Victory of the Gossip Brigade

Su Yu did not spend much time conversing with King Wen. He was the primary target everyone kept their eyes on. With him away from Mount Eternal Life, Fa would no longer feel threatened and might soon realize he had slipped away. At that moment, Su Yu flew forward, leading King Wu and the other four Great Emperors. King Wu was still terribly downcast. Su Yu offered no words of comfort; none were needed. He did not take the initiative to speak to King Wu, but as they flew along, King Wu turned toward Su Yu and spoke up. "Kid, aren't you going to comfort this old man?" "Do you need it?" Su Yu glanced over with a slight smile. "Is there any point?" "I'm a supreme expert! If I really integrate into a heaven, my cultivation level will fall!" King Wu looked miserable. Su Yu chuckled. "Then don't integrate." "If I don't integrate, I'll advance!" "Then advance!" Su Yu replied nonchalantly. King Wu grew even more exasperated. "Didn't you two just say that my breakthrough would cause massive trouble?" "If you aren't with King Wen, the trouble won't be that big!" Su Yu said flatly. "Fly off into the starry void by yourself and find a deserted place. Even if you break through, King Wen won't be able to reach you in time. If the forbidden lands come after you, let them come. Fight to the death and see if you can take one down with you. That's hardly a loss!" As long as King Wu was not with King Wen, King Wen would not be implicated. If King Wu broke through and everyone came to kill him, King Wen would have no chance to come to his rescue anyway. King Wu became even more depressed. "Isn't there a foolproof method?" "Of course there is!" Su Yu smiled. "Wait until a war breaks out among the forbidden lands or the Heavenly Gate opens. When no one has the time to bother with you, you can break through in peace!" At least for now, that was impossible. King Wu let out a long sigh of utter helplessness. Glancing at Su Yu again, he found the young man entirely unfazed by his arrival, which only deepened his frustration. "Look, I am a supreme expert, after all. Couldn't you show a little basic courtesy?" *Is this really how you treat me?* "What kind of courtesy do you want?" Su Yu smiled. "To me, Senior is merely a tool to boost my own strength. Even without Senior, I could easily find other ways. Besides, when Senior integrates into my heaven… who loses and who gains is still up in the air!" "You're as arrogant as Second Brother Wen!" King Wu grumbled bitterly. Seeing how talkative he was, Su Yu smiled and asked, "Senior King Wu has progressed quite rapidly over the years. I'm not particularly curious about anything else regarding Senior, but one thing does intrigue me. Back when Senior had that conflict with Martial Emperor, why did you feel the need to humiliate him so badly?" Judging by King Wu's personality, he was an open and straightforward man. Even if there had been some lingering bitterness over a "stolen wife," what was the point of deliberately disgracing an expert? "Martial Emperor?" King Wu blinked in surprise. That had happened countless years ago. Hearing Su Yu suddenly bring it up, he finally recalled the man. After a long pause, he asked, "Has he broken his seal?" "Yes. He's determined to seek vengeance against you." "Whatever!" King Wu did not seem to care in the slightest, but Su Yu remained curious. "Why did Senior humiliate him like that?" Between experts, if it came down to it, one simply killed the other. Why go to such lengths? King Wu fell silent for a moment. "Revenge!" "For your childhood sweetheart?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "That was merely a product of the chaotic times. Furthermore…" "What do you know!" King Wu scoffed dismissively. "You know nothing at all! Wet behind the ears, yet here you are trying to play peacemaker?" King Wu showed no intention of humoring Su Yu this time. He said calmly, "It's true that the era shaped everything. For a woman to follow an expert during such chaotic and turbulent times wasn't necessarily a bad thing!" Now Su Yu's curiosity was truly piqued. Listening to King Wu, he did not even seem to hold a grudge over his woman being taken; after all, during that chaotic era, attaching oneself to an expert offered a chance at survival. Then why had he done it? King Wu moving against Martial Emperor was not surprising at all—various factors had combined to make a clash inevitable. The crux lay in the cruelty of the methods used. To Martial Emperor, losing to King Wu was nothing. But to be defeated without being allowed to die, having flowers planted in his backside, being planted upside down in the Three Realms, his physical body used to forge a manor… those were monumental humiliations! That was why Martial Emperor flew into a rage whenever King Wu's name was mentioned. Yet from what Su Yu knew of King Wu's deeds, he was not the type of expert who went out of his way to torment someone. If it had been King Wen… that would not have been surprising in the least! Seeing Su Yu staring at him with undisguised curiosity, King Wu felt speechless. "You really are like Second Brother Wen, prying into every petty matter. Don't tell me you actually have some connection to that old fellow?" Su Yu nodded. "He's my subordinate!" "…" King Wu was rendered speechless. Only after a long while did he snort. "Back then, he acted so arrogant and refused to back down even at death's door. Now, look at him—he's reduced to this!" After voicing his disdain, King Wu added, "If he wants to seek revenge, I'll be waiting anytime. I'll slap him dead with a single palm!" Su Yu remained curious. *Why humiliate him in the first place, then?* Growing irritated under Su Yu's probing gaze, King Wu snapped impatiently, "I found him an eyesore, so I humiliated him. Is that not allowed?" Alright, it seemed he had no intention of elaborating. Su Yu stopped pressing and continued flying. Seeing that Su Yu was no longer asking questions, King Wu let the topic drop and asked in confusion, "Where are we going now? Looking for Soul Falling Valley?" "No rush!" Su Yu smiled. "Wait a moment. I need to make some arrangements first!" Make what arrangements? King Wu did not quite understand. Su Yu had no intention of explaining. Soon, they swiftly flew into Radiance City. *** Inside Radiance City, any rogue cultivator who entered these days was swiftly subdued. When Su Yu returned, King Wu and the other four concealed themselves without showing their faces. Qu and his group quickly rushed over. Shang hurriedly reported, "Tribulation Lord, the Asura Envoy will likely arrive soon. Had you not returned, we were preparing to send word to summon you back!" Su Yu gave a slight nod. He looked toward Jian Kong and considered for a moment before asking, "Can you contact your father?" Jian Kong's expression changed slightly. Was the Tribulation Lord still intent on moving against his father? He himself had surrendered, which was one thing, but there was a high probability his father would never yield. "Tribulation Lord, I… have no way of contacting my father…" Su Yu smiled. "I have no intention of killing him! There's no need for that!" After a moment's thought, Su Yu instructed, "Tell your father that our Mount Liufang intends to attack Soul Falling Valley!" Jian Kong froze. A look of bewilderment crossed his face. He understood Su Yu's intentions, but why tell his father out of nowhere? Su Yu chuckled. "It's a precautionary measure! If we attack Soul Falling Valley and Mount Tianqiong intervenes… the probability may be low, but just in case that Lord of Mount Tianqiong suddenly takes an interest and shows up, it would be extremely troublesome!" "Tell your father that if a conflict truly erupts, he must help us stall the Lord of Mount Tianqiong!" Jian Kong said in confusion, "Tribulation Lord, even if the Mountain Lord comes, he should be helping us…" Why block him? Su Yu smiled. "Leave that aside for now. I'm asking you: does your father have the means, or rather the willingness, to help hold him back?" Jian Kong pondered for a moment. "The Mountain Lord is unlikely to take action! Of course, out of curiosity, he might come over to watch… However, if my father advises him against it, and as long as there is no threat to Mount Tianqiong… the Mountain Lord might not intervene! Or my father could mention the ancient Human Sovereign's Heavenly Gate; so long as my father claims he cannot hold it alone, the Mountain Lord will most likely not leave!" So he was locked in a standoff with the Human Sovereign? Su Yu understood. He spoke up. "Then is your father willing to help?" Jian Kong remained silent for a moment before answering, "Cultivators who have reached this stage are practically free of earthly attachments, but direct bloodline kin are still held in high regard! Provided that I am in no danger and will not die…" He looked at Su Yu, paused briefly, and added, "Even after entering the Myriad Realms, the kind of survival where I won't be killed!" Su Yu looked back at him, slightly raising an eyebrow. Jian Kong kept his head lowered. "What we seek is nothing more than a chance to survive! As for who we follow and how we live, major figures have their own considerations, and minor figures have ours. The grand figures inside and outside the gates fight for control and a voice of authority, but to us, such matters are far too distant. We only want to live!" He kept his gaze cast down, avoiding Su Yu's eyes. Yet the implications behind his words were exceptionally peculiar. Su Yu stared at him, then shifted his gaze to Blade Master and the others standing around them. The group was glancing left and right, none of them speaking a word. Su Yu narrowed his eyes. What did this mean? Had he ever mentioned matters concerning the inside and outside of the gates? Jian Kong kept his head lowered. As if unwilling to wait in silence for Su Yu's response, he continued, "Tribulation Lord, to us, survival comes first! Those inside the gates may not be of one mind, and those outside may not be united either! Major figures are difficult to accommodate, but minor figures still have the right to survive… To great figures like the Tribulation Lord, the Mountain Lord, and Fa, the contest is over eras. To us… an era is far too vast a concept!" He understood! Su Yu said nothing. This Jian Kong had deduced his identity. Su Yu looked at him, speaking only after a long pause. "So, to you, or to your father, the victor of the era does not matter?" "No!" Jian Kong shook his head. "It is so for me, but for my father, he will fight for Mount Tianqiong because he is a close friend of the Mountain Lord… However, he is also my father! Provided it does not harm Mount Tianqiong, my father would wish for me to survive…" Understood! Even if Sword Venerable had figured out Su Yu's identity, so long as Su Yu did not target Mount Tianqiong and offered his son a hope and chance at life, he would be willing to lend a hand. "When did you realize?" Su Yu asked with a smile. Jian Kong kept his head down. "The words spoken by that twenty-four-Dao rogue cultivator… The Tribulation Lord may have overlooked it, but many heard him!" Riyue had spoken those words! *None other than those from outside the gates can open a heaven.* Perhaps most had not believed it at the time, but it was impossible not to take note of it. Connecting it to Black Tomb's sudden rise—opening a heaven at the drop of a hat, with such staggering speed—one could not help but make the connection. Beside them, Blade Master and the others wore conflicted expressions. After a long time, Blade Master muttered heavily, "Tribulation Lord, Gui, Mu, and Yu are all dead. Mount Tianqiong didn't do it, Soul Falling Valley didn't do it, and Mount Eternal Life had no time to do it… And the way they vanished… actually happened once before, years ago!" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. Blade Master continued somberly, "Back then, in the western region, there was a similar case of large-scale disappearances! It was later proven that someone had opened a phantom projection of the Heavenly Gate there, luring those people into descending upon the Myriad Realms… and after that, nothing was ever heard of them again!" Previously, they had not thought too deeply about it. Only when Riyue suggested that the culprit might not be from inside the gates did they begin to wonder: where had Gui and the others truly gone? Had they simply vanished without a sound or trace? They were three first-rank experts, after all! How could they just disappear? If one thought about it with any depth, they could piece it together. "We only want to live… to live as human beings!" Blade Master's voice was low and heavy. "We don't want to be dogs in this chaotic era… Even if we must be dogs, we would rather be dogs in an era of peace and prosperity… The living realm is always better than the underworld!" Su Yu smiled. "Fascinating!" He had assumed that everyone had simply dismissed Riyue's words. The rogue cultivators present that day had shown nothing on the surface and had even sneered in contempt, so Su Yu had paid it no mind. He had not expected that someone had taken it to heart. Perhaps some had already guessed the truth back then. Indeed, when things reached this stage, it was truly difficult to keep secrets hidden. Some people had merely been playing dumb while fully understanding the situation! Su Yu looked at Jian Kong. "In other words, so long as you can live, your father can mediate and ensure Mount Tianqiong does not intervene?" Jian Kong remained silent for a moment. "More than just mediate… If necessary, my father… can secretly lend a hand. It is not out of the question!" Su Yu frowned. "Have you already contacted Sword Venerable?" Jian Kong stayed quiet, then replied after a short while, "No. But my bloodline fluctuated once to convey to my father that I was safe and unharmed, and that this might be an opportunity. My father ceased worrying… However, right now… he might be nearby!" Su Yu chuckled. "I underestimated you!" To his surprise, Sword Venerable might already be aware. Jian Kong lowered his head. "In the end times, everyone wants to live! No one is an exception!" The Black Tomb before him was bound to be a major figure in the Myriad Realms! Regardless of whether he was truly King Wen's illegitimate son or an overlord from the Myriad Realms, he possessed immense status. Even as King Wen's illegitimate son, his standing would be exceedingly high! Therefore, if there was a chance to survive in the Myriad Realms… one did not have to put all their eggs in the basket inside the gates. Since an opportunity had presented itself from the world outside, why not take a gamble? Su Yu looked around the room. All eighteen first-rank experts were present! It seemed that after he had left, these fellows had likely conferred among themselves. Although Su Yu had restricted some of their communication methods, they were not entirely cut off from reaching the outside world. However, had there been hostility, Su Yu would have sensed it through the Great Dao. Yet these people seemed to understand that and had displayed no ill intent whatsoever. Integrating into a heaven did not mean having one's mind enslaved; they were not mindless puppets. Their thoughts were intact; only their Great Daos were bound. Naturally, they still possessed their own ambitions and calculations. Su Yu stroked his chin and fell silent for a time. After considering the matter, he asked, "Should I arrange a meeting with Sword Venerable to talk?" Jian Kong shook his head. "No need. My father knows what to do… but he will not meet with the Tribulation Lord!" He feared being captured, and he feared being unable to resist certain temptations that might lead him to betray Mountain Lord Qiong. Su Yu smiled. He glanced over the crowd and said playfully, "Then let it be so. But I'll be blunt: with my current strength, winning against Soul Falling Valley will still be difficult. Even so, I must strike. I'm running out of time!" Without fighting, there was no growth! Only by bringing down powerful experts could he strengthen himself. The more he fought, the stronger he would become! Therefore, even without absolute certainty, Su Yu intended to launch the attack. With the disturbance growing larger by the day, it was only a matter of time before someone discovered them. Jian Kong lowered his head. "I am willing to follow the Tribulation Lord to ascend to the summit of the four heavens!" "We are willing to follow the Tribulation Lord!" The crowd roared in unison! Or rather, they were willing to take the gamble; they wanted to live! Inside the gates, the world was nearing destruction. Only by stepping outside was there hope. The forbidden lands were powerful, but who could guarantee they would emerge victorious? Were the lands outside the gates truly so easy to conquer? Besides, to the forbidden lands, they were mere cannon fodder. Serving as cannon fodder for Su Yu now, where being cannon fodder at least granted them opportunities to grow stronger, was fundamentally different. "Very well, go make your preparations!" Su Yu said no more and quickly vanished from the spot. Once he was gone, the crowd let out a sigh of relief. Some looked at Jian Kong with faint reproach. Yet now that Su Yu had departed, Jian Kong raised his head with a proud expression. *What are you staring at!* *I fear that person, but I don't fear you!* Now that they were all on this pirate ship together, there was no turning back. Besides, who was to say this wasn't an opportunity? Was it not? *** At this moment, three or four diyuan away from Radiance City. In the void, a long-haired swordsman cleaved a powerful devourer locust in two with a single strike, then looked off into the distance toward Radiance City, which radiated a faint glow. He watched in silence. *Kong'er has been captured!* *Just who is that Black Tomb?* *If he stays by my side at Mount Tianqiong, is there any hope?* Sword Venerable did not know. Yet his son wanted to take a gamble. He was torn on what to do; while this could be seen as betraying Mount Tianqiong, it was also a chance for his son. Following Mountain Lord Qiong made one far too conspicuous a target. Furthermore, Mountain Lord Qiong had poor relations with everyone both inside and outside the gates. Inside, he was viewed with deep wariness; outside, he had offended the ancient Human Sovereign of the Myriad Realms… *I am willing to follow Mountain Lord Qiong into battle, but my descendant may well have his own path to choose.* At that very moment, his bloodline stirred. He silently sensed the message. *Attacking Soul Falling Valley!* Sword Venerable's pupils shrank slightly! They dared to attack even a forbidden land? After a moment of silence, he turned and departed, swiftly shuttling through the void at extreme speed! After an indeterminate amount of time, a massive, timeless mountain range came into view. He swiftly stepped into the colossal expanse of peaks. Atop the highest peak of Mount Tianqiong, a figure held a large seal, gazing at it intently. Sensing the disturbance, he spoke without looking back. "You're back. What did that fellow Fa have to say?" "He said he would weigh his options!" "Oh!" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong toyed with the Human Sovereign's seal and nodded slightly. As he continued handling it, he smiled faintly. "Your mind is unsettled. A swordsman must charge forward with undivided focus, severing all entanglements. With your mind clouded like this, how do you expect to reach the pinnacle of the sword?" Sword Venerable remained silent for a moment before speaking up. "Mountain Lord, if we charge into the Myriad Realms, do we have a chance of winning? Or rather, does our Mount Tianqiong have a chance to protect everyone?" "Hard to say!" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong chuckled softly. "Everything is hard to say. The Myriad Realms, after all, are the masters of this current era. Once we reach the Myriad Realms, anything is possible! Xingyu, King Wen, King Wu—they are all supreme experts… Furthermore, a crisis of an era will always birth other powerhouses, spurring their growth! Amidst the slaughter, new heroes will inevitably rise!" Sword Venerable understood. After considering for a moment, he said, "I wish to secure a way out for Kong'er!" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong smiled faintly. "That is fine too. Do you need my help?" "No need!" Sword Venerable shook his head. "However, I wish to assist personally… Mountain Lord, in the short term, I might not have the time to attend to certain matters of Mount Tianqiong." "It does not matter. What matters could Mount Tianqiong possibly have?" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong brushed it off, though he offered a reminder. "You must attend the Forbidden Land Conference. Even if I don't care about it, if you fail to attend, you must be wary of others carving up your territory. Therefore, you must take part in that gathering!" "Understood!" Sword Venerable bowed slightly. "Thank you, Mountain Lord!" "Go!" Sword Venerable stepped back and quickly vanished from the spot. Once he was gone, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong glanced toward the east, his brows furrowing slightly as he pinched his fingers to calculate. "Jian Kong… rootless and sourceless… Did he defect to Dead Spirit Hell?" Probably not. Jian Kong was a swordsman! Yet his foundation was gone, his Dao base vanished. Unless he drew the Dao into his body… which was impossible! Or he had severed his Dao and integrated into a heaven! He then looked toward the westernmost limit. "Could it be over there?" That was where the gateway lay! That wasn't right either! Thought after thought surfaced. He had not asked, but being exceedingly powerful, he could deduce certain truths. After carefully analyzing the clues, he suddenly chuckled. "Related to Mount Liufang?" How intriguing! With a wave of his hand, pieces of intelligence that he previously lacked the time or interest to read were drawn into his grasp. After examining them closely for a moment, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong pondered briefly, then suddenly spoke toward a gateway in the void. "Does your Myriad Realms possess any other experts besides you?" "Why? Are you afraid?" "Heh!" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong sneered, then asked, "Did you manage to intercept and kill the Human Gate Envoy?" "Soon!" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong could not tell whether he was speaking the truth or bluffing, but it did not matter. He asked again, "Earlier, six cultivators vanished from my vicinity. Did you lure them away? How did you do it? Or was it someone else?" "What?" "Keep playing dumb!" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong said coldly. "If it wasn't you, you would have admitted it. Putting on an air of mystery… Xingyu, you've exposed yourself! It seems someone truly has entered!" The Human Sovereign's voice drifted through, tinged with amusement. "That's right, someone has entered." Truth and lies intertwined—say what you will, you won't trap me! The Lord of Mount Tianqiong fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "One more makes no difference, and one less changes nothing. Even Dead Spirit Hell is situated here; why would I fear anything like that?" "Then why don't you let me through?" The Human Sovereign said in frustration. "You said it yourself: even the Lord of Dead Spirits is here. Why won't you let me in?" *On what grounds?* *Why don't you go pick on the Lord of Dead Spirits instead of bullying the weak and fearing the strong?* *If not for this bastard, I would have entered long ago!* The Lord of Mount Tianqiong said coolly, "Because… I feel like it! You dared to provoke me, so you must suffer the consequences! Whether you entered or not initially had nothing to do with me, but you dared to wipe out the rogue cultivators near my Mount Tianqiong… You made me lose face. Did you think I'd let you off easy?" Indeed, it was all about face! *I, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong, am number one under heaven!* Back then, countless rogue cultivators had placed their trust in him, believing that by following the Mountain Lord, they would always have food on the table and no one would dare offend them. And what happened? Before long… the rogue cultivators around Mount Tianqiong were gone! All the experts were wiped out! Was that something a decent person would do? The Human Sovereign felt just as aggrieved. "They all did it voluntarily! If those people had wanted to tell you, they would have done so long ago. Clearly, they chose not to. One was willing to strike and the other was willing to take it—what business was it of yours?" *Is that why you've been keeping your eyes on me for all these years?* Just thinking about it was infuriating! At the same time, the Human Sovereign wondered whether Su Yu had been discovered. Still, if he was only being noticed now, it was already quite late. Su Yu had been inside for two months, which equated to half a year in the Myriad Realms! That Su Yu hadn't caused any commotion in half a year was the strangest thing of all. Lately, the people on Su Yu's side had been wondering where he had run off to—was it the Heavenly Gate, the Earth Gate, or somewhere else? In any case, everyone suspected Su Yu was no longer in the outside world. Not stepping out for half a year might be normal for ordinary people, but for Su Yu… no one believed it! Now, the Human Sovereign was desperate to obtain news of Su Yu. Ever since that rascal left, he had truly vanished without a trace. The Lord of Mount Tianqiong said nothing more, paying him no further heed. He calculated and deduced for a while, then suddenly said, "You abruptly reversed the battle situation and turned defeat into victory. Did someone help you?" "Heh, would I need anyone to help me?" "Did that person enter?" "Heh, believe whatever you want!" The Lord of Mount Tianqiong automatically filtered out his deflections, his brow furrowing slightly. "I hope they don't come looking for trouble with me. Otherwise, I will show you what the wrath of heaven truly means!" The Human Sovereign felt helpless. This fellow's strength was genuinely terrifying! *** At the same time. Inside Radiance City. Su Yu looked at King Wu, and King Wu looked back at him. Su Yu asked, "Have you made up your mind?" King Wu considered it, then shook his head. "Not yet. Tell me, is a temporary integration possible? As in, I go fight first, and if I start losing, I integrate then?" Su Yu stroked his chin. "That's not out of the question!" King Wu's eyes instantly lit up. "I really want to test whether I can take on a forbidden land lord right now. Let me have some fun first, and then I'll think about it. What do you say?" "Up to you!" Su Yu replied indifferently. "Aren't you afraid my identity will be exposed?" Su Yu scoffed. "Afraid of what? If you're exposed, the worst that happens is I go into hiding. Once everyone knows King Wen is on his own, they'll naturally go looking for trouble with him. He makes the biggest target—what do I have to fear?" *That makes sense!* King Wu instantly slumped. "True enough. What a pain!" Life on this side was truly suffocating! After thinking it over repeatedly, King Wu asked, "Will you help Second Brother Wen?" "No!" King Wu's face instantly shifted. Su Yu said calmly, "Why should I help him? Of course, I will rescue the Time Master—that is my promise. As for King Wen… he can manage on his own." "You want to rescue Wen Yu?" "That was my primary objective in coming here!" King Wu looked somewhat surprised. *Your primary objective was actually to rescue Wen Yu?* "Did you save Xingyue?" "She has been resurrected!" "And now you want to save Wen Yu too?" King Wu took a sharp breath. "You're something else. Rescuing beauties left and right—you don't miss a single one, do you!" Su Yu chuckled. "Does Xingyue have anything to do with King Wen?" "Of course!" King Wu nodded. "Her and Second Brother Wen… hehe… Never mind, just a joke. I shouldn't make that kind of joke with a junior like you. Xingyue being killed back then actually had something to do with Second Brother Wen!" Su Yu was surprised. He truly had never heard of this. No one had ever mentioned it! "Xingyue's death was related to King Wen?" "Yeah!" King Wu nodded. "Back when we followed Big Brother Xingyu to conquer the world, we had only recently emerged. Our strength was ordinary, still quite a bit weaker than the myriad races and some of the human old fossils! Xingyue excelled in the Life Dao, serving as our guarantee of healing after severe injuries. She was always stationed in the rear and would never venture to the front lines…" He shrugged. "Later, Second Brother got a bit full of himself, thinking he was invincible under heaven. We were warring against the various races at the time, and Second Brother felt it was too troublesome to return to the rear every time to heal, so he brought Xingyue to the front lines, claiming he would protect her and that nothing would go wrong…" "So something went wrong?" "Nothing went wrong!" King Wu shook his head. "Second Brother still had his methods." Su Yu was exasperated. *Then why are you rambling?* King Wu chuckled. "But because of that, Xingyue was exposed, understand? Previously, no one knew who held the Life Dao on our side, but that incident brought it into the light! Everyone found out it was Xingyue… and then tragedy struck! When it comes down to it, Second Brother was the one who called her to the front lines… Big Brother Xingyu didn't say anything, but Second Brother felt awful during that period. His own sister was a sister, but Big Brother's sister was also a sister… That's why Second Brother later tried every possible way to resurrect her. Unfortunately, he never succeeded!" "Who killed Xingyue back then?" King Wu fell silent for a moment. "The people who did the deed are all dead, but there's one bastard who is still alive!" Su Yu's eyes flickered. "Martial Emperor?" "Huh?" King Wu looked at him in surprise. Su Yu was equally surprised. "Martial Emperor killing Xingyue? That doesn't seem likely. If that were truly the case, you would have killed him long ago!" *Would you have let him live?* King Wu looked sheepish and took a while to answer. "It wasn't technically his doing… but that bastard was summoning the Heavenly Gate that day! The Heavenly Gate fell into chaos, and Big Brother and Second Brother both went to help, which weakened our forces. That gave the enemy an opening to kill Xingyue! Tell me… shouldn't I have humiliated him?" He gritted his teeth. "Big Brother refused to let me kill him. Otherwise, I would have slaughtered him long ago!" A look of realization crossed Su Yu's face. *So that's how it was!* The Human Sovereign had mentioned that Martial Emperor's Heavenly Gate sat right next to the true gate; whenever it opened, it drew attention and even prompted people to charge through. In other words, because Martial Emperor opened the Heavenly Gate back then, the Human Sovereign and the others had to go suppress it… which led to Xingyue's death. Strictly speaking, could one truly blame Martial Emperor? Su Yu thought about it. Martial Emperor himself probably had no idea. Yet from their perspective, Martial Emperor was guilty of a monstrous crime! That the Human Sovereign had spared his life proved he was genuinely benevolent. King Wu, on the other hand, was fiercely clear about his grudges and could not swallow the anger. Thus, humiliating Martial Emperor became inevitable—he wasn't allowed to kill him, and being a man who valued brotherhood above all else, how could he not fly into a rage? Su Yu could hardly pass judgment on the matter. It wasn't the first time Martial Emperor had caused a mess! Yet Martial Emperor had also ended up taking the blame. King Wu sighed helplessly. "You smart people will end up bald sooner or later! I barely said a word, and you already figured it was him?" It was truly frustrating! Forget it, no point dwelling on it. He smiled again. "Fortunately, Xingyue is alive now, so Second Brother can finally put his heart at ease!" Su Yu looked at him, frowning slightly. "You don't care about your own descendants or your own Dao companions, yet you spend all day worrying about your brothers… You really lack a sense of responsibility!" King Wu said calmly, "Maybe you're right! But you don't understand! I fought through life and death on the battlefield, and my elder brothers saved my life countless times. Without them, I would have died long ago! To my companions, I told them from the start: if one day my elder brothers fall into danger, I will save them first, and only save my family if the opportunity arises… Since they chose to follow me, and since I gave my word, I must honor it!" "Your son died in battle during the first tide!" "Dying on the battlefield is an honorable death!" At this moment, Su Yu felt complicated emotions stir within him. He did not know what to say to this man. After a long while, he muttered darkly, "If I were your descendant, I would hate you for the rest of my life!" "Don't worry, my son wouldn't blame me even in death!" King Wu curled his lip. "You think everyone is like you? My son learned only one thing from me growing up: brotherhood comes first! He knew his father went to save people, so he harbored no resentment! I taught him that as martial artists, we must repay kindness, even if it means our family is broken and ruined!" Su Yu was at a loss for words. Perhaps King Wu was right; his Dao companions and descendants had supported him. Otherwise, why would King Zhenwu have led her sisters onto the battlefield alongside him? Even so, Su Yu still found it difficult to accept. If he were his son… he would have been driven mad with rage. King Wu wore an indifferent expression. Everyone had their own choices. *He was my son; I knew him best.* *Even if he died on the battlefield, he wouldn't believe his father was in the wrong!* "Enough of this!" He had no desire to discuss it further; he had no common ground with Su Yu anyway. Soon, King Wu spoke up. "What you said makes sense. If I take action, it might expose Second Brother's weakness over there. Integrating into your heaven is fine, but I have one condition!" "Name it!" King Wu fell silent for a moment before speaking. "If there is a way… help me resurrect my son… The origin-gathering technique the Lord of Dead Spirits mentioned might be able to bring him back!" Su Yu frowned. "It's hard to say, but I'll do my best! It seems difficult for him to gather the origins of powerful experts; once they reach the Ruler of Rules realm, his dead spirit realm can no longer collect them. Otherwise, they would have been resurrected long ago!" "One can only hope!" King Wu said no more. At that moment, his Great Dao surged, and he chuckled. "Come on then, nephew! Calling you nephew is already raising your seniority! What are you staring at? Staring at your uncle?" "…" Su Yu was stunned. *Have you lost your mind?!* King Wu acted completely unbothered. *I haven't lost my mind!* *Looking at you, little rascal, you clearly intend to take revenge on me later. In that case… while I still have my strength, I might as well curse you a few times to get my fill! The outcome will be the same anyway!* "Brat, hurry up! What are you dragging your feet for? You schemers always dawdle when it's time to get things done!" Su Yu's jaw dropped. *You really have gone mad!* "Brat, still staring?" "…" Su Yu gritted his teeth and remained silent, channeling the Martial Dao within his heaven. King Wu grinned broadly. "Brat, does your uncle look imposing enough?" As he spoke, he tucked away a recording talisman, remarking with satisfaction, "Ah, that felt great! I might suffer for it later, but I've recorded it all! I'll pass it down to future generations…" Su Yu froze! *What the hell!* *I just got recorded?!* King Wu beamed from ear to ear. "What are you looking at? I learned it from you people! Big Brother and Second Brother love doing this sort of thing. To be honest, it feels amazing! When there's a chance, I'll let you take a look. Hehehe, I've gathered tons of gossip… Like the way Second Brother acts when he's roaring drunk, or that one time Big Brother sat on Second Brother's head and beat him… Hehehe…" Su Yu's eyes instantly flared with excitement. "Make a copy for me, and I won't retaliate against you!" "Hehehe!" King Wu laughed brilliantly. *Interested now, aren't you? I knew it!* *What a clever man I am!* However—not a chance! "No way! We'll talk about that later!" Su Yu's heart itched with curiosity. *You have gossip like that and refuse to share it?!* *You monster!* *If you weren't going to share, why bring it up in the first place?!* At that moment, King Wu began integrating into the heaven, but Su Yu had completely lost interest in the process. His mind was consumed with curiosity, and he could hardly care about his own soaring strength. He asked eagerly, "Is there anything else?" "Of course, plenty! Hehe!" King Wu chuckled merrily. "King Zhan, King Xue, King Ming, King Yu… I have them all!" His smile brimmed with triumphant pride. "Even though they beat me up countless times for it… I never destroyed a single one! Hehehe, I hid them away where no one can find them!" Su Yu looked devastated by the missed treasure trove. *So much juicy gossip!* "What's the most explosive one? Can you tell me?" "The most explosive…" King Wu pondered for a moment, then chuckled wickedly. "Second Brother disguised himself as a woman to seduce an overlord back in the day. Is that explosive enough for you?" Su Yu's eyes shone with blinding brilliance! *More than enough!* *You even have that?!* *How on earth did you record it?!* King Wu offered a smug grin. *Not telling you!* At that moment, Su Yu was itching with burning curiosity, while King Wu stood proud and smug. *I knew you types couldn't resist this stuff, hehe… I'll keep your appetite whetted and hold it over you. That way, every time you want to get back at me, I can toss one out!* *By the time I run out, our fight will be over anyway!* *I'm just too brilliant!* Su Yu was utterly helpless. Suddenly, the sensation of his strength advancing didn't feel satisfying at all. Strength could be increased anytime—what was so special about that compared to this?!