Still Short One Move

The Forbidden Land Conference was originally meant to be an encirclement and extermination. A trap to slaughter four people: Su Yu, the Lord of Dead Spirits, King Wen, and King Wu. Indeed, when Fa initially called the meeting on Mount Yongsheng, it was to purge the powerhouses of the myriad realms—though at the time, Su Yu had not been included, and the Demon Ancestor and the others were still alive. Nearly twenty holy lands encircling and slaying a handful of myriad realms powerhouses was a venture bound to succeed. Yet now, in the blink of an eye... the slaughter had descended into pure chaos! With only this handful of figures, they were divided among the myriad realms, the Human Gate, the sacred grounds of humanity, the current era's cultivators, Su Yu, and the Lord of Dead Spirits—a contest between numerous factions. The Blade Ancestor and the Martial Lord still had unconfirmed identities, but some felt there was no need to confirm anything anymore; there was a high likelihood both were suspicious. At this moment, seeing Su Yu call out cultivator after cultivator, Qiong suddenly grew interested and chuckled. "Su Yu, help me figure out who belongs to Hongtian. Find them, and you won't walk away empty-handed!" He had abruptly realized Su Yu was rather adept at deductive reasoning. In that case, let him identify Hongtian's pawn! Su Yu smiled broadly. "Senior Qiong, that is no easy task. Colluding with the Human Gate... literally anyone could be guilty. If I may speak bluntly, even you could be under suspicion, Senior. The Human Gate is everywhere, so it isn't impossible you're playing the thief calling out 'stop thief.'" Qiong snorted coldly. *Me, a thief crying 'stop thief'?* *Insolent pest!* However, Su Yu soon chuckled faintly. "If you truly want to uncover the Human Gate's other emissary, it isn't entirely impossible!" Hearing this, Qiong's interest flared. "Speak, brat. If you help me find that fellow, as I said, I will reward you handsomely. Hongtian dares threaten me—he's seeking death!" Great Sage Hongtian had gone through immense trouble to groom a top-tier figure. If they were truly uncovered and targeted by Qiong... that would be excruciating. In the distance, Zhou kept his mouth shut. Right now, he was furious as well, wishing Su Yu really would drag that fellow into the open. Earlier, Qiong's sword strikes had driven him nearly mad with rage, and it had all been provoked by that bastard. Why on earth go and provoke Qiong? Meanwhile, neither Kong nor Shi said a word. They also wanted to see how Su Yu intended to search. Knowing only that another person existed, how could he possibly pinpoint who it was? At the same time, Su Yu's mind raced, not to actually find someone, but... to find a way to throw the situation into total disarray, to ignite a fight, to spark a slaughter! Otherwise, where would his opportunity lie? As for finding people... who cared! Qiong did not seem fond of thinking, but he was undeniably terrifyingly strong. Su Yu wondered: if he randomly pointed a finger, would Qiong immediately start slaughtering? The key was that the Human Sovereign's phantom projection still lingered nearby... Su Yu believed that so long as his words sounded internally coherent, the Human Sovereign would undoubtedly help him patch up any logic flaws. The Human Sovereign ought to know what he meant and what his goal was. Therefore, what he needed to do now was use Qiong as a breakthrough point, joining hands with the Human Sovereign to play Qiong for a fool! Su Yu looked toward Qiong. He could not clearly make out the Human Sovereign's phantom, yet he felt as though he could sense the Human Sovereign's gaze: *Speak boldly without fear. Even if you spout absolute rubbish, this Sovereign will forcibly round it out for you!* Su Yu broke into a grin! Seeing him smile, Qiong said indifferently, "What, you don't believe me? Despite your strength, whatever trinket I bestow would bring you endless benefit!" "I wouldn't dare doubt you!" Su Yu chuckled. "Lord Qiong and I are practically family. The Sword Sovereign is my subordinate's... father. We are all family here. Even without any reward, I would still help Senior Qiong find that person!" He glanced around and smiled. "There are only so many people present. Zhou cannot possibly serve two Human Gate powerhouses... because serving the Human Gate requires opening the gate, meaning he can only stay in contact with one. Thus, it isn't Zhou! It isn't me, nor is it my grandfather. Wen Yu... goes without saying, she opened the Heavenly Gate. Nor is it Lord Qiong. "That leaves eleven people. As for a Great Sage, though I don't know their exact strength, since they dare provoke even Lord Qiong... I imagine their representative won't be weak; they are very likely at the Integration level! In that case, Feng, An, Ying, and Yuan have a very low probability. Otherwise, thirty or thirty-one daos wouldn't be of much use when a critical moment arrives! "Therefore, Hongtian's person lies among Shi, Kong, Xian, Long, Shen, Dao, and Wu!" Qiong blurted out, "Aren't Dao and Wu disciples of Renrui? So those two aren't it? That means they're among the remaining five?" Su Yu inwardly cheered: *Impressive, you've learned to answer before I even finish!* *I didn't say that; you said it yourself.* Meanwhile, Qiong made a swift assessment, raised an eyebrow, and glared toward the five. It was actually down to those five! The range had narrowed considerably! Su Yu continued with a faint smile, "Of the remaining five, Shi and Kong have a very low probability!" He chuckled. "Both possess formidable strength. It would be difficult for Hongtian to recruit them for cooperation. Just like Senior, they are immensely powerful—why would they work as someone else's dog?" Regardless of whether those two were guilty or not, for now, they were not! Su Yu was confident that even if they were, it made no difference. Neither would admit it, because admitting it... would invite Qiong's wrath! Furthermore, under normal circumstances, it seemed only the human race could open the Human Gate. Neither of the two belonged to the human race. Of course, non-humans could still manage it if they had human subordinates to open the gate for them. Yet Su Yu deliberately glossed over this point, treating such a possibility as nonexistent. Sure enough, when Su Yu cleared them of suspicion, both Kong and Shi remained remarkably calm and detached. Guilty or not, with Qiong looking ready to slaughter someone, there was no need to invite trouble upon themselves. At this moment, Qiong also said coldly, "Then it lies among Xian, Shen, and Long?" A choice of one out of three? The odds were exceedingly high! Right then, the expressions on all three of their faces turned ugly. The Immortal Ancestor frowned slightly. "Qiong, these are merely Su Yu's one-sided remarks, baseless conjecture, and wild ramblings. Surely you aren't taking them seriously?" The Dragon Ancestor was also rather aggravated. "Just because he says it's us three, it has to be us?" *Since when does Su Yu's word dictate truth?* *We came here to negotiate, not to be put on trial by Su Yu!* Now, a gathering of forbidden land masters had been reduced to being judged by an outsider! The others, meanwhile, felt a sense of detached relief. Qiong seemed determined to pick a fight and kill someone; as long as they cleared their own names, who cared! Qiong snapped coldly, "Shut your mouths! I have my own judgment! If it isn't you, splendid... but if it is... then do not blame me for showing no mercy! You know very well why I am looking for you. Unless Hongtian hands it over... I will not rest until every last one of Hongtian's people is dead!" A bone-chilling intent to kill radiated outward! *You took my physical form and threatened me into doing your bidding—if I don't kill you, who else would I kill?* As Qiong unleashed his terrifying killing intent, the other forbidden land masters grew even less inclined to intervene. Even Dao and Wu inwardly cursed: *Forget it. Even being branded with the identity of the Sacred Ground of Humanity is better than being branded an emissary of the Human Gate.* At least the others weren't like Qiong, single-mindedly bent on murder! Meanwhile, Su Yu looked at the three, pondering: *Whom should I frame?* One out of three! As long as he provided a plausible reason, Qiong might genuinely attack. Su Yu had no idea what Hongtian had taken from Qiong, but it had to be of supreme importance. Otherwise, an old recluse like Qiong would never be this furious and volatile. Frame the Immortal Ancestor? He was the one Su Yu most wanted to frame. Yet how should he pin it on him? Furthermore... whether the Immortal Ancestor truly was an emissary of the Human Gate was actually hard to say. When the myriad realms' Immortal Emperor perished, he had specifically warned that the Human Gate was the most treacherous! Evidently, the Immortal Emperor had possessed some understanding of the Human Gate. The Immortal Emperor and his cohort knew the descent of the Three Gates would inevitably bring catastrophe to the myriad realms, and that they might even die, yet they had stubbornly opposed the Human Sovereign and his allies. While ordinary rulers of rules might have been in the dark, first-rank figures like the Immortal Emperor unquestionably knew the inside story of the Three Gates. In that case, the Immortal Ancestor might have communicated with the Immortal Emperor. But the Immortal Emperor had not opened the Heavenly Gate, making direct communication impossible... It could only have occurred via a third party. Could it have been the Human Gate? Communicating through an emissary of the Human Gate? Emissaries of the Human Gate seemed ubiquitous. If Su Yu reasoned along these lines, the Immortal Ancestor indeed had a high probability of being an emissary. A very high one! Yet he could not say this to Qiong, or everyone would ask: *You met the Immortal Emperor?* That would expose his own identity! Thoughts flashed rapidly through Su Yu's mind. Soon, he smiled. "Senior Qiong, among these three, Long has a rather low probability." "Oh? Why do you say that?" Just as Qiong asked, he realized something and nodded. "Makes sense! Long is a beast. Only the human race can cultivate the Human Gate! Be it Shen or Xian, fundamentally, they both originate from the human race..." At this, he sneered, looking toward the God Ancestor and Immortal Ancestor. *So it's down to one of two?* The Immortal Ancestor sighed. "Does colluding with the Human Gate require cultivating the Human Gate oneself? A subordinate who cultivates the Human Gate can facilitate communication just as well. Furthermore, who decreed that the Human Gate must seek out an Integration-level partner? Could they not recruit someone slightly weaker?" He had no choice but to argue back! They had been whittled down to a choice between two. If he didn't dispute it now, Su Yu might casually point a finger, and Qiong might genuinely kill him. There would be nowhere to plead reason then. The God Ancestor's voice boomed as well. "Qiong, we are old acquaintances! Would you trust an inexperienced brat over us?" The Immortal Ancestor pressed on, "Su Yu spoke of a thief crying 'stop thief'... Then why couldn't the ones collaborating with the Human Gate be Su Yu and the Lord of Dead Spirits? They are human as well. They are just as suspicious..." "Shut up, both of you!" Qiong barked, turning to Su Yu. "Can you narrow it down further?" Su Yu's eyes flickered slightly. The next moment, he shook his head. "I cannot. At most, I can only narrow it down to the two of them. A choice of two—I have no way to definitively name one, or it would be pure fabrication!" Indeed! Su Yu made a split-second decision: since dragging one down was tricky, drag both down together! His thoughts spun rapidly. If Qiong truly struck, a one-versus-two fight might be difficult... but *they* could help! Su Yu said faintly, "Lord Qiong, having reached this point, I cannot be certain anymore! Of course, we are family... If Lord Qiong truly has ideas, my grandfather and I... are not to be trifled with either!" *Understood?* *We'll help you!* *If you want to fight two, the two of us can help you pin down one!* At that instant, the entire forbidden land master faction fractured completely! Qiong weighed, assessed, and pondered... Truth be told, the probability for these two really was high! Beside him, the Human Sovereign had remained silent until now. Seeing Qiong hesitate, he transmitted his voice with a chuckle: "Xian has a higher probability. When I killed the Immortal Emperor, the fellow said on his deathbed that the Human Gate was the most perilous and that he had been deceived! That indicates the Immortal Emperor had some contact with the Human Gate. They refused to join me in resisting the Three Gates even in death... The Three Gates must have made them promises. Not just the Human Gate—the Heavenly Gate is powerful, and entities within must have made promises too... But would they believe an outsider's words? The Immortal Emperor and God Emperor were the direct lineages of Xian and Shen... Only their forebears' words could win their trust!" Pausing, the Human Sovereign added, "You can bluff Xian and Shen. Naturally, they won't admit it readily, but just tell them the Immortal Emperor said as much upon dying!" It was inconvenient for Su Yu to speak, but the Human Sovereign had no such misgivings. Qiong's gaze shifted slightly, suddenly fixing on the Immortal Ancestor. He said grimly, "Did you have contact with the myriad realms?" The Immortal Ancestor frowned slightly. "Did you have contact or not?" Qiong said coldly, "In the myriad realms, the Immortal race spearheaded the resistance against Xingyu and his allies. That wouldn't happen unless someone gave them a promise—an absolute, trustworthy promise! If it wasn't their direct forebear, why would the Immortal Emperor and his people trust an outsider so easily? How did you contact the myriad realms? Your Immortal race isn't descended from humans; you don't possess human bloodlines... How could you cultivate the Heavenly Gate? Since you don't have the Heavenly Gate... you had a chance to cultivate the Human Gate... So tell me, did you pass messages to the myriad realms through the Human Gate?" The Immortal Ancestor frowned again. "Qiong, are you completely convinced it's us?" He felt a mixture of helplessness and rage! This fellow Qiong had firmly made up his mind; arguing was futile. And indeed, Qiong was convinced. In a deep voice, he growled, "Hand the item over, and I won't bother with you! Have Hongtian teleport it here, or else... I will slaughter you today without fail!" Baleful aura surged violently! The sword body—he needed it, desperately. He was a sword spirit. With the divine characters on the sword body and the return of the sword itself, he would become vastly stronger than he was now, not inferior in the least to the dual-world integration of figures like the Lord of Dead Spirits. The targets Hongtian wanted him to kill were all troublesome. Yet if he locked onto these two, dealing with them was actually easier than going after Hongtian's targets. "I do not know Hongtian. Qiong, must you push things this far?" The Immortal Ancestor cast him a cold glance, glanced at the phantom beside him, and finally turned toward Kong and Shi, speaking calmly: "He has gone mad, bewitched by Xingyu. I suspect he has already reached an agreement with the myriad realms and is deliberately sabotaging the situation! You two, if you don't stop him, once Shen and I fall, the Heaven-Opening Era—seemingly powerful, yet long a scattered sheet of loose sand—will collapse into utter chaos!" The Immortal Ancestor continued, "I suspect they are deliberately targeting me, perhaps even intending to eliminate me!" He stated evenly, "Because I cultivate the Dao of Life. With me present, many things become exceedingly difficult! My Immortal lineage has been targeted everywhere, and Xingyu has always singled out my line. Right now, Su Yu, the Lord of Dead Spirits, and Xingyu... all of them are targeting me!" In team battles, kill the healer first! As a powerhouse cultivating the Great Dao of Life, indeed, in any era, hostile factions almost always sought to eliminate his lineage first. Of course, the Immortal race had enjoyed exceedingly high status in every era. There were pros and cons! Seeing that Qiong had fixed his sights on them, the Immortal Ancestor was forced to seek aid. Looking toward Shi and the others, he said once more, "I will not argue whether I am a collaborator of the Human Gate. Even if I were... the Human Gate is not the primary enemy right now! The true enemy is the myriad realms!" His tone grew heavy. "Su Yu, the Lord of Dead Spirits, Wen Yu... including Xingyu, these people are the targets we must kill! They are brimming with yang vitality. Kill them, and when the Three Gates open, there will be no rush to slay others or plunder daos, nor any need to worry about being inundated by overwhelming yin qi and perishing! "When the Three Gates open, if we wish to return to the era and survive, our only option is to devour the Great Daos of the living realm to replenish ourselves, balancing yin and yang. Otherwise, after prolonged exposure to the shock of yin qi, we will still perish!" At this moment, his sincerity was palpable. "Therefore, leaving the three living-realm powerhouses alive while fixating on Human Gate emissaries and Heavenly Gate disciples... what meaning does that hold? "When we emerge, isn't it to kill them anyway? Add King Wen and King Wu, and that makes five powerhouses—enough to ensure that five forbidden land masters will not have to fear the shock of yin qi after leaving!" He declared loudly, "The pressing matter of the moment is to join hands and kill them! Five is no small number!" At this, a few people felt a faint stir of interest. Su Yu, however, wore a completely unfazed expression. "Setting aside whether you can kill us, even if you could... who reaps the spoils remains uncertain. Can everyone present truly unite to kill us? Xian, could the final outcome not end with the Human Gate reaping the grand prize? You urge them to kill us... have you considered the consequences? The Human Gate's strength is unknown, but judging solely from the known Great Sages, their power is formidable. Why don't you mention that the Human Gate is also a catastrophic threat? Without far-sighted care, near troubles will arise—why do you say nothing of the immense danger posed by the Human Gate?" The Immortal Ancestor looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and said coldly, "Su Yu, you and Qiong are in league, aren't you? Have you... reached an accord to join forces? Including Wen Yu... is she allied with you as well?" He had finally caught on: Su Yu was constantly sowing discord! Su Yu merely chuckled. "Me, Lord Qiong, and Wen Yu in league?" He sighed. "If we were truly in league, while Wen Yu's identity remained unexposed, we could have put on a show. Never mind killing you, we would have had a chance to eliminate Dao and Wu, the two disciples of the Heavenly Gate! With them dead, my grandfather and Lord Qiong holding back Shi and Kong, and the Human Sovereign Xingyu descending in person... we could have fought you head-on! Would we need any of this chicanery?" Su Yu laughed aloud. "Would we need to make things so convoluted? I'd love to be in league with them... Why don't you talk to Lord Qiong and convince him to join us? And talk to Wen Yu too..." As he spoke, Su Yu's eyes shifted slightly. Looking at Qiong, then at Wen Yu, he gave a faint smile. "If you insist on thinking we're in league... why should I bother denying it? You two... do you harbor such thoughts?" At this point, the expressions of the others flickered. Some frowned, looking toward the Immortal Ancestor. It made sense: if Su Yu were truly allied with them, there would have been no need to expose Wen Yu! Just then, Zhou said indifferently, "I noticed something was off with Wen Yu's identity long ago..." Su Yu sighed. "The Human Gate... has joined forces!" Zhou froze, then cursed violently in his heart! Indeed, they suspected the Immortal Ancestor was with the Human Gate, and Zhou's own identity as an emissary had already been exposed. His speaking up now would only lead everyone to believe the Human Gate emissaries were coordinating! His credibility was gone! Not only that, his interjection only made everyone suspect the Immortal Ancestor even more, because Zhou was chiming in to defend him! Shi and Kong exchanged a glance, their expressions growing grave. Chaos to this extent was genuinely bad! Terrible, in fact! Before the Heavenly Gate had even opened, matters had devolved into this. Once it opened, how could they fight the myriad realms, or contend against the Human Gate and Earth Gate? Even if the Earth Gate was weaker, it housed the Lord of Chaos and other entities. Meanwhile, the Lord of Dead Spirits' eyes flickered. He could tell Shi and Kong were thinking of smoothing things over, which would be troublesome. The next instant, the Lord of Dead Spirits chuckled faintly. "Qiong, what did they steal from you? How about I lend you a hand? I'll kill this detestable Xian, and you go kill Shen. Since it's a choice of two, kill them both... guaranteed not to miss!" Before Qiong could respond—*boom!* A deafening explosion rang out! The Lord of Dead Spirits attacked directly! At this stage, if they didn't fight, all the talking might lead them to call it off! Su Yu had said everything that needed saying! Could they really kill people with mere tongue-wagging next? A fist of death qi slammed forth in an instant! Qiong was momentarily taken aback, then knitted his brow and barked, "Leave Xian to me! If you want to fight... go kill Shen!" The Lord of Dead Spirits cursed inwardly! Yet he laughed boisterously, pouncing toward the God Ancestor in a flash. *Whatever, start the brawl first!* Both the God Ancestor and Immortal Ancestor roared furiously, their auras shaking heaven and earth! *Hum!* Sword qi soared into the clouds! Kong's gaze shifted, and he shouted, "Stop!" A real fight had broken out! Qiong bellowed coldly, "Have them hand over what I need, and I will naturally halt! Otherwise... Kong, if you dare obstruct me, you are severing my path forward, and I will never let you off!" *Bastard!* Kong was enraged as well! The battle had commenced! Damn it all, everything had devolved into complete anarchy! Shi's aura surged as well, carrying a heavy weight. This was not a good development. Right then, Su Yu chuckled impishly. "Wen Yu, you killed Fa—do you think his two senior brothers will let you off? Fight! Dao and Wu certainly won't spare you! Furthermore, we didn't sense the commotion of Fa's fall... Could it be that Fa can still be saved? Is Fa's origin still inside your world? If they kill you, will Fa... revive? Hahaha! Dao, Wu, kill Wen Yu... Perhaps Fa can be revived! Otherwise, Fa was a supreme powerhouse after all... When he died, would there really be no disturbance at all? Let chaos reign, let chaos reign! It's already a chaotic era, so why care so much?" At this moment, Dao and Wu exchanged a look, and both charged toward Wen Yu simultaneously. The Blade Ancestor shouted, "Kill Wen Yu first! Regardless of whether she killed Fa or if Fa can be revived... she is a powerhouse of the myriad realms. Slaying her is an absolute necessity!" *Boom!* A blade and a fist struck out together! Whether to save Fa or simply to slaughter Wen Yu and seize her living-realm Great Dao, Wen Yu had to die! *Boom!* A fierce battle erupted. Wen Yu cursed under her breath as her aura flared. Within her world, a cluster of rogue cultivators exploded one after another, while the survivors fled frantically. Wen Yu couldn't care less, maneuvering her world to clash instantly against the two! Shi and Kong frowned once more. Those two were ninety percent likely to be disciples of the Heavenly Gate! Damn it, every single one of them had descended into madness! In the blink of an eye, seven supreme powerhouses were engaged in life-and-death combat. Both Qiong and the Lord of Dead Spirits were exceptionally strong. Teaming up, they suppressed the Immortal Ancestor and his ally in an instant. The Immortal Ancestor was forced to roar furiously, "Zhou, are you just going to watch? Qiong has gone mad! If he truly kills me, do you think you can escape?" Hearing this, Zhou's expression shifted slightly, and he charged forward! Indeed, this madman Qiong was dead set on slaughtering the Human Gate emissaries. *Boom!* Qiong was suddenly fighting one against two. Though thirty-six daos were immensely strong, both opponents were top-tier experts of thirty-four daos. Working together, their combined might was terrifying, clashing with Qiong and shattering heaven and earth within seconds! Qiong roared in fury, "As expected, you are all dogs of the Human Gate! Insolent bastards, I will definitely butcher you! If that dog Hongtian doesn't hand over what I want, all of you will die!" The alliance between the Immortal Ancestor and Zhou only convinced Qiong further that the Immortal Ancestor was that other Human Gate emissary! Hongtian's pawn! At this moment, Kong, Shi, and Long—the three with thirty-two or more daos—did not join the battle. Nor did Su Yu. The four weaker forbidden land masters looked on with strange expressions, staying out of the fray as well! Yet eight supreme powerhouses were already locked in battle! Su Yu merely watched, his attention constantly monitoring the movements of Shi and Kong. If those two intervened... that would be true trouble! As for Long and the others, Su Yu was not afraid. He could handle Long. King Wen and King Wu had not arrived yet; once they did, the two could handle the other four forbidden land masters who had not reached the supreme tier. Therefore, the entire turning point rested upon Kong and Shi! Would they join the battle? If they did, whom would they aid? Certainly not Su Yu; he knew that much. Thus, the best outcome was for neither to intervene! At this point, Su Yu smiled, sighing with emotion. "Truly chaotic! With only this many people, yet so many factions... Alas! How can the Heaven-Opening Era compete with the other sides when infighting has reached such a state..." Everyone said the Heavenly Gate was strong. It was indeed strong, significantly stronger than the Earth Gate at least. The forbidden land masters numbered well into the double digits! Yet it had to be said that the Heavenly Gate was truly a mess. Just then, Kong suddenly turned to look at Su Yu, his massive eyes brimming with coldness. "You certainly have a glib tongue. Is today's chaotic situation unrelated to you? Yet here you are, waxing sentimental!" Su Yu said indifferently, "I merely laid the situation bare. Why must everyone pretend? If we didn't clarify things now, were we supposed to wait until a critical moment to turn on one another?" "Turn on one another? Do you even count as a cultivator of the Heaven-Opening Era?" Kong was utterly cold. "Have you forgotten that you and that fellow are both from the myriad realms? You are brimming with yang vitality. All you need is to return to the myriad realms, yet you have thrown the entire Heaven-Opening Era into disarray! Su Yu, do you truly think this seat cannot see through you?" Su Yu was the troublemaker! The sort who stayed completely detached while watching the fire burn from across the river. Others were fighting, while he stood by enjoying the show. Kong felt no goodwill toward such a person, not to mention his prior grievances with the Lord of Dead Spirits. Su Yu knew there was nothing to negotiate with Kong. He looked toward Shi, adopting an air of helplessness. "Is there truly that great a difference between those inside the gate and those outside? It's nothing more than the difference of killing someone from beyond the gate! My grandfather and I simply skipped a step. Once you kill someone from beyond the gate... will there be any difference between you and us? I was born in the Heavenly Gate and raised in the Heavenly Gate. Am I a sinner just because I was born with a bit of yang vitality?" Su Yu sneered. "Strictly speaking, my grandfather is also someone of the Heaven-Opening Era—he just wasn't completely sealed away, was he? Kong, I think you're just jealous! Do we have any connection to the current myriad realms?" Noticing that Kong seemed on the verge of erupting, Su Yu quickly added, "Senior Shi, I feel that across the entire Heaven-Opening Era, only you possess the qualifications to quell this turmoil. You are impartial, whereas the others harbor biases to varying degrees... For the Heavenly Gate to become this chaotic is unacceptable... Why doesn't Senior step forward and take the lead? Perhaps there is a way to resolve this chaos... "Slay the Human Gate emissaries, slay the Heavenly Gate disciples, and slay King Wen and Wen Yu of the myriad realms... Though many would die, consolidating our forces would actually make us stronger than we are now! "As for my grandfather and me, if we hadn't been constantly targeted, we wouldn't have interfered in these matters at all. Our killing was an act of desperation!" Shi had transformed into a stone colossus, surveying the surroundings where fierce battles raged continuously, a sprawling mess! Powerhouses like Long and Feng exchanged glances. Long and Feng quickly flew to Kong's side, while the other three—An, Ying, and Yuan—hesitated briefly before drifting toward Shi. They felt immensely vulnerable right now! These two supreme powerhouses within the gate offered some measure of protection. Long and Feng were naturally closer to Kong, while Shi, despite his low profile, was the spirit born from a chaotic boulder of the Heaven-Opening Era and was indeed relatively neutral. The other three could only hope the chaos would not engulf them. Kong, however, was itching to move! Su Yu rapidly assessed the situation. If Kong stepped in... the Lord of Dead Spirits would have to channel his world to deal with him! As for himself, he could take on Long. Right now, he could not rashly channel his world, or it would invite disaster; his identity would be exposed. Without channeling his world, he could only handle Long, leaving no one to deal with the God Ancestor. He still had to hope Shi would not intervene! From the corner of his eye, he glanced toward Wen Yu. She was at thirty-four daos after all, while Dao and Wu were only at thirty-two. Clashing two against one, Wen Yu was not at a severe disadvantage. So long as Shi stayed out of it... there was still a chance. Countless thoughts raced through Su Yu's mind. How could he keep Shi from intervening? *** At this moment, the Human Sovereign had also gauged the situation. If Shi did not intervene, Su Yu's side wouldn't lose too badly; they would still have the strength to fight. The optimal result was for neither Shi nor Kong to step in. Yet if Kong truly intervened, there was nothing they could do... As for Shi... Thoughts flickered across the Human Sovereign's mind. This was thorny! Though these people were locked in internal strife, the moment Su Yu and his companions exposed their true colors, Shi would undoubtedly intervene! Or if a situation arose where someone was about to die, there was a high probability Shi would step in to stop it. That Su Yu had stirred the situation into such a state had already exceeded all expectations! Yet it was still not enough! The Human Sovereign felt a deep regret. Had his injuries fully healed, he could have descended in his true body to assist in the fight. But... he had only recovered to the level of thirty daos. Fast as that was, descending in his true body into a chaotic melee like this would be of little use. Thus, the Human Sovereign could not possibly descend in person. That would only invite trouble upon himself and burden Su Yu and the others. *Second Brother Wen is truly useless!* The Human Sovereign cursed inwardly once more. Second Brother Wen was an old good-for-nothing. Otherwise, if he could match Shi and his peers right now, there would be no need for so much deliberation. Look at Su Yu—good heavens, he had manipulated the situation into the most favorable alignment possible in one stroke. Alas, they were hamstrung by a lack of raw power. The Human Sovereign racked his brains for a solution. At this moment, across the three battlefields, the Lord of Dead Spirits had taken the upper hand. Qiong was not at a disadvantage, though he hadn't gained much ground either. As for Wen Yu, it was much the same. One was a thirty-six-dao powerhouse fighting two thirty-four-dao experts, while the other was a thirty-four-dao expert fighting two thirty-two-dao opponents. Both could only maintain an equilibrium. Kong, however, was restless, seemingly intending to target Su Yu first! He likely wanted to slaughter Su Yu first, extract his yang vitality to empower himself, and only then deal with the Lord of Dead Spirits! Indeed, Su Yu was an enticing prize! Wen Yu was also present, but she was formidable, and Dao and Wu were already fighting her. Intervening there would look like swooping in to steal the fruits of their victory. But Su Yu... could be killed! Once he killed Su Yu and stripped his yang vitality, Kong reasoned that even if the Lord of Dead Spirits achieved dual-world integration, he would not necessarily be outmatched by him! *** The Great Dao of Calamity fluctuated violently! Su Yu cursed wildly in his heart. No need to ask—Kong had set his sights on him! Rotten luck! Cause and effect: if the Lord of Dead Spirits hadn't targeted the Radiant Sacred Tiger last time, Kong might not have intervened. Yet without causing a massive commotion back then, King Wu wouldn't have been able to feign nirvanic death, Fa's downfall might have leaked, and they wouldn't hold their current advantage. So long as Shi was absent, once King Wen and his companion arrived, a battle was not impossible! The crux... was Shi! Cold sweat beaded on Su Yu's back from sheer anxiety. Was there a way? Was there a way to lure Shi away? Only by drawing him away could they perform dual-world integration; otherwise, with him present, merging two worlds would inevitably draw his devastating strike! *** At the same time. King Wen and King Wu perceived everything unfolding. King Wen looked in that direction, his expression shifting slightly. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "The situation has exceeded expectations. Right now, only by luring away Shi or Kong will there be hope of achieving our goal..." He looked at King Wu and smiled faintly. "You and I have been here for years without accomplishing much of note!" King Wen chuckled. "I will head near the Heavenly Gate to open a world! Open a world within the gate! I will summon the Book Spirit and achieve dual-world integration! Once Shi senses it, there is a very high probability he will go to stop me from opening a world... Taishan, I have a mission for you!" King Wu asked gravely, "Speak!" "Hold back a supreme expert, even if it costs you your life! So long as you hold them... once Shi departs to find me... only then will Su Yu and the others have the courage to merge their worlds and summon their power... You must either hold back the God Ancestor or hold back Long... or perhaps even several non-supreme forbidden land masters... It will be perilous..." King Wu bared his teeth in a grin! "Second Brother, do you look down on me? Do you think I fear danger?" King Wen patted his shoulder with a smile. "True enough! We brothers have been inside for years, and to be honest... it's rather embarrassing! Today, let that brat see that the two Kings Wen and Wu are not to be trifled with! The Eldest Brother is over there as well... At the critical moment, if you run out of options... see if the Eldest Brother can offer you a bit of support..." "Second Brother, then you... take care!" King Wu was actually more worried about King Wen! Opening a world! Over there lay not only the Martial Emperor's Heavenly Gate, but also the true Heavenly Gate. Adding the fact that Shi would be drawn over... King Wen was the one in genuine danger! "Don't worry!" King Wen smiled faintly. He knew Su Yu and the others were out of moves. At this stage, unless something monumental occurred, why would Shi leave? And that monumental event... was King Wen opening a world! Shi would unquestionably come to stop him! "Do you fellows underestimate me?" King Wen chuckled, vanishing on the spot in an instant. *I am not one to be pushed around either!* *That brat Su Yu has nothing to strut about. Though I must admit, the kid is truly a master at socializing and roping people in, wooing powerhouses left and right.* Though Qiong had been influenced by the Eldest Brother, without proper coaxing... could the Lord of Dead Spirits have won Qiong over? Hardly! Influence was not control; Qiong merely held a bit of goodwill toward the human race, which was a far cry from slaughtering people on humanity's behalf. *Over these years, I need to do some soul-searching... Compared to Su Yu, the difference probably lies right here... my networking skills are lacking! Put simply, I'm bad at sweet-talking allies!* King Wen engaged in a bit of self-reflection. Indeed, self-reflection was warranted! Perhaps he had occupied a high seat for too long and forgotten the days of his weakness, unable to set aside his dignity to win over various factions. Take the Lord of Dead Spirits, for instance: had he set aside his pride and reached out early on, he might well have brought him to their side. With a smile, King Wen swiftly flew toward the direction where he sensed the Book Spirit. *** Meanwhile, King Wu drew a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and flew rapidly toward the battlefield. *I must hold back a supreme powerhouse!* *Perhaps a supreme powerhouse plus several below the supreme tier!* And he was only at thirty-one daos! "Second Brother is right... We... cannot back down!" He bolstered his own resolve, gritted his teeth, and prepared to stake it all!