Returning to the Myriad Realms

Flee! At that moment, Su Yu and his companions fled rapidly. The Heavenly Gate had completely sealed off the infiltration of world power. On Su Yu's side, the Lord of Dead Spirits had stepped into thirty-six Daos, Wen Yu possessed thirty-four Daos, Su Yu commanded thirty-two Daos, King Wen barely reached thirty-two Daos, and King Wu had yet to advance. Yet inside the Heavenly Gate, powerhouse opponents remained. Shi and Kong each possessed thirty-six Daos, the God Ancestor held thirty-four Daos, the Dao Ancestor wielded thirty-two Daos, and Ri and Yue, who had appeared from the Heavenly Gate later, each boasted the strength of thirty-two Daos as well. A gap in strength still existed between the two sides, though it was not wide. However, Qiong's attitude remained ambiguous. Furthermore, the Heavenly Gate had locked down the world, and there was still a swarm of experts below thirty-two Daos. If they swarmed together, the losses would be severe—an outcome Su Yu was unwilling to see. If they truly had to fight, they could keep going! Yet at this stage, all their trump cards were exposed. Fighting on would become a brawl of mutual attrition, and both sides were bound to suffer casualties. Su Yu and his companions fled rapidly. To the south, a portal faintly took shape. Right then, the Lord of Dead Spirits frowned. "Leaving? A Heavenly Gate phantom will likely be insufficient to support my exit, even with some prior preparations..." A Heavenly Gate phantom could be entered, but leaving through one was arduous. Naturally, descending through projecting marks accumulated over time was possible. Yet for the Lord of Dead Spirits, he was simply too strong. He might not be able to get out! Su Yu had no idea what arrangements the Human Sovereign had made, but someone of thirty-six Daos was indeed terrifyingly powerful. The Lord of Dead Spirits cast a glance back and said quickly, "If I truly can't leave, we'll just fight them again!" At this moment, he was in high spirits! Utterly arrogant! Reviving from death and rotating through life and death, he had stepped straight into thirty-six Daos here, and after merging dual worlds, he had reached thirty-eight Daos and was advancing toward thirty-nine Daos. Just now, battling four great powerhouses on his own, he hadn't fallen into much of a disadvantage at all. He had no fear of these bastards! What was more, multiple masters of forbidden lands had perished this time. Several supreme-rank experts had fallen: Wu, Xian, Long, and Zhou. Adding the earlier Lord of Soul Falling Valley, the Demon Ancestor, and Fa, in a mere matter of days, they had slain seven supreme-rank powerhouses, as well as the Soul Lord, the Fist Saint, and the Phoenix Ancestor—three masters of forbidden lands who weren't supreme rank. Ten major forbidden lands annihilated! And from start to finish, only about four months had elapsed, while roughly a year had passed in the myriad realms! One year in the myriad realms. Su Yu had entered and annihilated ten major forbidden lands—an unimaginable feat. Su Yu looked back at the powerhouses still giving chase and shook his head. "If we keep fighting, we might not lose... but what if the Heavenly Gate awakens once more and directly enters the fray? Besides, if we brawl here until both sides are crippled, who will deal with the Human Gate and the Earth Gate?" "Returning now to fully merge our dual worlds leaves room for us to grow, but these old relics have none!" The cost-benefit ratio was poor, and Su Yu refused such deals. At this stage, they had secured the greatest possible fruits of battle. What they needed to do right now was leave with the spoils of victory! Once back, he, King Wen, and the Lord of Dead Spirits could fully merge their dual worlds, and King Wu should be able to step into supreme rank. All of them would make progress, so there was no need to slaughter it out here! Behind them, Shi and Kong wore frigid expressions as they rapidly communicated via voice transmission. "They want to escape. We must hold them back! Otherwise, once they escape to the myriad realms... when the Heavenly Gate opens, the enemies we face will be far stronger!" Right now, they could still hold a slight advantage. Yet once these intruders escaped, they would possess no advantage whatsoever! Right then, Su Yu called out coldly from ahead, "Still chasing? If you truly catch up, are you certain to win? How many of you must die before you're satisfied? Are you only happy handing the advantage to the Human Gate and Earth Gate?" "Setting everything else aside, those from the Heavenly Gate will definitely die! Kong, Shi, can you two guarantee victory?" Su Yu barked coldly, "Don't refuse face when it's offered! If you truly push us into a corner, we'll fight another round right now and see who buckles first!" At this moment, Su Yu possessed the confidence to make such a threat! Because they, too, were exceedingly strong! Su Yu sneered, "The Heavenly Gate hasn't fully awakened, has it? If we kill you now and then have others launch a full assault on the Heavenly Gate, let's see how the Heavenly Gate contends with the other two gates! Dao, Ri, Yue, are you so eager to die?" "Su Yu!" Kong barked coldly, "Save your glib tongue! You wretched bastards must die!" Infuriating! "Kong, you're courting death!" Su Yu roared, "Everyone, strike back! Target Kong! Kill Kong at all costs!" Boom! The group spun around in an instant, abruptly charging back at them! Kong's giant eye contracted violently. Su Yu's cold shout rang out once more: "I don't believe your alliance is so tight that you'd genuinely die for one another! Do you truly think you're comrades? Do you honestly believe that just because the Heavenly Gate wiped the slate clean, you've become family? Kill!" Boom! A ranged strike blasted forth as several supreme powerhouses struck simultaneously, their sole target being Kong! Kong roared thunderously, his single horn bursting with radiant light. The others also unleashed attacks, yet the intruders' assault was concentrated squarely on Kong. In an instant, the brilliance of Kong's horn shattered, and with a resounding boom, he was knocked back by a wave of death qi. He wasn't seriously injured, but it chilled Kong's heart. He snapped his gaze toward the others, his expression shifting. The others had indeed acted and hadn't stood idle, but... the attack hadn't targeted them. They had struck, but had they truly gone all out? Their side had six supreme powerhouses—more than Su Yu's group—and the extra was a thirty-six Dao expert. Yet they had failed to completely crush the attack from Su Yu's side. Su Yu sneered, "Kong, don't fail to appreciate what's good for you, and that goes for the rest of you! Chasing your ancestors? Chase, chase, chase! If we truly fight to the death right now, will you get any benefit?" The Lord of Dead Spirits also smiled faintly. "Only if we leave can you sleep peacefully. Don't force us to stay and entangle with you forever... if things come to that, it won't be pretty! Besides, do you truly think Qiong is on your side? Without Qiong's help this time, we never could have achieved such massive results. At a critical juncture, when Qiong arrives... hehe, who knows whose side he'll take!" Su Yu snapped, "Nonsense, Qiong is one of theirs and has nothing to do with us!" The Lord of Dead Spirits paused, then chuckled darkly. "Right, right, right, nothing to do with us. Don't misunderstand!" King Wen caught his breath and smiled with refined elegance. "Su Yu, don't play sowing discord. Qiong belongs to them and has nothing to do with us. He was merely used earlier. Look, didn't it seem like he wanted to strike you just a moment ago?" Wen Yu chimed in, "Not at all! When we killed Zhou, he didn't even lift a finger to stop us!" "..." Behind them, the expressions of Shi, Kong, and the others shifted slightly. What was Qiong's true relationship with the myriad realms? This was exceedingly difficult to judge. They could tell Qiong might have been influenced, yet his stance was undeniably ambiguous. In this catastrophe where the Heavenly Gate suffered such monumental losses, Qiong had indisputably played a massive role! The entire chaotic mess had been sparked by Qiong acting first. If Qiong truly joined hands with these people... their so-called advantage would completely vanish. Both sides would have two thirty-six Dao experts and one thirty-four Dao expert. Once King Wu advanced, then Su Yu, King Wu, and King Wen would match the gap against Ri, Yue, and Dao, making their counts of supreme-rank experts identical! Moreover, most of Su Yu's side were Heaven-Openers, which gave them an edge. Even at the same tier, Heaven-Openers were slightly stronger. When that happened, they would be no match for Su Yu's side! At this moment, Su Yu and his companions chimed in one after another, thoroughly arrogant! Su Yu's laughter drifted over. "You had better wait obediently for the Heavenly Gate to fully awaken. If you fight on now... aren't you afraid we might revive once more?" Kong sneered, "Revive again? Do you take me for blind? Your so-called revival is nothing more than the extinction of the Dao of Life and Death completing a single fusion. I don't believe—" Su Yu murmured, "It's difficult for me and the Lord of Dead Spirits, but have you forgotten that I still have two people here who haven't completed extinction through life and death? Care to... give it a try?" "..." Instantly, the pursuit behind them fell silent. Who was he talking about? King Wen and Wen Yu, of course! Could they do it? Who knew! Yet if those two could also undergo extinction and revive, blowing themselves up to take down two supreme-rank experts before returning... the Heavenly Gate would suffer total defeat! Shi's voice turned icy. "Extinction through life and death—is it truly so simple? Su Yu, who are you trying to intimidate!" Su Yu sneered. "Cut the crap. They've already opened worlds! If it can succeed once, twice, and even King Wu has gone through extinction... do you think King Wen and Wen Yu can't? It's just that we aren't a hundred percent certain right now. If you truly push us to the brink... go ahead and test it!" "Three extinctions succeeded. Do you want to wager that the next two will fail? Otherwise, if even one succeeds... see which of you dies!" Indeed, three had succeeded! Could the Wen siblings succeed as well? Were any Heaven-Openers fools? If King Wen and Wen Yu truly chose extinction and dragged down two supreme-rank experts, then if even one person revived... the balance of combat power would collapse. The key was that once they embraced extinction, they would have no fear of death. Self-detonation would be second nature to them... and that was the truly terrifying part! At this point, even Shi and Kong felt stifled with rage! Because what Su Yu said was not pure bluster; it was an extremely plausible possibility! The crucial factor remained Qiong's attitude! If Qiong still helped them, or refused to help and chose neutrality, the ultimate outcome might be that the majority on both sides died, with very few surviving! The Heavenly Gate powerhouses felt aggrieved and helpless! The mighty Heavenly Gate! Over a dozen masters of forbidden lands! Yet one after another, they had fallen! It proved the old saying: when you were being killed, I watched the show; by the time I was being killed... no one was left to care! Back when Su Yu and the Lord of Dead Spirits killed the Lord of Soul Falling Valley and the Demon Ancestor, everyone had held back out of wariness. Shi and Kong hadn't intervened at all. Now, the balance of power had rapidly collapsed! The deaths of numerous masters of forbidden lands had severely depleted the Heavenly Gate's strength! Under Su Yu's intimidation, Shi and Kong exchanged a glance, both showing traces of helplessness. The two instantly looked toward Ri and Yue, sending rapid voice transmissions: "Can he awaken and join the battle right now?" If the Heavenly Gate awakened and joined the fight... they could kill these intruders! Ri and Yue, one male and one female, possessed formidable auras, both wielding the power of thirty-two Daos. Yet at this moment, the two exchanged glances and shook their heads. No! Not only that, Ri said in a heavy voice, "We... cannot perish here!" What did that mean? Kong and the others frowned coldly. Ri remained silent. They could not die. In fact, if not for the Gate's orders, they wouldn't have stepped out at all, because they were the Gate's guardians, and the Gate had yet to fully awaken. Once it lost its guarding powerhouses, there would be only one outcome... a fate as miserable as the Earth Gate's! The Human Sovereign struck whenever he pleased! Because the Earth Gate had no guardians. If they perished, no one would guard the Heavenly Gate. Shi or Kong could attack the Heavenly Gate at will, disrupting its healing process. Repeated enough times, the Heavenly Gate would be finished. "The duty of the Human Dao Holy Land is to protect the Ancestor!" Yue provided a cool, detached answer. Kong and Shi immediately understood, their expressions turning ugly. These two were unwilling to brawl to the death against Su Yu and his group! Because once they died and the Heavenly Gate lacked protectors, they feared the survivors would come looking for trouble. "Hmph!" Kong snorted coldly, brimming with discontent, and said harshly, "This is all thanks to your great work!" "Fa helped Wen Yu, Wu helped Taishan, always trying to stir something up. This Forbidden Land Conference was actively convened by Fa... look how many masters of forbidden lands fell as a result!" Ri and Yue remained silent. Shifting the blame? What did this have to do with Fa? Everyone had agreed to the Forbidden Land Conference; Fa had simply been unlucky enough to be taken down ahead of time. Hadn't you fools been run in circles by Su Yu and his people as well? At this stage, Shi and the others already knew that continuing the battle might not be feasible! Shi said quickly, "Surround them. It looks like they want to leave through the Heavenly Gate projection. I refuse to believe they can all exit instantly. If they can't leave together... someone will have to cover the rear!" The others' eyes lit up. Right! Once someone covered the rear and the ones in front left, the last person wouldn't find it so easy to escape! The group reached a tacit understanding in an instant. An all-out battle held no benefit, so they would shadow them! ... By now, Su Yu and his companions had arrived near the Heavenly Gate projection. This Heavenly Gate projection was remarkably distinct. Suddenly, Tongtian's aged face appeared upon the portal. He was trembling with fear—the sheer intensity of each surging aura was utterly terrifying to him! "Your Majesty!" Tongtian spotted Su Yu and hurriedly offered greetings, then added hastily, "Greetings, Lord King Wen, Lord King Wu!" Then, trembling with terror, he asked, "Are all of you... planning to pass through me?" I'll die! So strong! Each aura was terrifying enough to frighten him out of his wits. He was an expert who had just advanced to eighteen Daos and hadn't even had the chance to boast, yet now he already felt an intense tearing sensation! I can't take this! If all these people entered, not only might he die, but King Ming likely wouldn't be able to hold either! The Lord of Dead Spirits sensed the portal and frowned immediately. "Difficult! The rest of you might have a chance, but for me, it will be very hard! This pseudo-gate and the one maintaining the Heavenly Gate will likely be burst apart by my power!" Right then, Tongtian's expression flickered, and he quickly said, "His Majesty the Human Sovereign told me to relay a message: do not rush. He is finding a way... he will definitely ensure everyone returns safely. Do not enter one by one..." Su Yu's eyes shifted. "Is that possible?" He could see the immense difficulty as well! Moreover, the enemies behind were shadowing them, clearly intending to gang up on whoever stayed behind to cover the retreat. Who would cover the rear? No matter who it was, it would be exceptionally perilous! The next moment, King Ming's voice came through: "Please wait a moment, everyone. His Majesty is working on a solution. Trust His Majesty!" After a pause, he added, "Second Brother, you... you persuade Senior Dead Spirits..." King Wen was speechless. What are you thinking! The Lord of Dead Spirits was equally speechless. What was that supposed to mean? King Wen quickly smiled. "All right, you don't need to worry about our side. Don't let your thoughts run wild!" He understood Old Fifth's meaning—he was likely afraid the Lord of Dead Spirits would forcibly burst through the gate... The problem was, King Wen's words carried no weight here. This was someone Su Yu had roped in, and the Lord of Dead Spirits didn't have much of a favorable attitude toward King Wen either. King Ming felt suspicious, but said no more. ... At the same time. The Human Sovereign acted swiftly, appearing once more. The Earth Gate flared with sudden fury: "What are you here for again?" Yes, the Earth Gate! The Human Sovereign said in a deep voice, "Do me a favor..." "Impossible!" The Earth Gate was practically going mad with rage: "I have already expended a massive amount of source power to elevate that pseudo-gate to eighteen Daos, costing me tremendously... what more do you want?" Bastard! Are you truly trying to force me to fully awaken right now? This was the sorrow of having no guardians! If the Heavenly Gate stood here, it wouldn't be afraid, as it had powerhouses like Ri and Yue guarding it. The Earth Gate had possessed them in the past as well, but during the battles against the Heaven-Opening Era... most had been slain! The experts of the Heaven-Opening Era weren't just boasting! The Human Sovereign said quickly, "Time is pressing, so I'll keep it short. My people need to exit from the Heavenly Gate right now, but the Heavenly Gate was beaten into shutting down and completely sealed its portal, so they can't come out! I need you to help Tongtian, give him some support, and solidify the passage so my people can exit..." The Earth Gate understood! Yet it was unwilling! "Impossible! That would expend a massive amount of my source power, and my injuries are severe..." The Human Sovereign took a deep breath. "How about this: I see they killed several supreme-rank experts. If you agree, I'll secure a supreme-rank Dao to nourish your body! The Phoenix Ancestor was at thirty-one Daos, and her Dao power seems intact! Zhou was at thirty-four Daos, though his Dao power suffered considerable loss. The Dragon Ancestor was at thirty-two Daos, and some remnants of his Dao power should remain. The Martial Ancestor was at thirty-two Daos, with plenty of Dao power left. The Immortal Ancestor was at thirty-four Daos, though it's hard to say how much remains. The Soul Lord and Demon Ancestor's might have been consumed, and it's uncertain how much of Fa Ancestor's is left..." The Earth Gate was stunned. What was going on? What did this mean? A string of familiar names left the Earth Gate shaken. Don't tell me your people killed all of them! That was impossible! "Are you trying to frighten me? If they were truly that strong, they could have just launched a frontal assault on the Heavenly Gate to break out..." The Human Sovereign said exasperatedly, "Nonsense, I'd like that too! But right now, Shi, Kong, Ri, Yue, Shen, and Dao, along with Great Sage Hongtian descending from the Human Gate and hundreds or thousands of Rulers of Rules, are all guarding the Heavenly Gate, defending it with everything they have... how are they supposed to get out? If not for Hongtian descending, my side would have wiped out the Heavenly Gate long ago!" "What?" Hongtian? A Human Gate powerhouse had descended? The Earth Gate wanted to say more, but the Human Sovereign said coldly, "Right now, several top powerhouses among my people can't cross over, but supreme-rank experts of thirty-two Daos can. If you refuse... once they return, they won't treat you kindly! Do you understand?" It wasn't that none of his people could return; only the pinnacle beings exceeding thirty-two Daos couldn't! A threat! A blatant threat! The Earth Gate was furious. It felt a pang of regret—why had it remained standing in the myriad realms? Not because it wanted to, but because it had been sealed back then and had no choice. Now, it was being threatened repeatedly! In the past, it wouldn't have feared the Human Sovereign's threats. But in the previous battle against the Heavenly Gate era, the Earth Gate had suffered disastrous losses, leaving it without a single usable subordinate. Its relationship with the Lord of Chaos was currently merely cooperative, not hierarchical. That fellow stayed hidden in the depths of the Earth Gate, utterly unwilling to appear here. In fact, he used to stay near the portal in earlier years, but ever since King Wen and the Human Sovereign barged in and fought him once, he had retreated far beyond the portal's reach. "Even if I facilitate their return... you'll still have them attack me... once leads to twice... you threaten me again and again... do not force me to fully awaken right now!" It spoke with fury! The Human Sovereign frowned. "How about this: I promise that before the three gates fully open, if you help me this time, then once my people return, we will not take action against you before you fully awaken!" Seeing no reply, the Human Sovereign turned cold and produced the newly retrieved Human Sovereign Seal. "I will draft a Human Sovereign decree as my promise to you. If you still don't believe me... I have no other choice, but I guarantee you will regret it! The first one to emerge will certainly be Su Yu. Su Yu avenges every grievance. Since you stand here, you cannot be ignorant of his temperament... If you refuse now... Su Yu will definitely target you first, and at that point, even I won't be able to stop him!" Su Yu... The Earth Gate truly did know of him! "He wants to come out?" "Yes!" "What is his current strength?" "Thirty-two Daos inside. Once out, at least thirty-four, perhaps thirty-five Daos!" The Earth Gate was completely speechless. Fuck! Was cultivation so effortless nowadays? The crucial point was that Su Yu... had already reached thirty-two Daos inside the Heavenly Gate? It was... simply unimaginable! It now began to believe the Human Sovereign's words. After a moment of silence, it said, "So, the deaths of all those people happened after he entered?" "Smart!" "He hasn't been gone long, has he?" "One year!" The Human Sovereign replied. In the myriad realms, a year had passed since Su Yu left. This year had arguably been the most peaceful year in the myriad realms, and it was already the third year of the New Yu calendar! In this year, with Su Yu absent, peace reigned under heaven! Of course, even if he were here, the myriad realms had virtually no enemies left! The Heavenly Gate and Human Gate might not know, but the Earth Gate knew that in one year... Su Yu was truly capable of unleashing a tempest of blood and gore! This person had risen in the myriad realms not long ago and had accomplished so many momentous feats. Although the Earth Gate hadn't awakened much previously, it had observed some of those events. Hearing that Su Yu was about to return, the Earth Gate considered it, then spoke: "Signing a Human Sovereign decree isn't enough... I also need Su Yu's guarantee. The great seal inside his world... must stamp your agreement!" "..." Fuck! The Human Sovereign wanted to curse. What did that mean? You clearly don't trust me? You think I have no deterrent power left, is that it? The moment I say Su Yu is coming back, you're scared? The Earth Gate said nothing. Scared? Not necessarily! Yet it knew that man was a lunatic. If it refused, once Su Yu returned, he would strike against the Earth Gate even if it meant mutual destruction. So... forget it. At worst, it would expend a bit more source power! However, it needed a commitment—a commitment from Su Yu. The Earth Gate said in a heavy voice, "I must have Su Yu's promise! A promise that before the three gates naturally open... he will not take action against me in any form! Furthermore, not just him—if others attack, Su Yu is obligated to help stop them... to prevent you from exploiting loopholes! Also, he is not permitted to enter within my gate..." The Human Sovereign broke in immediately. "Don't count on that last one! Once he emerges, it's very likely he will enter the Earth Gate... don't expect him to agree to that!" The Earth Gate flared with anger: "Does he intend to throw the entire Chaos Era into turmoil as well?" "I wouldn't know about that, but earlier he allowed some of his enemies inside... do you think he'll let matters rest? Be quick. Aside from refusing that single condition, the rest can be agreed to. Right now, protecting yourself is enough—who else are you trying to protect?" The Human Sovereign sneered, "Inside the Earth Gate, you can't control anything either! The Human Ancestor, Yu, the Lord of Chaos—which of them can you control? Still thinking of protecting them... protect yourself first!" The Earth Gate fell silent. The Human Sovereign checked the time. "With a one-to-three time dilation, every minute you waste here is three minutes on that side... Think it over, but you don't have much time. If it takes too long, that fellow Su Yu hates nothing more than wasted time!" The Earth Gate fell silent once more, then spoke: "Establish the agreement first! I need to see Su Yu's commitment!" "..." The Human Sovereign said nothing, but he dearly wanted to strangle the Earth Gate. Yes, it gave him zero face! I threaten you, and you aren't afraid! Su Yu hasn't even emerged yet, and you fear him instead... What a bizarre joke! For the first time, he felt he had lost to Su Yu. His liver ached with irritation! Soon, he brought King Ming and hurried over. ... Meanwhile, inside the Heavenly Gate. Su Yu frowned. It had been quite a while! Was it going to work or not? Just then, King Ming suddenly spoke, his voice sounding somewhat strange: "His Majesty said... said that everyone can be brought out together... including Senior Dead Spirits... but... but Emperor Yu needs... to do something." "What?" "Well... affix a seal, promising not to take action against the Earth Gate..." King Ming quickly relayed the Earth Gate's demands. Su Yu paused in surprise. "We're having the Earth Gate bring us out?" "Yes!" Su Yu was puzzled. "Then why does it need my promise? Wouldn't it be enough for the Human Sovereign to give his word?" King Ming said nothing. Tongtian chimed in awkwardly: "Um... His Majesty the Human Sovereign gave his promise, but the other party didn't believe him. It insisted... insisted on Your Majesty's promise before agreeing to receive everyone!" "..." Everyone turned to look at Su Yu. Even the Lord of Dead Spirits couldn't resist glancing at him. Good heavens! Just how terrible is your reputation? The Earth Gate didn't fear the Human Sovereign, yet across an entire world barrier, it demanded your personal commitment before doing this! Su Yu didn't bother defending himself. I haven't done anything to the Earth Gate. We're just next-door neighbors; it probably knows I keep my word. Yes, exactly! He spoke up: "So you're saying the Human Sovereign breaks his word often? A promise worth a thousand pieces of gold—I always uphold that! So the Earth Gate trusts my character? Understood! Tell the Earth Gate it's a deal! Have Director Wan take my Emperor Yu's Seal and stamp it! Stop wasting words, hurry up, and receive us out of here!" The portal power of the Earth Gate was exceedingly potent! Tongtian gathered the power of all three gates. While the Earth Gate might not be able to directly open the Heavenly Gate, it could reinforce Tongtian's portal! Su Yu weighed the terms: not taking action against the Earth Gate before the three gates opened was nothing significant. I need time as well! Meanwhile, the others looked at Su Yu with odd expressions. Wen Yu couldn't help muttering, "You're... truly..." Shameless! What did he mean by the Human Sovereign not keeping his word? In the myriad realms, you must be a great devil that everyone dreads! Su Yu couldn't be bothered to say more. Believe it or not! I, Su Yu, am a golden brand. My word is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and everyone trusts me—what can I do about it? ... In the myriad realms. Upon a golden scroll, the Human Sovereign first stamped his Human Sovereign Seal. Soon, Wan Tiansheng flew over holding a great seal. Without a word, he stamped it directly onto the golden scroll! The two seals resonated with each other! The golden scroll swiftly sank into the void, and the entire myriad realms seemed to be pulled slightly as streams of destiny power surged in. The Earth Gate manifested instantly, swallowed the golden scroll, and quickly spoke: "If you break your promise, the destiny of the myriad realms will certainly suffer!" The Human Sovereign sneered, "Cut the chatter and hurry up. You're the weakest among the three gates; leaving you to be dealt with last wouldn't be a problem anyway!" "..." That stung a bit! The Earth Gate grew irritated, its will fluctuating: "The weakest? The Heavenly Gate might not be stronger than me! It was just that the Heavenly Gate had too many powerhouses back then, while the ancient chaos race of the Chaos Era was slightly inferior!" Do you truly think I'm weak? What a joke! Yet outnumbered, what could it do? Even in that situation, it had fought the Heaven-Opening Era until it became history. You think I was weak? The Earth Gate didn't bother explaining further. The Earth Gate era had been the most unfortunate: sealed directly by the Lord of Time back then, and because it stood here continuously, it had fought endlessly against the Heavenly Gate era, followed by non-stop warfare against antiquity... It hadn't even had enough time to recuperate! Saying no more, surges of portal power flowed into King Ming's body and transmitted into Tongtian. The Earth Gate couldn't directly open the Heavenly Gate, but Tongtian possessed the characteristics of all three gates! By strengthening his Earth Gate power, he could convert it into Heavenly Gate power to open and solidify the passage! The Earth Gate couldn't help sighing in admiration. Back then, when forging Tongtian, the Human Sovereign and his peers had truly possessed grand ambitions—they had likely intended to forcibly assault the three gates directly. Their audacity had been truly extraordinary! While transmitting its source power, the Earth Gate said, "Xingyu, don't fixate solely on the Heavenly Gate and me... the truly troublesome one is the Human Gate! Even within the Chaos Era, many Human Gate powerhouses have infiltrated. Right now, from what you say, the Heavenly Gate has suffered heavy losses, and so have I... yet the Human Gate has lost nothing... Perhaps the three of us should cooperate to deal with the Human Gate..." The Human Sovereign sneered, "Old relics should all be swept away!" "..." The Earth Gate fell silent. The Human Sovereign said no more. Cooperate? He could have paid lip service or even genuinely discussed cooperation, but... that would have to be built on the premise that the Earth Gate was truly terrified. A powerhouse like the Earth Gate was only compromising now because it hadn't revived yet. Once it truly awakened and restored its strength, it would probably turn hostile at the first opportunity! Nothing could be more normal! The Human Sovereign said nothing further, quietly waiting for their return. ... Meanwhile. Tongtian's portal gradually solidified and expanded. At this moment, Su Yu looked toward Wen Yu and the Lord of Dead Spirits. "Are you taking the people from your forbidden lands out with you?" His physical body was a world, and the forbidden land was himself, so right now, his subordinates were all inside his acupoint world. The Time Master was the same: the world was the forbidden land, and the forbidden land was the world. Their worlds were kept restrained, though the other two weren't as relaxed as Su Yu; both had to suppress their world power and relocate their worlds. Within the worlds of the Lord of Dead Spirits and Wen Yu, there were still experts present. The two exchanged a glance and nodded. The Lord of Dead Spirits said quickly, "Once I'm out, I'll still need capable subordinates to do the work!" Su Yu frowned. "They will need replenishment from the Dao power of the myriad realms to avoid dissipating!" "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!" The Lord of Dead Spirits murmured, "Didn't you say there's still a group from the myriad clans in the upper reaches of the River of Time?" Su Yu said no more. Wen Yu smiled. "Take them along. Leaving them behind might make them formidable enemies! Taking them with us... bringing them to the myriad realms, they'll become our meat!" At this moment, the portal solidified to its peak. Tongtian spoke up: "My lords, you may enter!" Su Yu took a deep breath. The Lord of Dead Spirits and the others exchanged glances, then all turned to look back. Su Yu suddenly broke into a grin and shouted loudly, "Everyone, no need to see us off! No need to wait, either! We're leaving together, having already reached an agreement with the Earth Gate. I hope the Heavenly Gate opens soon—perhaps the day it opens, we'll be waiting outside for all of you!" Behind them, the expressions of Shi, Kong, and the others shifted violently! Collaborating... with the Earth Gate? Su Yu laughed heartily. "Of course, if time permits, perhaps I'll visit again! Now that we have an understanding with the Earth Gate, coming and going is far freer for us. You all must keep your eyes wide open, stay gathered together at all times, and never separate!" "Lastly, one more piece of advice... don't provoke Qiong. After all, Qiong helped me. Whoever opposes Qiong opposes me! Qiong is not one of ours, so don't misunderstand, and don't you dare move against him, hahaha!" "..." The group's faces turned ashen! Arrogant! The matter of Qiong was indeed an exceptionally grave problem! This time, without waiting for them to reply, the group swiftly entered the portal! In an instant, the portal shut tight! Shi and the others exchanged glances. Kong said coldly, "It was the Earth Gate! Without the Earth Gate contributing its power, it would be impossible to sustain so many powerhouses leaving together!" On this point, Su Yu hadn't lied! It was definitely true! The Earth Gate had acted! Without the Earth Gate's intervention, these people couldn't have departed so easily, nor would they have dared to leave rashly, let alone leave someone to cover the rear! Yet now, with the Earth Gate, things had become vastly simpler for them. They had all left together! Not only had they left, but they had also taken many rogue cultivators with them—yes, rogue cultivators! Trapped inside Wen Yu's world, they had been swept away as well. Ri and Yue frowned slightly. People from the Human Dao Holy Land had also entered Wen Yu's world, and now they had been taken along too. ... At that very moment. In the myriad realms. The Earth Gate trembled violently with a heavy shock. Having expended massive energy, its will fluctuated uncontrollably: "Damn it!" Truly so many powerhouses! Its expenditure had been immense, and it had sensed it—there were so many powerhouses! Even ones at thirty-six Daos! No wonder the Human Sovereign had insisted on having it receive them; otherwise, Tongtian would have exploded on the spot! In that instant, the Earth Gate was profoundly shaken. Had these fellows truly slain that many powerhouses over there? Highly probable! Because... it had sensed Su Yu's aura—a tremendously powerful aura! With that fellow present, anything was possible! "Hahaha, I'm back!" At that moment, Su Yu's voice shook the heavens and earth. He seemed immensely excited and thrilled! "I've been gone for too long, my beloved myriad realms!" Su Yu laughed uproariously! King Wen and the others were left speechless. We... left far earlier than you! How long were you even in there? The next instant, a unified roar reverberated across the cosmos: "Respectfully welcoming His Majesty Emperor Yu's return!" Heaven and earth trembled! Down in the lower realm, the myriad worlds also heard the roar. Though they hadn't known where Su Yu had gone, he had definitely departed; otherwise, there wouldn't have been zero movement from him for an entire year. Now, hearing the shouts from the Human Realm, the myriad realms roared in unison the next moment: "Respectfully welcoming His Majesty Emperor Yu's return!" For survival... what was a little flattery! Su Yu was ruthless and merciless. After being gone for a year, who knew if he might destroy a few realms just to celebrate! During this past year with Su Yu gone, far fewer people had died across the myriad realms. Now that Su Yu was back, everyone was terrified. Utterly terrified! When the Human Sovereign governed the myriad realms, truth be told, he was not the type to slaughter indiscriminately, but Su Yu was! Everyone had witnessed that with their own eyes. At this moment, King Wen and the others were also speechless. What an immense display of grandeur! With Su Yu stirring things up like this, King Wen and the others felt none of the usual nervousness of returning home, because everyone simply ignored them—how tragic! The next moment, several figures manifested simultaneously! Their auras shook the cosmos! Piercing through the River of Time! As for the Lord of Dead Spirits, he didn't spare a glance for the Human Sovereign or the Earth Gate, vanishing in an instant while leaving only a single sentence for Su Yu: "I'm heading back to the dead spirit realm, kid. Our partnership ends here!" He departed with dashing ease and astonishing speed, a wave of death qi crashing through heaven and earth! In a flash, he crossed from the upper realm into the lower realm, entering the dead spirit realm! Once out of the Heavenly Gate, the cooperation was over! Su Yu grinned and shouted, "If anything comes up, I'll call you! When you're free, let's grab some tea! Old Dead, I still have people over there—don't go killing them!" The Lord of Dead Spirits' figure paused slightly, then vanished completely! Old Dead? Old Dead! That form of address... he dearly wanted to turn back and thrash him. Getting too big for his boots! Inside the Heavenly Gate, it was either 'Grandfather' or 'Senior.' The instant he stepped out, he became 'Old Dead'? Su Yu laughed uproariously! Now that he was out, his mood was magnificent; calling him whatever was fine. Inside the Gate had been far too suffocating! Ah, the myriad realms. He used to find them annoying, but by comparison... the myriad realms were still brimming with vibrant life! Even the air smelled fresh! For a moment, Su Yu was somewhat intoxicated. One year. So long—I was actually away for a whole year! "It seems... I'm twenty-four now..." Su Yu murmured softly. All around him, the world suddenly plunged into dead silence!