! Back in the myriad realms, Su Yu had only King Daming, Martial Emperor, King Dazhou, and a handful of others, whereas the second- and third-rank experts here far outnumbered those back home. In the myriad realms, Su Yu had around forty Rulers of Rules under his banner. Here, in the blink of an eye, he had over a hundred! More than double! Twenty-four Daos represented a watershed even among the first rank; advancing beyond it meant stepping into the late stage of the first rank. Twenty-five Daos was the hegemon level of the major forbidden grounds. Such as the Four Direction Emperors of Dead Spirit Hell, the chief hall masters of Mount Tianqiong, the Soul Claimers of Luohun Valley, and the lineage masters of Mount Yongsheng... All of these figures possessed the strength of twenty-five Daos or higher. Their numbers were exceedingly small! Even within the forbidden grounds, they formed the highest echelon beneath the forbidden ground masters! Across the four major forbidden grounds, such existences could be counted on one's fingers! Dead Spirit Hell had only four; its foundation was weaker than the other forbidden grounds because it had been established much later. The other factions had at most five or six each, accumulated over countless eons. From the Heaven-Opening Era until now, hundreds of thousands of years had passed, yielding only so many. At that moment, Su Yu's aura shifted abruptly. With a tremendous rumble, a torrential surge of power boiled upward, only to be suppressed by Su Yu in an instant! Simultaneously! Below, the Blade Master, Xuelong, and the others experienced a sudden shift in aura. The next moment, waves of Great Dao power erupted within them. The Blade Master and Xuelong surged into the first rank in a flash, restoring their prior strength to sixteen Daos. Both were stunned. So fast? They had assumed it would take a long time to break through! Yet it hadn't! A single day! They had integrated yesterday and recovered today. Not only that, but having absorbed new Great Dao power, they were still assimilating insights, feeling the stirring of further growth. Su Yu, however, assessed the situation and projected his voice: "You must remain at least a few tiers below me! Only when I advance further will you have the chance to rise!" Just as he spoke, Su Yu's aura shuddered. Twenty-six golden dragons coiled around him. He looked toward the two emissaries from Dead Spirit Hell and Luohun Valley and suddenly smiled. Their integration had boosted his strength by another Dao, but the process was now drawing to a close. Twenty-six Daos of power! The higher one climbed, the harder it became! So many Rulers of Rules had only pushed him to twenty-six Daos. One could easily imagine how difficult reaching thirty-two Daos would be. Of course, these people weren't strong enough! Yes, far from enough. The strongest among them was merely eighteen Daos! If a few experts of twenty-odd Daos integrated right now, Su Yu would surely advance rapidly, but unfortunately, there were none! As he reached twenty-six Daos, the auras of the elder from Dead Spirit Hell and the woman from Luohun Valley shifted slightly. Through integration, they instantly reached seventeen Daos, merely one Dao shy of their previous eighteen Daos. However, they could advance no further, capped by the current limit. Even so, four first-rank experts had been restored to first-rank combat strength in one fell swoop. Not only that, but Jin Feng, who had integrated earlier, suddenly unleashed his Metal Dao. After absorbing the Great Dao power of a second-rank expert, his aura boiled over with a thunderous roar! A power far vaster than before erupted from his body! Jin Feng didn't even bother stabilizing his cultivation realm. He fell to his knees in a hurry and roared, "Thank you, Lord of Calamity! Jin Feng will follow you unto death!" He had actually broken through! He was already at the peak of the second rank, and having absorbed abundant comprehension and Great Dao power today, he had made the leap! The timing was impeccable! All at once, five first-rank experts stood under Su Yu's command! Su Yu smiled and said softly, "Rise. A fine accomplishment!" Thirteen days after arriving inside the gate, he had elevated himself to twenty-six Daos and gained five first-rank experts under his command. Though some second-rank experts had been forced to merge their Daos, eighteen second-rank experts remained. Not bad at all! The corners of Su Yu's mouth curled upward. With this level of strength, if he brought them to the myriad realms right now, even without the Human Sovereign's forces, he could take on all the races from before! And this was merely the strength of the northeastern region! Su Yu's smile broadened. "Severance Gorge shall soon be ours!" Yet the instant his smile blossomed, a magnificent voice carrying a colossal will reverberated across heaven and earth! "Three months from now, Mount Yongsheng will convene the Heavenly Gate Assembly! Any unaffiliated cultivator of eight Daos or higher may come to Mount Yongsheng! Quotas to exit the Heavenly Gate shall be allocated!" This colossal will swept across the entire world! It rippled outward in all directions! At that moment, Su Yu's expression changed slightly. ... At the same time. King Wen's expression also darkened. Dammit! Mount Yongsheng had reached an agreement with the other forbidden grounds. Soon, experts from all forbidden grounds would gather at Mount Yongsheng. He couldn't help but glare at King Wu. You bastard, do you know how much of my time you've wasted?! Things were truly troublesome now! King Wu wore an innocent look. I didn't want to, but I... I really am about to break through! King Wen's face was grim. Wen Yu was in grave danger! Fa of Mount Yongsheng... had given up on monopolizing Wen Yu's cookbook!