Plotting a Grand Scheme

The Lord of Dead Spirits was in an extraordinarily sour mood. He glared at Su Yu, then at King Wen, and then at King Wu… Never mind, he couldn't even be bothered to look at King Wu. Although King Wu was technically the strongest among the three at this moment, as a world opener, the Lord of Dead Spirits looked down on non-world openers! It was painfully obvious: these two rascals just wanted to drag him in as their hired muscle. All because he was strong! Yet the Lord of Dead Spirits was having none of it! Who in their right mind would want to be their muscle? *I have roamed unchecked beneath the heavens without a single defeat! Through heaven and earth, I alone am supreme! You two barely have all your feathers grown, and you expect me to be your thug?* Thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind. With an aloof expression, the Lord of Dead Spirits said coldly, "It is merely the transformation between life and death. Nothing difficult…" King Wu asked curiously, "Can you do it?" "..." The Lord of Dead Spirits gave him an icy glare. *You interrupting to ask for a beating?* King Wu shut his mouth. Forget it. He couldn't beat this old codger, otherwise they could have had a proper scrap. At this moment, Su Yu spoke with utmost sincerity. "Senior, we have the foundation for cooperation. Why must you keep us at arm's length? Are you looking down on us for being weak?" "Yes!" The Lord of Dead Spirits' reply was brutally blunt. Yes, because you are weak. What, you're weak and refuse to admit it? You haven't even reached thirty-two Daos, so of course I look down on you! Su Yu was at a loss for words. King Wen chuckled. "Sovereign, weak… we aren't that weak. Besides, we improve quickly. What is so bad about being a bit weaker right now? If we were already as powerful as you, Sovereign, why would we need to cooperate with you?" The Lord of Dead Spirits replied coldly, "Then if this seat is so powerful, why should I cooperate with you?" Su Yu and King Wen answered in unison, "Because you need something from us!" "..." The Lord of Dead Spirits' face darkened. Yes, he was strong, but he needed something from them. Was the transformation and fusion of life and death truly that difficult? Even this weakling Su Yu could do it, so why couldn't he? He fell into deep contemplation. Why? Was it hard? Countless ages had passed. If it wasn't hard, he would have mastered it long ago. Yet to this day, he still hadn't succeeded, which meant it was naturally exceedingly difficult. Cooperation? The Lord of Dead Spirits weighed, considered, and evaluated. Did Su Yu and King Wen possess the qualifications to cooperate with him? They did! They were world openers! On that point alone, they commanded a degree of respect. The Lord of Dead Spirits' temperament was somewhat similar to that of the Martial Emperor. Naturally, he was stronger and more domineering than the Martial Emperor, but far less reckless. Even so, the pride rooted deep in his bones could not be concealed. The Martial Emperor loved calling weaker beings little bugs… and the Lord of Dead Spirits likewise felt that the weak had no right to wag their tongues before him. Still, as fellow world openers, they earned a few measures of his acknowledgment. For a time, the Lord of Dead Spirits remained silent. After a long while, he asked, "When did Su Yu enter the Heavenly Gate?" "Two months ago!" The Lord of Dead Spirits scrutinized him, judged the claim, and said coldly, "That Heimu, the master of Mount Liufang, is you?" "Senior has discerning eyes!" The Lord of Dead Spirits didn't say much; he had already guessed as much. In that case, Bright City was a heaven created by Su Yu. He sneered, "Bold indeed. Ordinary people couldn't see through it, but once someone reaches the level of a forbidden land lord, anyone passing by would inevitably notice!" Ordinary cultivators naturally couldn't see through it. Su Yu smiled. "Everything carries risk, and with risk comes reward. Just as I said, only through sacrifice can one reap gains. If I didn't take risks, how could I have opened a heaven with the power of twenty-nine Daos in such a short time? Senior, with your formidable strength back then when you opened your heaven here, was the world you opened in two months as strong as mine is now?" No. Of course, he couldn't actually admit that aloud. The Lord of Dead Spirits sneered, "Is a twenty-nine Dao heaven considered strong?" "It isn't!" Su Yu replied earnestly. "That is why it took me two whole months. If I had three months, it might be even stronger!" *Fuck!* Who on earth reached this level and measured their cultivation in months? The Lord of Dead Spirits was left speechless! He turned his gaze back to King Wen. "Fa is not one to be provoked lightly. When you lured Fa over last time, I already sensed a wisp of a world's aura…" Su Yu smiled. "I know about this. The Time Master's world power has fused with Fa! So Fa can be considered half a world opener. From what I know, Fa might also share some connection with that venerable Ancestor of the Gate of ours!" With that, Su Yu looked at King Wen, somewhat curious. "What exactly is Fa's background?" He didn't recognize or know the man. King Wen wasn't particularly surprised by Su Yu's words. Hearing the question, he explained, "Fa's background… I have gathered some information over the years. He is an expert from the early era of world-creation, likely belonging to the very first generation alongside the progenitors of the Immortals, Demons, and Gods… It seems he never established a race, so there is no Fa Clan! Had he founded a realm, the myriad realms would have had an additional Fa Clan!" "Fa cultivates the Dao of Myriad Laws, which is similar to the Dao you used to open your heaven in the myriad realms… or rather, similar to my sister's Cookbook Dao!" Su Yu bared his teeth. What a ridiculous phrasing; could he not change the name? Cookbook Dao sounded awful. Ignoring him, King Wen smiled. "How Fa lured my sister back then was related to this as well. He cultivates the Dao of Myriad Laws, all of which belong within the gate. Back then, when my sister learned about Fa, if it were you, Su Yu, wouldn't your heart be tempted?" Su Yu thought about it and nodded. "Yes! Terribly tempted. It's said that Fa commands over a hundred Great Daos, all of them exceedingly powerful, and they are Daos of yin qi. With yin and yang complementing each other, devouring Fa's Great Daos… one's strength would skyrocket!" Indeed, Fa was probably the exact kind of expert the Time Master would covet the most. Thus, Su Yu wasn't surprised that the Time Master had taken the bait. However, one point puzzled Su Yu. "When the Time Master entered the gate, she didn't inform you, King Wen?" Could the Time Master really be reckless enough to charge inside without a word? King Wen sneered. "Someone plotted against her, that's all! She had no intention of entering the gate, but she must have sensed Fa's aura and temptation from within. While she was using the projection of the Heavenly Gate to investigate, someone decisively tore open the phantom projection of the Heavenly Gate!" Su Yu knitted his brows. "That person?" "Most likely!" King Wen nodded. Su Yu looked at him in suspicion. "You truly know about that person's existence?" King Wen was speechless. "I have my guesses. What, did you expect me to be kept completely in the dark?" King Wen chuckled softly. "The moment you arrived, even you could detect a trace or two. Could I truly remain entirely ignorant? Don't worry, among that person's subordinates, I have made some arrangements of my own…" Now Su Yu was genuinely surprised! Not only did King Wen know, but he had even planted arrangements. Su Yu asked in confusion, "Wen?" Who else could you arrange? Arranging Wen was about right! Your ancestor? Which might also be my ancestor, since it was said that most bloodlines in Nanyuan stemmed from Wen. Strictly speaking, he and King Wen could indeed be considered family… as if! Separated by countless generations, family my foot. Past five generations, nobody recognized each other anymore, yet they'd still call each other family? Of course, once you struck it rich, even fifty generations back became dear family! Meanwhile, the Lord of Dead Spirits merely listened in silence, in no rush to speak. He had only offered a reminder that Fa was far from simple. It was also his way of telling King Wen: *If you want me to help you deal with Fa… it's practically impossible!* For now, his priority remained stability! Su Yu naturally understood his implication and smiled. "Senior, how about this: I'll lower my demands even further. Just help me stir up chaos in the local space!" "What?" The Lord of Dead Spirits looked at him. Su Yu smiled faintly. "I am going to strike Soul Falling Valley. King Wen and King Wu can continue tangling with Fa. Senior doesn't need to intervene directly. As for Mount Tianqiong…" Su Yu paused briefly. "It is said that the Lord of Mount Tianqiong rarely makes a move. Even when they besieged Senior back then, he didn't intervene. Thus, if I attack Soul Falling Valley, the likelihood of him stepping in is slim!" "What I need Senior to do is very simple: disrupt the void around Soul Falling Valley, or even Severing Gorge, so that no one can teleport through, including between forbidden lands…" "Forbidden lands are extraordinarily stable!" The Lord of Dead Spirits looked at Su Yu, his voice deep. "It is difficult to block them completely. Otherwise, I would have barred the forbidden lands from arriving all those years ago!" Su Yu nodded. "Then how long can you stall them?" "From the moment your aura erupts, to the moment they notice, to the moment they decide to teleport over… three breaths!" Su Yu calculated rapidly and said, "An expert of Senior's caliber has no trouble breathing once every ten years, or even going without breathing entirely. Are we talking thirty years?" "..." The Lord of Dead Spirits said coldly, "A normal person's breaths!" *Are you playing word games with me?* Su Yu smiled. "Then in Senior's view, if I attack them, is there a high probability that other forbidden lands will come?" "I do not know!" Su Yu was speechless. Blunt indeed. He turned back to King Wen. King Wen weighed the matter and said, "Hard to say. In the past, the probability was low, but right now, it's uncertain! The forbidden lands are currently eager to deal with us. Naturally, your identity hasn't been exposed yet, but once you attack them and reveal your heaven, you will very likely be exposed." Su Yu nodded. "Therefore, the best option right now is for me to avoid contact with you and King Wu. On the other hand, with the Lord of Dead Spirits… I am Heimu… I cultivate the Dao of Yin-Death. I can pretend to belong to Dead Spirit Hell. Even if that attracts hostility, it won't make me as large a target as you two!" Exposure was a possibility. However, whether he was exposed as Su Yu or as Heimu of Dead Spirit Hell was a matter of choice. Su Yu looked at the Lord of Dead Spirits. "Have the four Emperors connect to my heaven and join me in attacking Soul Falling Valley. Once Soul Falling Valley is taken, I will return all four of them to you intact… Or, if they don't connect to my heaven, having the four assist me in battle works just as well… In exchange for the method of life-death transformation. An equitable trade—if anything, I'm the one losing out!" Su Yu said calmly, "If Senior still thinks this is unacceptable…" "Deal!" The Lord of Dead Spirits cut him off directly, a faint smile gracing his lips. "This seat does not fear trouble; I merely dislike stirring it up needlessly. I have my own plans, but taking down a single Soul Falling Valley is no issue! As long as I do not act personally… those people won't dare recklessly come looking for me!" "However, let me warn you… Even with the four of them, using them to deal with the Soul-Snatching Emissaries is feasible, but the Lord of Soul Falling Valley is someone you likely cannot handle right now!" The disparity was still too vast! King Wen sighed with regret. "A pity. If you dared to expose yourself, Taishan could have helped you, achieving his breakthrough right there in Soul Falling Valley…" Su Yu, however, narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "Who says King Wu can't help me? King Wu, how about entering my heaven and taking charge of the Martial Dao?" "No way!" King Wu refused instantly, his expression twitching. "I'm about to reach thirty-two Daos!" Su Yu smiled. "Breaking through means certain death!" "I'm not afraid! You just want me inside your heaven… so you can discipline me! Heh… I won't fall for it!" King Wu scoffed, convinced Su Yu harbored ill intentions! Su Yu smiled. "If you do, I will become much stronger, and I'll have the confidence to deal with the Lord of Soul Falling Valley!" "Still no! If I leave, Wen the Second is as good as dead!" He shook his head. "If I stay, when Fa comes, I can still fight him. If I enter your heaven, I doubt I'll retain my current combat strength. Don't try to hoodwink me; I won't fall for it. Wen the Second has hoodwinked me for countless ages—I have built-in immunity!" King Wen chuckled softly, while King Wu rolled his eyes. *What are you laughing at? I'm serious.* Su Yu, however, said with a smile, "Senior King Wu, by staying with King Wen, breaking through now is actively harming him! On the contrary, you can barely suppress it anymore, and the Lord of Dead Spirits refuses to help you. At this moment, your best choice is actually to sever your Dao and be reborn!" "Fuse into my heaven, and I might directly ascend to the power of thirty-one Daos, perhaps even thirty-two Daos. Furthermore, I don't need to draw the Dao into my physical body, so my breakthrough will happen completely without a sound!" "Once I take Soul Falling Valley, we eliminate a forbidden land lord on one hand, and on the other, I can maintain my secrecy. Even if they discover a connection between me and Dead Spirit Hell, at most they will assume I am a powerful chess piece placed by the Lord of Dead Spirits… drawing far less attention than you two!" Su Yu's smile turned radiant. "Of course, if Senior merely cares about your own personal strength… then forcing a breakthrough right now is naturally fine. But if you consider the greater picture, merging into my heaven is far better!" "Trying to guilt-trip me?" King Wu bared his teeth. "I've studied this before—no, wait, I've heard of it! Wen the Second once said that when you can't beat someone, you have to seize the moral high ground to resolve formidable enemies. You've got that exact stench on you right now!" Su Yu sighed! King Wen… that scoundrel! Ruining everything! Otherwise, King Wu would have been remarkably easy to dupe. Meanwhile, King Wen looked at Su Yu with a half-smile, and Su Yu beamed back at him warmly. *What are you staring at? I'm cursing you, so what?* In truth, seeing how powerful King Wu was, Su Yu had felt genuinely tempted. If King Wu came over, Su Yu was guaranteed to reach thirty-one Daos, and thirty-two Daos wasn't out of the question. In that scenario, coupled with the four Emperors assisting him, taking down Soul Falling Valley would be practically guaranteed! Of course, handling the Lord of Soul Falling Valley wouldn't be easy; luck would still play a part. King Wu ignored Su Yu, so Su Yu let out a heavy sigh. "Forget it. If Senior King Wu hadn't left back then, the ancient Human Sovereign wouldn't have been heavily wounded. And had the Human Sovereign not been wounded, today's predicament wouldn't have come to pass! Ah, never mind, never mind…" King Wu didn't make a sound. *I'm not taking the bait!* Su Yu sighed once more. "Senior King Wu had eighteen Dao companions. To atone for Senior's absence, nine of them fell on the front lines, while nine remain. King Wu certainly has it good—half your Dao companions actually survived!" King Wu's expression shifted slightly as he looked at Su Yu. "Last time, didn't you say all my descendants were wiped out?" "Yes!" Su Yu nodded. "Half your Dao companions are still alive." King Wu looked like a volcano on the brink of erupting, yet he forcefully suppressed it, his voice low and heavy. "If I hadn't come, Wen the Second would have been beaten to death long ago! We are brothers, like hands and feet. I came to save a life!" Just as Su Yu was about to press further, King Wen cut him off. "Stop rubbing salt in the wound. Taishan coming here was approved by Brother Xingyu. The only fault lies in our lack of skill—instead of scheming against others, we were outschemed!" Though he didn't know the exact details, he understood the outline of events. He sighed, "Back then, when Longevity Heaven, Soul Falling Valley, and several other forbidden lands suddenly struck toward Brother Xingyu's phantom projection of the Heavenly Gate… I knew something had gone wrong!" He shook his head. "We can only blame ourselves for underestimating our adversaries. The moment Wen Yu was lured away and I was baited here, we should have prepared for the worst. In the end, both Brother Xingyu and I grew too arrogant!" Su Yu pressed no further and smiled. "Then forget it, I'll do it myself! With the four Emperors cooperating, even if we cannot annihilate Soul Falling Valley entirely… before being exposed, there is still hope of eliminating several powerful figures to bolster my strength!" He looked toward King Wen, then at the Lord of Dead Spirits, smiling. "When I came here, I never counted on anyone to help me anyway. An equitable trade is all this is! Neither King Wen nor the Lord of Dead Spirits… was ever part of my plan!" "Naturally, trading the secret of life-death transformation… in exchange for the four Emperors' assistance for no more than a month—Senior Lord of Dead Spirits wouldn't find that a bad bargain, would you?" The others looked at him, but Su Yu spoke with complete earnestness. *What are you looking at? I'm not playing hard to get!* *This is my honest thought.* *Just an equitable trade between parties!* Su Yu continued, "Additionally, there is one small request…" He looked toward the Lord of Dead Spirits. "I would like to personally enter Senior's heaven to observe and contemplate it. Would that be permissible?" The Lord of Dead Spirits stared at him for a long time before replying, "As long as you don't bring this fellow who is on the verge of breaking through, there is no problem!" "Provided you aren't afraid of being slain by me inside my heaven!" Su Yu chuckled. "Why would Senior kill me?" The Lord of Dead Spirits said coldly, "You have likely forgotten that not long ago, you seized my origin!" Su Yu laughed aloud. "A trivial matter, nothing more. Senior was not in the myriad realms, so the heaven left behind was ownerless. What was wrong with me taking a bit of it?" "..." *What a shameless bandit!* Not far away, King Wen suddenly asked, "Are you truly going to strike Soul Falling Valley right now?" "Of course!" King Wen looked at King Wu. King Wu wore an unwilling expression and shook his head. He knew what King Wen wanted to say, but he still insisted, "If I leave, you'll be in immense danger. Your current strength isn't enough!" King Wen let out a helpless chuckle. He soon said, "With you staying here, you could break through at any moment, and the commotion would be far too grand. I originally intended to help you break through here, but alas… the plan was disrupted!" He let out a resigned sigh. Over these years, their plans had seemed wonderful, yet they suffered setback after setback. King Wen sighed and gave a bitter smile. "I don't know who has been secretly plundering my karmic luck! They even suppressed the karmic luck of the myriad realms…" Su Yu paused in surprise and looked at him. King Wen nodded. "Don't stare. Someone suppressed the karmic luck of Brother Xingyu and myself, which is why we have faced repeated setbacks! Our fortune turned foul, and who knows which bastard is responsible…" Su Yu frowned. "Marquis Jiantian entered my heaven, but that was very recent. Before that, it had nothing to do with me!" King Wen shook his head. "It has nothing to do with Marquis Jiantian! He merely represents the imperial dynasty's karmic luck, nothing more. Karmic luck is divided into individual and collective. He represents the dynasty's luck, whereas I am talking about our personal fortunes…" At this, he sighed. "It might be the handiwork of that founding ancestor of ours. As the ancestor, he commands the source of our bloodlines. Whether Wen or Xing, it can all be traced back to him!" Su Yu asked in bewilderment, "What about me? I seem to count as Wen's descendant too." King Wen glanced at him and smiled. "Yours is far too faint. Traced all the way back, it has virtually nothing to do with you anymore!" With that, he added, "Forget it. If Taishan truly doesn't want to go, I can't force him! Even though staying with me carries a higher chance of going down together, or even dragging me down, I've grown accustomed to being dragged down by him!" King Wu pursed his lips. King Wen smiled again. "You'll get used to it sooner or later! It is heaven's arrangement: by the side of every wise man, there is always someone to screw him over. Of course, if you've never been screwed over, it only means you aren't wise enough!" *Bullshit!* King Wu couldn't help but snap, "Why don't you just come out and say it—you want me to go so I won't drag you to your death! Wouldn't that be far more straightforward?" "I never said that!" King Wen's smile was dazzling. King Wu snorted. "You want me to merge into his heaven because you think he's more useful than me?" "Probably!" "Wen the Second, can't you say a single nice word?" King Wu flared up in anger! Su Yu chuckled, having no desire to watch their display of brotherly affection. He looked straight at the Lord of Dead Spirits. "If Senior doesn't mind, may I enter your heaven now to observe?" The Lord of Dead Spirits cast a glance at Su Yu, then at King Wen and King Wu, sneering, "Go on in! As for them… get lost as soon as possible. Linger around my place too long and attract outsiders, and I won't lift a finger to help!" King Wu couldn't resist barking, "We were just discussing the Dao a moment ago, and now you flip your face?" The Lord of Dead Spirits didn't even deign to reply. *Of course!* *Is there anything wrong with that?* *Isn't flipping one's face on a dime perfectly normal?* …… Su Yu paid them no further heed. Stepping into the void with an easy grace, he crossed straight into Dead Spirit Hell. At the edge of Dead Spirit Hell, the four Emperors stood waiting. They had witnessed the commotion in the distance earlier, but without their master's command, they hadn't dared to intervene. Seeing Su Yu approach, they were slightly taken aback. Su Yu carried himself with natural ease, nodding with a smile. "Greetings, seniors. I am Heimu, one of the hidden assets of Dead Spirit Hell. Today I have returned to see how our territory has progressed!" The four were stunned. *What the hell?* Mingtu hesitated, saying, "Heimu?" "Indeed, the master of Mount Liufang!" Su Yu smiled faintly. "I am one of Dead Spirit Hell's hidden trump cards. Naturally, we will soon have the chance to cooperate. I am about to launch an assault on Soul Falling Valley, and you four will serve as my vanguard!" Among the four, a fierce-looking expert asked coldly, "You intend to command us?" Su Yu smiled and glanced back at the Lord of Dead Spirits. Seeing that the master remained silent, Su Yu chuckled, "If you don't believe me, forget it. Go ahead and disobey the order—just don't make the Lord look bad. Let's dispense with the usual testing, subjugating, or sparring. None of that is necessary!" The four were left speechless, looking toward the Lord of Dead Spirits. *Where on earth did this fellow pop out from?* Yet the Lord of Dead Spirits said nothing of the sort, merely uttering flatly, "Mingtu, show him around!" With those words, his figure vanished once more. Of course, he didn't return inside, but remained outside to block King Wen and King Wu, preventing those two from slipping into his heaven the moment his back was turned. …… Emperor Mingtu wore a solemn expression. *Show him around?* Su Yu smiled. "What is there to look at? Take me to see the heaven's core. I am a world opener as well, the Lord's direct disciple… Forget it, it's inconvenient to reveal outside, so you may simply treat me as a guest elder!" The four were astonished. *Direct disciple?* *A world opener?* Why did this sound like a total joke? *The Lord nurtured another world opener, and we knew nothing about it?* As Mingtu guided Su Yu deeper into Dead Spirit Hell, he said, "I am Mingtu. The other three…" Su Yu waved a hand. "No need to know. The Four Emperors of East, South, West, and North—Eastern Emperor, Western Emperor… addressing you like that is fine. Names are merely designations. Your mission is arduous: the six Soul-Snatching Emissaries must be eliminated swiftly, and you will even need to join forces with me to deal with the Lord of Soul Falling Valley!" The four were utterly at a loss for words! *We don't even know you, what are you babbling about!* Mingtu said helplessly, "We… obey the Lord's orders!" *Heimu, master of Mount Liufang—is he truly one of ours?* *Doesn't look like it!* He couldn't help but say, "Mount Liufang has consistently opposed us…" "Nonsense!" Su Yu retorted unceremoniously, "Qu is my subordinate; you were simply kept in the dark! It was merely bait to hook people from Soul Falling Valley, and you actually took it seriously?" "..." To hear him say it so boldly! Mingtu was completely struck dumb! So he wasn't supposed to take it seriously? Did this guy truly have a connection with their Lord? Yet their Lord hadn't appeared, hadn't intervened, and had even instructed Mingtu to show him around. Mingtu felt thoroughly bewildered. The other three didn't leave either—two men and one woman—all staring at Su Yu in perplexity. Among them, the alluring woman clad in black silk smiled. "Lord Heimu, you claim to be a world opener and the Lord's direct disciple…" "Care to see?" Su Yu chuckled. Suddenly, his physical body trembled, and his heaven shook. A terrifying suppressive force abruptly surged from the entire Dead Spirit Hell. With a boom, Su Yu was forced back several paces. He smiled, glancing into the distance. "The natural repulsion of a foreign heaven… understand now?" The four half-understood, finding it utterly baffling! *Is that so?* For a moment, none of them knew what to say. Meanwhile, Su Yu looked around, even extending his Great Dao directly into the heaven. The Lord of Dead Spirits did not stop him. Su Yu observed carefully and nodded slightly; this was rather interesting. On the surface, there appeared to be only a single Great Dao, but in reality, countless Daos related to death were combined together. Furthermore, it wasn't Su Yu's weaving method! The Lord of Dead Spirits had actually employed a fusion method, directly merging the Daos together. Naturally, since they were all Daos of the same nature, fusing them was entirely viable. *After fusion, the Great Dao becomes so powerful that it can nurture experts of twenty-odd Daos, and more than one at that…* Su Yu fell into thought. In that case, he could actually attempt something similar. When he had more experts, particularly multiple cultivators walking similar Daos, he could try this method! Fuse them into a single Great Dao, then transform that Great Dao into a river, allowing everyone to draw power from it to see who could draw more—just like the Dead Spirit Realm. …… While Su Yu was making his observations… Outside. Seeing Su Yu depart, King Wu turned to King Wen, sighing helplessly. "Do you really want me to follow him? That kid doesn't feel like a good person to me!" King Wen chuckled. "If he were a good person, I wouldn't dare trust him! Who dares trust an honest man in our line of work? Isn't that asking to die?" "..." "Still, this is our first time meeting him… Old Wen, don't lose your head. We've been brothers for so many years; I don't care about myself, but I'm afraid he'll screw you over!" King Wen smiled, looking into the distance before turning back to King Wu with a soft sigh. "If you break through now, it isn't impossible—you can do it! Taishan, if you break through right now, you will become a forbidden land lord! A supreme expert!" "However… even if you become a supreme expert, setting aside how dangerous it would be, even if you succeed, you still won't be able to turn the overarching situation around!" King Wen's tone grew much more serious. "He has hope… Of course, it isn't guaranteed! Asking you to sacrifice your own strength to fulfill his is entirely up to you. But once he grows powerful, you will still be able to recover!" King Wu was exasperated. "How long would that take? I want to recover thirty-one Daos of power, which he can't even manage right now, let alone thirty-two!" That was true enough! King Wen nodded. "Reasonable, but you must remember: two months, twenty-nine Daos!" King Wu was instantly struck silent! *What a terrifying monster!* He didn't dwell on that point any longer, asking instead, "If he kills the Lord of Soul Falling Valley, will it help us much?" King Wen pondered for a moment. "For now, not much. But once he takes Soul Falling Valley and becomes one of the four forbidden land lords here, provided he isn't exposed, first, we eliminate a formidable enemy; second, we gain a secret ally; and third, he is capable of every swindle and deception imaginable… far better suited to coordinating with me than you!" The third point was the most important! King Wu grumbled, "So after all this talk, you just look down on my ability to coordinate with you?" "I don't look down on you!" King Wen clarified. "I just… look down on you a little!" *Go to hell!* King Wu was thoroughly depressed. After a brief silence, he murmured, "To reach my current level of cultivation, you and Eldest Brother Xing helped me immensely. If you truly want me to do this, I naturally have no objection… If you believe his breakthrough serves a greater purpose than mine… I'll agree to it!" Seeing him look like an abandoned puppy, King Wen sighed helplessly. "Forget it!" A burly, towering brute putting on such a pitiful display—was he not ashamed? King Wu bared his teeth. "Does that mean you admit I'm more useful than him?" "Shut your trap!" King Wen chided helplessly. "You are my brother, and he isn't. But useless is useless—why make excuses?" King Wu instantly slumped in defeat! Amidst his dejection, he still asked, "Wen Yu is in grave danger, isn't she?" "It's manageable…" "Don't hide it from me!" King Wu sighed. "I can tell you've been anxious lately. Otherwise, you wouldn't be acting like this. In the past, if Su Yu had suggested I merge into his heaven, you would have told him to drop dead and stop trying to freeload!" King Wu gave a self-deprecating smile. "Forget it, I'll merge. But let's make an agreement: once we rescue Wen Yu, I get to be your brother-in-law… I'm paying a massive price here, giving up even the status of a forbidden land lord!" King Wen rolled his eyes! He couldn't be bothered to engage. Yet he gazed at King Wu for a long moment, thinking it over, before saying softly, "Don't be too disheartened. I truly can't bear to let you go either, but… merge with him for now, and we'll see later!" He weighed the situation; perhaps this truly was for the best. Even so, he added a warning: "You are merely cooperating with him. That kid is difficult to see through right now—don't trust him blindly!" "I understand that!" King Wen patted his shoulder, sighing softly. "Go find him!" "Alright!" King Wu flew toward Dead Spirit Hell. In an instant, the Lord of Dead Spirits manifested, saying flatly, "Alright, scram! Putting on a show for me? Trying to slip into my heaven… do you take me for an idiot?" *Do these two bastards think I'm a fool?* King Wu said with an innocent, honest air, "I'm going to find Su Yu and merge into his heaven, nothing else!" "Scram!" The Lord of Dead Spirits practically roared, his fury flaring. "Scram, or I'll kill you right now!" King Wu slunk back with his tail between his legs, wearing a sorrowful expression. "He didn't buy it!" King Wen sighed. "The acting was too fake. Forget it!" Both men appeared thoroughly disappointed. The Lord of Dead Spirits nearly spat blood in rage. *Of course you failed—did you really think I'd fall for that?* …… A short while later, Su Yu stepped out of the heaven. He had gained some insights, though his raw power had not increased. At this moment, the four Emperors followed behind him. They looked toward the Lord of Dead Spirits, sighed, and obediently trailed after Su Yu. The Lord of Dead Spirits was taken aback. "Where do you think you're going?" Mingtu was equally stunned. "Lord Heimu said that the Master ordered us to follow him to attack Soul Falling Valley…" The Lord of Dead Spirits frowned. "This seat hasn't even spoken, and you're already leaving with him?" Mingtu grew even more bewildered. "Lord Heimu said that when warriors depart, they should keep farewells brief. That is the custom of the myriad realms, lest bad omens arise…" The Lord of Dead Spirits felt a headache coming on! *Morons!* *How did I end up with such idiotic subordinates? If I hadn't spoken up, wouldn't Su Yu have just walked off with my people?* He shot a venomous glare at Su Yu. Su Yu smiled, and a beam of light shot out toward him! The Lord of Dead Spirits snatched it out of the air. Sensing its contents, his brow furrowed slightly as he looked at Su Yu, transmitting his voice: *"It is that simple?"* *"It is far from simple!"* Su Yu transmitted back. *"This contains the complete process of how I fused life and death, experiencing true death… However, it requires immense life force to recover… Thus, Longevity Heaven must be conquered! Otherwise, you will never succeed in this lifetime!"* The Lord of Dead Spirits fell into deep contemplation. According to Su Yu, one truly had to touch death, but required immense vitality to sustain and restore oneself, or death would become permanent! Longevity Heaven! He looked at Su Yu, who gave an easy smile. "We can cooperate on that later! Naturally, not now. Right now, I am far too weak!" The Lord of Dead Spirits considered this carefully, then looked at him. "I can consider it… I also trust you wouldn't have the audacity to deceive me… One good turn deserves another: I'll share a secret with you that isn't much of a secret. The Lord of Soul Falling Valley and the Lord of Soul Domain are blood brothers. If you attack one, the other might arrive… Bloodline transposition is impossible to block! While the Lord of Soul Domain isn't at thirty-two Daos, he can possess anyone… Consider the risks yourself!" Su Yu's eyes flickered slightly. *There was such a connection? I genuinely didn't know that!* Understood! "Many thanks!" The Lord of Dead Spirits said no more, glancing at Mingtu and the others. "Follow him for one month. During this month, obey his every command. Return when the month is up!" The four chorused their acknowledgment. Simultaneously, Su Yu's voice echoed in their ears: *"I told you so. I told you Master would say that, but you didn't believe me. Believe me now?"* The four were speechless. Was it real or fake? They were completely muddled by now! For a moment, the Emperors felt utterly helpless. Never mind; they just had to remember the Lord's command to obey him for a month! In the distance, King Wen looked toward Su Yu and said with a smile, "I cannot stay away for too long either, or Fa won't feel the pressure and complications will arise!" Su Yu nodded. "Understood. Head back early!" King Wen looked at King Wu, then back at Su Yu. "I entrust him to you! You may be young, but you are capable. He stayed with me for countless years without anything happening to him; if something happens to him in your hands, I won't let the matter rest!" Su Yu grinned, this time smiling with genuine warmth, his teeth bared in a radiant grin. "Rest assured!" King Wu's expression soured. *With you smiling that brightly, how can I possibly rest assured?* King Wen said nothing more, turning to leave. King Wu looked on with lingering attachment. "Old Wen, you're really leaving?" King Wen waved a hand and vanished into thin air! King Wu looked on the verge of tears, his expression so aggrieved that anyone watching might have thought he was a neglected maiden left behind in her bedchamber! Su Yu nearly burst out laughing, narrowing his eyes as he looked at King Wu. Wearing a face full of sorrow, King Wu flew over to Su Yu, muttering resentfully, "He just wanted to shake me off. He's wanted to for ages—what an absolute bastard!" Su Yu chuckled. "Alright, come along with me! My good uncle, I'll take wonderful care of you!" King Wu's expression froze. *Suddenly, I'm a little terrified!* *Don't call me that!* Meanwhile, the four Emperors wore extraordinarily peculiar expressions. *King Wu?* *Who exactly is this Heimu?* *And why was their Lord tangled up with King Wen and King Wu?* *Are they cooperating to pull off something monumental?* The four felt a surge of intense excitement. An earth-shattering secret—their Lord was plotting a grand scheme with these legendary figures!