Turmoil in Severance Gorge

Atop Mount Liufang. Su Yu’s expression flickered slightly. That immense willpower was not targeted at any single individual; rather, it swept through heaven and earth, radiating outward without pause. It announced to everyone that the Heavenly Gate was about to open and the Forbidden Land Conference was set to commence. The critical issue lay in the location, which Su Yu had never anticipated. Mount Yongsheng! It was actually being held at Mount Yongsheng! Three months from now, at Mount Yongsheng! Were three months a long time? Not long at all! It was fleetingly brief! For those far away, traveling alone would consume nearly a month. They also needed to seize this window to swiftly subjugate various factions or make preparations. To many—especially those ancient fossils—three months was truly the blink of an eye! Yet why Mount Yongsheng? Mount Yongsheng was too closely tied to Su Yu. The Time Master was there! King Wen and King Wu were there! More critically, it was actually quite close to Mount Liufang. Su Yu drew a sharp breath. There was another point: when the forbidden grounds gathered, would the forbidden grounds traverse the void directly, or would they dispatch emissaries? If the masters of the forbidden grounds all showed up in person... exactly how many forbidden grounds were there inside the Heavenly Gate? Su Yu did not know the full count, but the ones he was aware of were already numerous. Changshengtian, Mount Tianqiong, Luohun Valley, Mount Yongsheng, Dead Spirit Hell, the Blade Domain, the Dragon Domain, the Soul Domain... If all those masters of the forbidden grounds personally arrived, how was he supposed to fight them? "Three months!" Su Yu murmured under his breath. At that moment, the experts within the grand hall were also feeling a mix of excitement and nervous apprehension. In three months, the Heavenly Gate Conference! Right at Mount Yongsheng! The Heavenly Gate was truly about to open! Mount Yongsheng was very close to them. By now, the Blade Master and the others had also regained their wits. The Blade Master sighed wistfully. "King Wen and his companion are finished!" They were as good as dead! Of course, they could flee right now. But everyone knew King Wen and King Wu had come to rescue King Wen’s sister, and they currently appeared trapped at Mount Yongsheng. Even if they fled, King Wen’s sister would surely meet her demise! Furthermore, trapped inside the gate with nowhere to escape, once the forbidden grounds formed a consensus, King Wen and King Wu would undoubtedly be doomed as well! Su Yu said nothing. Over the years, the forbidden grounds had harbored their own hidden agendas and had not joined forces against King Wen and King Wu. But now, with the Heavenly Gate about to open, dealing with King Wen... was likely an inevitable necessity! Mount Yongsheng had been designated as the venue for the assembly, which suggested there were matters at play of which Su Yu was still unaware. As Su Yu assimilated the gains from his breakthrough, he gazed toward the north. Mount Yongsheng lay in that direction, not terribly far from where he stood. By the local measurements, the distance was less than ten diyuan. A fourth-rank Ruler of Rules could fly there in ten days. A first-rank expert of Su Yu’s caliber might only take a single day if he truly flew at full speed. Those proficient in teleportation would be even faster. "Mount Yongsheng..." Su Yu murmured. Three months! Time was tight. Yet it wasn't overly scarce, either. In thirteen days, he had conquered the northeastern region. Could he bring all of Severance Gorge under his heel within a month? If he seized the entirety of Severance Gorge and brought every faction into submission, was there hope of stepping into thirty-Dao strength? After all, the further one advanced, the harder each step became! Still, as long as there were enough experts to absorb, reaching thirty Daos was by no means impossible. Another question remained: would the four forbidden grounds intervene to stop him? Su Yu fell into deep contemplation. Conquering the northeastern region made him merely a local hegemon. Conquering the entire Severance Gorge, however... with the conference taking place right in this domain, Su Yu might end up stealing the show! Thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind. Su Yu looked down at the figures below and suddenly remarked, "Many eyes were on the assembly at Mount Liufang, yet no one knows the concrete details of what transpired inside!" He continued in an even tone, "In other words, the outside world still has no idea how our gathering concluded!" "Two emissaries... our time is running short!" At this, the elder from Dead Spirit Hell sighed inwardly. Knowing full well what Su Yu meant, he refrained from making excuses and bowed slightly. "My Lord, my name is Qu. You may address me directly by name!" The alluring woman bowed as well. "This lowly one is named Shang. There is no need for My Lord to call me an emissary!" Having reached this point, they were grasshoppers tied to the same string as Su Yu. They were experienced experts; how could they fail to grasp their predicament? Breaking away from Su Yu’s grip was practically impossible. Unless Su Yu willingly let them go! Otherwise, severing their connection would provoke a lethal backlash from the Great Dao, causing them to perish on the spot without any chance of escape! Su Yu gave a faint nod. Names were mere designations; it mattered little to him. Truthfully, he had no real interest in these people. While their lives and fortunes were now anchored to him, Su Yu did not view them as his own inner circle. Had their Daos not been bound directly into his world, they would have betrayed him at the first opportunity. In a place like this, expecting genuine loyalty and shared devotion was pure fantasy. He said nothing of that, simply nodding before continuing, "Severance Gorge must be secured without delay. However, my main concern is whether taking all territories will cause unexpected complications, and what stance the forbidden grounds might adopt." Qu replied, "My Lord, Dead Spirit Hell’s stance is straightforward: they do not meddle in minor affairs, provided you obey when called upon!" Shang added, "Luohun Valley is far more aggressive and seeks firm control over Severance Gorge. In other regions of the gorge, several factions are secretly backed by us. The ones who accompanied us earlier—Panshi Cliff and Tiancan Ridge—share ties with our side, and even Hupo Cave maintained covert connections with us!" Su Yu nodded. "This time, three first-rank experts were slain, and their Great Daos were shattered and devoured by me... Their home territories might already sense the disturbance!" Those powerhouses had perished, and their retinues would likely notice the commotion, which wouldn't be small. Unlike Gui and the others whose Daos had been carefully unraveled and gradually assimilated, these three had their Daos snapped and obliterated on the spot by Su Yu! Of course, that had only just occurred. Su Yu asked, "Will their subordinates immediately report this to the forbidden grounds?" "They won't!" Shang replied promptly. "Even if they sense that those leaders have fallen, they won't rush off to the forbidden grounds right away... Forbidden grounds are virtually impenetrable for people of their standing. They would likely attempt to contact lower emissaries first and report through intermediaries..." Shang further explained, "Furthermore, even if they truly perished, the forbidden grounds wouldn't give it much thought. To the forbidden grounds, unaffiliated cultivators are far too disorganized and chaotic. A batch of them dying off is viewed as good riddance!" Su Yu smiled and rose to his feet. "Fair enough. But there is no time to lose! We move on the other sectors at once. Take down Hupo Cave, Panshi Cliff, and Tiancan Ridge first, keep the commotion to a minimum, and seize the entirety of Severance Gorge at the fastest possible speed! Leave the territories intact, and as for the various lords, those who integrate into my world may remain. Any who refuse shall be executed and replaced with our own people!" Su Yu spoke briskly. "Right now, turmoil should be spreading everywhere. Unaffiliated cultivators all want their factions to grow stronger—seizing people, resources, and Daos is what everyone longs to do!" "Therefore, a bit of chaos and changes in local lordship will hardly draw undue attention!" Su Yu looked across the crowd and chuckled. "Once we claim the whole of Severance Gorge, I will possess far more than my current twenty-six Daos of strength, progressing at an unimaginable speed! When my strength rises with the tide and I step into the ranks of forbidden land masters as quickly as possible... in three months, perhaps I shall attend the gathering at Mount Yongsheng in the capacity of a forbidden land master myself!" With a grin, Su Yu continued, "Not only that, but whenever someone merges their Dao along the way—especially those sharing identical Daos—everyone present will have opportunities! Some among you currently possess merely two or three Daos of power. If fortune favors you and you encounter a sixteen-Dao powerhouse of your same path who integrates willingly, offering their insights and rules directly to you, you might swiftly ascend to sixteen Daos yourselves... As for those who refuse to obey, we slay them outright!" The eyes of the crowd blazed with instant fervor! Yes! That... was entirely feasible! An opportunity! A monumental opportunity! Several of the weaker experts were flushed with wild excitement. By that logic, integrating into his world might actually turn out to be an immense bargain for them! Su Yu turned toward the first-rank experts and smiled. "I cannot guarantee it for everyone, but Qu, as for the Dead Spirit Dao, there are quite a few such cultivators within Dead Spirit Hell... If we can lure some out and wipe them out or merge them into your Dao, your strength will surge. When I become a forbidden land master, it is not impossible for you to attain the rank of the Four Great Emperors!" "The Dead Spirit Dao, the Blade Dao... these are common paths!" "Commonality means greater opportunities!" The eyes of several top experts glittered brightly! Indeed, the more conventional an avenue was, the more practitioners walked it. Once they captured vast numbers of experts—ideally through voluntary surrender where they absorbed the other party’s comprehension and Dao power—it was exceedingly likely they could advance another step! Even those walking rarer Daos had far better prospects than before! In a flash, the eyes of over a hundred experts burned with greed and fierce longing. A master of a forbidden ground! A brand-new forbidden ground! Was there truly hope? There certainly was! Su Yu’s growth was dizzyingly fast. In the blink of an eye, he had reached twenty-six Daos of strength—a terrifying existence! He had already attained parity with certain apex figures. Positioned in any forbidden ground today, Su Yu would firmly stand beneath only one and above tens of thousands! "Tribulation Lord!" At that moment, the Blade Master licked his lips in sheer exhilaration. "Mount Yongsheng hosting the Heavenly Gate Conference in three months will draw unaffiliated cultivators from far and wide... That presents an opportunity as well! Unaffiliated cultivators will definitely arrive early rather than cutting it close to the deadline! Upon arriving, they won't be permitted inside the forbidden grounds; they'll roam Severance Gorge instead... Tribulation Lord, if we can subdue Severance Gorge before then, we will reap even greater rewards once those wanderers arrive!" He said eagerly, "When the entire Severance Gorge is under our control, no matter where those unaffiliated cultivators tread, they will soon become part of our ranks!" Securing all of Severance Gorge meant laying down an inescapable dragnet! "The unaffiliated cultivators outside Severance Gorge won't wait long. I suspect many will stream into the gorge very soon... Even if they have to wait three months, that is hardly a long stretch!" "Besides, many unaffiliated cultivators love watching spectacles. They'll likely want to arrive early to see if powerhouses from other forbidden grounds have shown up... The gorge is bound to become exceptionally lively in the days ahead!" At this point, Xuelong suddenly chimed in, "Tribulation Lord, we actually have another opportunity..." Su Yu looked toward her. Xuelong said eagerly, "Tribulation Lord, once we conquer the major factions, we can use their collective names to erect a Void City in the center of Severance Gorge to provide a resting hub for passing cultivators... By framing it under the joint banner of several major factions rather than a single entity, those unaffiliated cultivators won't feel suspicious or alarmed. After all, the four forbidden grounds flank this area, and the conference itself will be held here..." Su Yu rubbed his chin, understanding immediately: they wanted to run a black-hearted trap house! These people certainly didn't lack vicious schemes! Since this region would soon turn into the epicenter of upheaval where the gate's powerhouses converged, onlookers would naturally flock here. It wouldn't just be second-rank experts coming; third- and fourth-rank Rulers of Rules, along with various retinues and servants, would all be dragged along! If that was the case... They would all need a common gathering point! The void was vast, offering few chances for wanderers to congregate and interact under normal circumstances. This occasion would essentially become a grand carnival for unaffiliated cultivators! Su Yu’s eyes flickered. "A sound proposal. Once we conquer the various factions, we will unite their names to build a Void City to accommodate visiting cultivators!" A den of thieves! When that time came, what fell into their net would no longer be limited to Severance Gorge—powerful unaffiliated cultivators from across the entire Heavenly Gate would walk straight into the trap! Naturally, Su Yu added a quick caution: "We must remain vigilant regarding the forbidden grounds!" With that, Su Yu smiled. "Enough talk—action! The five experts at sixteen Daos and above will accompany me to crack the hardest nuts!" He looked toward the second-rank experts. Eighteen second-rank cultivators constituted a formidable force in their own right. Su Yu smiled. "Your task is to sweep through the minor factions and lesser territories across Severance Gorge! Capture their experts or execute them! Slay anyone who resists, and hold those who surrender until I deal with them!" He continued, "Divide into two teams and sweep outward from the northeastern sector in two opposing directions! Scour the entirety of Severance Gorge and converge at the central region in the end!" He then cautioned, "Furthermore, should you encounter stubborn obstacles exceeding sixteen Daos, feign compliance and stall them—you all know how to play that game, yes? Inform us immediately... We love big fish!" Excitement surged through the crowd. This plan was brilliant. "Luoyun!" Su Yu looked toward Luoyun, who startled before hurriedly responding, "Tribulation Lord!" "You will lead one squad and sweep along the perimeter toward Dead Spirit Hell. Remember: do not approach Dead Spirit Hell itself!" Luoyun felt a sudden jolt. *Me?* Without waiting for him to reply, Su Yu glanced across the remaining second-rank experts. He intended to lead the first-rank powerhouses separately, but the second- and third-rank fighters could not be left idle. In the Myriad Realms, Su Yu would worry about subordinates meeting disaster without strong leadership. Here, however... if they died, they died! If they ran into danger and a few were slaughtered, so be it! His gaze swept over them, and he pointed at an individual he did not recognize. Singled out, the man stepped forward in excitement. "Tribulation Lord, I... my name is Zhongshan. I cultivate the Dao of the Giant Mountain and possess fifteen Daos!" He was among the peak figures within the second rank. Su Yu gave a slight nod. "Your strength is sufficient. You will lead the second squad!" "Luoyun will pick a few experts first, and you will take the remainder to sweep along the direction of Mount Yongsheng, using this place as the starting point and sweeping outward in an arc!" He warned sternly, "Do not draw close to the forbidden grounds—keep your distance! Perhaps I don't even need to remind you, as you fear them yourselves! However, I expect you to be exceedingly cautious, lest some powerhouse sees through your disguise!" Cultivating his inner world’s Dao was not vastly different from cultivating the Daos of the Great River, and ordinary people could not peer into the nature of one's Dao. Under normal conditions, it wasn't a problem. Yet if someone practiced potent investigative arts, they might detect that the source of their Daos did not originate from the river. If that happened, exposure was possible. Of course, bystanders wouldn't necessarily connect it to an independent world; they might simply assume it was some bizarre art or that the cultivators were controlled puppets! The group hurriedly nodded in understanding! Meanwhile, Su Yu had already strode forward. "Blade Master, you and the others follow me. We will conquer those sixteen-Dao territories at maximum speed!" The northeastern region alone held five first-rank experts. The entire Severance Gorge likely possessed around twenty. Naturally, many had already fallen. Counting Gui and his companions, six were already dead! Su Yu had brought two into submission. Excluding Jin Feng and the two forbidden ground emissaries, there were likely around ten first-rank experts left across Severance Gorge. It was possible not all of them could be recruited. Yet even subduing half would be plenty. "Pick up the pace and move out! What are you staring at? Move!" At Su Yu’s sharp reprimand, the others dared not hesitate. Luoyun hurriedly chose his men, and Zhongshan swiftly assembled the rest. Splitting into two contingents, the cultivators felt a wave of tension like never before. Speed was everything! They had to seize the territories! *** Su Yu strode across the void, followed by the five first-rank experts. Qu and Shang felt thoroughly unsettled, concealing their features for fear of being recognized. In reality, the forbidden grounds were unlikely to know their current state. Even if they did, anyone below top-tier status could not discern their condition; the two were merely feeling guilty. Su Yu paid no heed to their worries and flew straight toward Hupo Cave. He had previously killed one of Hupo Cave’s first-rank powerhouses, yet rumor had it that another first-rank expert remained there, making it a major power boasting two first-rank figures. The Blade Master and the others were buzzing with excitement. In his zeal, the Blade Master couldn't resist remarking, "Once the Tribulation Lord commands thirty Daos of power, he might be able to establish a forbidden ground of his own. There are indeed masters of forbidden grounds who possess only thirty Daos!" Under normal circumstances, only thirty-two Daos conferred the qualification to establish a forbidden ground. However, if one’s methods were formidable enough, thirty Daos was feasible, even if it placed one on the weaker end among forbidden land masters. In the Blade Master’s eyes, Heimu was immensely formidable—at the very least, that inner world of his was utterly miraculous! "Only four Daos away..." At his words, the others felt their hearts burn with heat. Four Daos didn't sound like an insurmountable gap. For a moment, all of them grew fervent. The Blade Master even asked with anticipation, "When the Tribulation Lord establishes a forbidden ground, what should it be called? Will we appoint Four Great Emperors like Dead Spirit Hell, or designate Soul Claiming Emissaries like Luohun Valley, or establish Halls and First Seats like Mount Tianqiong..." Whichever structure was chosen, the five of them, as the first batch of first-rank adherents, stood an immense chance of becoming the uppermost echelon! A new forbidden ground! A new order! From then on, they too would rank among the supreme sovereigns within the gate! As for the Myriad Realms... couldn't they be annihilated at will? Those within the gate were not overly concerned about the Myriad Realms. They knew strong experts existed there, but not in great numbers. Strictly speaking, the Myriad Realms had quite a few powerhouses—holding two figures equivalent to forbidden land masters. If King Wu succeeded, that would make three! Furthermore, King Yu might well have succeeded as well, given how exceptionally well he fared in the Earth Gate. That would total four. Aside from King Ming who was somewhat unreliable, the Human Sovereign and the Four Cardinal Human Kings were horrifyingly mighty. With such strength, contending with the four forbidden grounds was certainly plausible. Yet everyone also knew the current plight of the Myriad Realms: the Human Sovereign was rumored to be gravely wounded, King Wen and King Wu were trapped here, and King Yu had crossed into the Earth Gate. The Myriad Realms were currently at their weakest! Su Yu gave a faint smile and glanced at the Blade Master. The man certainly looked far ahead! "We'll see! Establishing a forbidden ground is not so simple. The current forbidden grounds have divided their territories and consolidated their power... If we want to establish a new one, our best path is to make a grand move—emulate the Dead Spirit Lord by annihilating an existing forbidden ground and replacing it outright!" When the Dead Spirit Lord established Dead Spirit Hell, he had eradicated a forbidden ground and slain its master! The rise of a new power invariably signified the decline and destruction of the old. The Blade Master’s interest was instantly piqued. "If we talk about the weaker forbidden grounds... the Dragon Domain is actually not that strong..." Beside him, Xuelong frowned slightly. Su Yu smiled wryly. *Must you people always force me to butt heads with the Dragon Race?* *How many dragons have I killed already!* *I killed the Dragon Emperor in the Myriad Realms, went to the Upper Realm and nearly slew Heavenly Venerable Long, then nearly finished off the Old Dragon Emperor in the River of Time. The one here is probably their Dragon Ancestor, right?* *And you still want to target them?* *That's pulling them up by the roots!* Seeing Xuelong glare over, the Blade Master let out a dry laugh. Xuelong said coldly, "The Blade Domain isn't all that strong, either!" Although racial ties held little weight here, given a choice, why target the Dragon Race specifically? Su Yu remained silent, turning his gaze toward Shang. Her face paled slightly. "Tribulation Lord, this... Luohun Valley is not to be trifled with! The Valley Master commands thirty-two Daos of power and specializes in spiritual attacks!" Shang explained hurriedly, "Furthermore, the valley boasts Six Great Soul Claiming Emissaries: the Heaven Soul Emissary, Earth Soul Emissary, Human Soul Emissary, Asura Emissary, Demon Soul Emissary, and Hungry Ghost Emissary." "Every one of them is terrifyingly strong!" Su Yu was surprised. "Six of them? That is quite a few!" Shang added anxiously, "I served under the Asura Emissary. Lord Asura is extraordinarily powerful, likely no weaker... than the Tribulation Lord..." She spoke nervously. In her assessment, Su Yu was currently only on par with one of the Six Soul Emissaries. She didn't even mention that the Heaven Soul Emissary was likely far stronger than Su Yu. *Heimu wouldn't truly be thinking of picking a fight with Luohun Valley, would he?* *That would be pure suicide!* Su Yu offered no rebuttal, but stroked his chin in quiet contemplation before breaking into a grin. Truth be told, among the forbidden grounds... Luohun Valley seemed the easiest target. Setting aside everything else, Su Yu could not afford to provoke the Dead Spirit Lord. Leaving aside how powerful the man was now, if the Dead Spirit Lord summoned his world and stacked the two heavens atop each other, who could possibly match him? As for the Lord of Mount Tianqiong... the Human Sovereign had said he wielded thirty-five Daos, making him absurdly strong! His current depth remained unknown. Mount Yongsheng... was not a target he could lightly touch right now. Leaving aside Fa's might, the conference was being hosted there. Striking recklessly would easily invite unwanted scrutiny, not to mention King Wen’s situation... Heaven only knew what arrangements they had made, and he didn't want to disrupt them. Weighing all options, Luohun Valley was indeed the softest target among the four, despite its abundance of experts. If he could conquer an entire forbidden ground... only then would Su Yu gain a true foothold, to the point where other forbidden grounds wouldn't dare provoke him! Of course, speaking of such things now was premature. Flying at extreme speed for over half a day, Hupo Cave loomed ahead! *** Around the same time. The Lord of Mount Tianqiong looked on with malicious relish. The moment the Heavenly Gate trembled faintly, before the Human Sovereign could speak, he sneered gloatingly, "Those two brothers of yours are about to die!" The Human Sovereign appeared completely unfazed. The Lord of Mount Tianqiong laughed. "Don't believe me? In three months, the Forbidden Land Conference convenes at Mount Yongsheng, gathering countless powerhouses. They negotiated it, and I couldn't be bothered to participate. But from what I understand, the reason that fellow Fa chose Mount Yongsheng is because he has a secret to share regarding King Wen’s sister..." He laughed with schadenfreude. "Xingyu, tell me, isn't that fascinating news?" He wanted nothing more than to see the Human Sovereign lose his composure! Yet the Human Sovereign merely sneered in disdain. "You've been excluded by the other forbidden grounds, yet you still have the nerve to gloat?" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong’s mood soured slightly, and he said indifferently, "I simply couldn't be bothered to attend!" "Hilarious! They just didn't invite you to play!" the Human Sovereign scoffed. "Otherwise, you would know the full details instead of remaining ignorant of what the secret actually is!" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong couldn't be bothered to bicker and replied coldly, "Say what you will. Those two brothers of yours don't have long to live!" Internally, the Human Sovereign was anxious, yet how could he let the other man see through him? Keeping an impassive front, he remarked, "Cut the nonsense. What happens to them is their own business! Are your Great Daos ready, or do you still want to trade with me?" "Naturally!" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong smiled. "Since you're willing to make the exchange, let us begin! Don't try any tricks, and don't think you can palm off a fake on me! I can verify the authenticity of the treasure as it passes through!" The Human Sovereign Seal! Quite a novelty. Exchanging three Great Daos for it was acceptable! The Human Sovereign wasted no words. Trade it was! Even if this fellow discovered something amiss and damaged or destroyed the seal... his inner world would suffer a severe blow, but it wouldn't be irreparable. He was the spirit of the world—he was primary, while the seal was secondary! Furthermore, by permeating the seal with his world’s core, he could absorb some of the gate’s unique energies! When Su Yu departed, he hadn't allowed Su Yu to carry the seal because he hadn't known Su Yu would enter in true body. Even had he known, he wouldn't have permitted it. Opening a world passage meant Su Yu’s phantom Heavenly Gate could not close, placing Su Yu in immense peril. Thus far, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong had made no mention of Su Yu. Knowing Su Yu’s character, the kid wouldn't have stayed quiet for long even after entering, meaning he had likely assumed a false identity to blend in. Under such circumstances, Su Yu carrying the seal would have been useless anyway, as he couldn't connect to the Human Sovereign’s world. Though eager, the Human Sovereign maintained his calm demeanor and stated, "The Human Sovereign Seal is tied to the destiny of the Myriad Realms and cannot fully leave them... My phantom Heavenly Gate will remain open... Of course, if multiple experts gang up on me like years ago, I will have no choice but to shut it... Don't dream of seizing my seal outright. I would sooner shatter it than hand it over! Thus, you may study it, but you cannot take it away or carry it too far from the gate’s phantom image!" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong raised an eyebrow. Leaving it open? *Could this fellow be plotting something?* After a moment's thought, he sneered inwardly. *Keeping it open is for the best; that way, I can probe your true strength at any time!* Even now, he could not accurately gauge the Human Sovereign’s exact depth! Right then, the Human Sovereign asked, "The Heavenly Gate is about to open, and you're holding some Forbidden Land Conference. Tianqiong, will you attend?" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong fell silent for a moment. *What does he mean? Inquiring about my whereabouts so he can stir up trouble while I'm away?* The thought struck him instantly, and he sneered, "I will not leave. Don't harbor foolish delusions!" The Human Sovereign dropped the subject. He knew this fellow feared him causing chaos—though in truth, the Human Sovereign fondly recalled how glorious his 'fishing' exploits had been back then, completely emptying the surrounding area of intruders! Unfortunately, opportunities were scarce now. Everyone knew of his existence, making fishing nearly impossible. He was merely pondering whether Su Yu would seize the chance to cause trouble while everyone congregated at Mount Yongsheng. *How is Su Yu doing inside the gate right now?* Based on Su Yu’s strength upon leaving, the Human Sovereign estimated he had entered with roughly twenty Daos. With forbidden land masters running rampant within the gate, his situation couldn't be easy. Pondering this, he began transferring the Human Sovereign Seal to conduct the trade, speaking casually, "Tianqiong, heard any gossip from inside the gate lately? Do tell. Our exchange involves powerful items and will take some time; we might as well chat." Tianqiong scoffed. "None right now, but there will be soon. Once those two brothers of yours die, I'll share the gossip with you!" No gossip? Fair enough! Tianqiong was too strong and spent his days watching the Human Sovereign; he wouldn't pay much attention to ordinary twenty-Dao experts. Regrettably, the Human Sovereign couldn't probe too overtly. Tianqiong was a master of a forbidden ground, after all, and could easily deduce something. *Where on earth is Su Yu?* *In any case, he ought to be in Severance Gorge!* Gui and his group hailed from that area. The Human Sovereign had questioned them, concluding that Su Yu would likely remain there, not far from Mount Yongsheng. *That kid better not act foolishly.* Heading to Mount Yongsheng right now was pure suicide. Had he known, he wouldn't have let him enter! Chaos would soon erupt around Mount Yongsheng. Second Brother Wen would never sit idle and watch Wen Yu be slaughtered. He would likely launch a desperate offensive before the forbidden land masters converged—a move that Fa and the others had surely anticipated as well. Thoughts swirled endlessly through the Human Sovereign’s mind. He sighed inwardly. He had placed immense hopes on Su Yu. Had the kid peacefully remained in the Myriad Realms awaiting the opening of the Three Gates, he would have had every opportunity to make rapid strides! Yet he insisted on taking such risks! Meanwhile, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong, having nothing else to do while transmitting the three Great Daos, chuckled. "I care little for trivial gossip, but I am somewhat curious about that fellow in Dead Spirit Hell! Lately, he hasn't reacted to any provocation, seemingly content to wait for the gate to open! How fares the dead spirit realm in the Myriad Realms? I sensed that last time, a sliver of his will forcibly breached the Heavenly Gate and charged out. Who was responsible for that?" *Who else could it be but Su Yu!* The Human Sovereign didn't even need to ask! With that thought, something else came to mind, and he asked, "Over a decade ago... no, perhaps five or six years ago, did the Heavenly Gate tremble on your side?" "You mean the disturbance that originated from Mount Yongsheng?" *Indeed!* The Human Sovereign didn't hide it; the other man already knew, so lying was pointless. He asked bluntly, "Yes! Back then, Wen Yu seemingly transmitted her Time Record out. How did she pull that off, and why didn't you intervene? You aren't far from the Heavenly Gate, are you?" Wen Yu had been trapped at Mount Yongsheng—how had she managed that? To the Lord of Mount Tianqiong, the event had occurred relatively recently. Hearing the question, he chuckled. "How she managed it, I do not know! You'd have to ask Fa! As for why I didn't stop it... why should I? Besides, I seemed to have spotted your ancestor..." The Human Sovereign felt an urge to curse! Yet the Lord of Mount Tianqiong chuckled playfully. "It truly was your ancestor! Isn't Xing your ancestor? And not just him—several other fellows appeared as well! I wanted to see what those people were planning... yet in the end, nothing seemed to happen, which was rather disappointing!" The Human Sovereign fell silent for a long moment before saying, "To someone like you, Xing and the others aren't formidable. Would you truly stand idly by just to watch a show?" "You really show zero filial piety toward your ancestor!" Tianqiong laughed, then added, "Naturally, it wasn't just because he was your ancestor. Xing and his companions have someone backing them... likely *that* person. I was indeed curious about why they wanted to leave and what they intended to do outside! Unfortunately, I couldn't glean much. What, I assumed he went looking for you—did he not find you?" "No!" the Human Sovereign answered flatly. "Wen Yu’s Time Record was likely a duplicate copy lacking sufficient power; it failed to traverse into the upper reaches and fell directly into the Myriad Realms instead... It was quite useless, its energy completely drained!" "I could tell!" the Lord of Mount Tianqiong replied coolly. "Otherwise, I would have liked to see just how formidable the Time Record of that renowned Time Master truly was. It was precisely because I saw it was merely a duplicate that I couldn't be bothered to intercept it!" The Human Sovereign spoke no more. Weighing his thoughts, he focused on steadying the transfer. He couldn't intervene in matters within the gate anyway. He would have to let Su Yu and the others make their own way! *** While they were conversing. Su Yu and his companions joined forces to swiftly tear a white tiger into four ragged pieces. Su Yu frowned slightly. "Stubborn fool!" This fellow from Hupo Cave had stubbornly refused to surrender—a rare sight. Left with no choice, Su Yu had executed him on the spot. A bit of a waste! As the scattered rule power was swiftly absorbed, Su Yu muttered with lingering annoyance, "Was it really necessary? So what if I killed your younger brother? He's dead, and you still cared so much? Seeking your own death!" Indeed, the beast had refused to yield because the tiger Su Yu previously killed—the one that had come looking for trouble—was his younger brother. At these words, Xuelong and the others were left speechless. *Easy for you to say!* While unaffiliated cultivators possessed endless flaws and cared little for sentiment, ties of blood still held meaning. You couldn't treat everyone as entirely cold-blooded creatures. When you killed Dihu, was it not perfectly natural for his brother to go mad seeking revenge? With his death, the remaining experts of Hupo Cave promptly surrendered! From top to bottom, the moment their first-rank lord fell, all the other fighters—regardless of how fiercely they had roared moments earlier—chose swift submission! Su Yu showed no hesitation, rapidly absorbing their Daos into his world. Those walking identical paths were merged directly into the Daos commanded by his subordinates. Anyone who defied him was executed on the spot! Unfortunately, after assimilating the remnant rule power of a first-rank expert and having four second-rank cultivators merge their Daos, his strength remained at twenty-six Daos! Su Yu felt a pang of regret! He was growing reluctant to kill first-rank experts; slaying them yielded far too little return! "Let's go, on to the next location!" Su Yu led his entourage away without delay. As for Hupo Cave, the surrendered cultivators could watch over it. As for treachery... they were all tethered to his acupoints. To put it bluntly, Su Yu could sense their every thought; his control over them was absolute! *** From that day onward, slaughter raged ceaselessly across Severance Gorge. Chaos! The four forbidden grounds faintly detected the disturbances, yet to them, turmoil was only natural. Following the news from Mount Yongsheng, unaffiliated cultivators across the entire gate were in an uproar! The big fish devoured the small; everyone wanted to attend the Mount Yongsheng conference at the peak of their strength. Severance Gorge was far from the only place plunged into chaos. The forbidden grounds merely watched the storm unfold. None of them imagined unaffiliated cultivators would ever dare set their sights on a forbidden ground; they lacked both the courage and the strength. A few dead wanderers made no difference! Too many of them would only cause unnecessary clutter anyway. Winnowing the chaff to leave a core of true elites was more than sufficient. Under these circumstances, countless territory lords across Severance Gorge were slain or captured in total silence! In several territories, Su Yu’s men assumed the identities of the original lords, continuing to govern the lands seamlessly. Aside from the four forbidden grounds that remained unshakable, the lesser territories were steadily devoured! Encircled by the four forbidden grounds, an immense power was rising within Severance Gorge—swiftly, quietly, and unchecked! At the same time, unaffiliated cultivators from surrounding regions began streaming toward Severance Gorge. Those closest had already begun to arrive. Because of this influx, the escalating disorder within Severance Gorge drew even less scrutiny—for the crowd only grew denser by the day!