Digesting the Harvest

Twenty-four now. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed in the outside world, whereas inside the Heavenly Gate it had only been four months. And in those four months, Su Yu had stirred the winds and clouds, wiping out ten forbidden lands! To others, the forbidden lands were unbreakable, eternal and indestructible. But once Su Yu went there... how could any forbidden land remain indestructible! At this moment, Su Yu was in high spirits. Meanwhile, King Wen and the others felt an overwhelming swell of mixed emotions. King Wen, King Wu, and Wen Yu had all been away for far too long. Although only several millennia had passed inside the gate—at the very beginning, perhaps a single day inside equated to a month out here—nevertheless, across a span of a hundred thousand years, several millennia had slipped by over there. Beholding the myriad realms once more, every one of them was filled with conflicting feelings. Just then, a whimper sounded. A small dog darted out with a rustle and leaped straight into Wen Yu's arms. Wen Yu instinctively started to punch it away, but quickly held back her fist upon sensing a familiar aura. Rubbing the dog's head in her arms, her feelings grew exceedingly complicated. She remembered Su Yu's words: a dog, in an empty manor, watering flowers for a full hundred thousand years! Feiqiu did not speak. It merely lay quietly in Wen Yu's embrace, tears hanging from both eyes, and drifted off to sleep just like that. No greeting, no words, no excitement—only boundless exhaustion. It fell asleep! A dog possessing third-rank strength bordering on second-rank simply draped itself over Wen Yu and fell into a deep slumber, totally at peace. Its master was back! "Greetings, King Wen, King Wu!" All around them, powerhouses bowed one after another, their hearts similarly churning with emotion. They had returned! From the collapsed ancient era, the Human Sovereign and the Four Cardinal Human Kings had all returned after a hundred thousand years, with the sole exception of the Prison King! King Wen wore a complicated expression. After a long silence, he said softly, "I am sorry." That apology was very difficult to utter. For he bore a major share of the blame for the ancient era's suffering. Arrogance and conceit were the greatest reasons for the ancient era's downfall. Both he and the Human Sovereign had grown proud! Thinking that even if one of them left, it wouldn't make the slightest difference. Thinking they could tame the myriad races, convince them to join together against the three gates. Thinking they could quell the chaos of the three gates! Thinking that after entering the Heavenly Gate, they could quickly return with Wen Yu. Thinking that with the Human Sovereign present, nothing could possibly go wrong. This was King Wen's blame to carry. And the Human Sovereign had also been conceited, leading to him being plotted against and left critically injured and dying. Facing off against the myriad races for countless ages, the human race went through ten tidal changes, with countless ancient powerhouses falling one after another. Of the three hundred and sixty Human Marquises, fewer than sixty remained alive today. Back then, King Wen had asked him whether to wipe out the myriad races before departing, and the Human Sovereign said there was no need—he could handle it. He would first drive the myriad races to the upstream of the River of Time and suppress the Heavenly Gate, having laid out his plans so neatly... Yet in the end, ill fortune struck from the very start. Plotted against, his Great Dao had almost snapped, and his physical body was utterly shattered. A dignified supreme-rank powerhouse, in the later stages, had nearly been killed off by figures who were not even supreme-rank. That apology was spoken to those ancient powerhouses, and to all humankind. A hundred thousand years, ten tidal changes, countless humans fallen in battle, geniuses driven mad one after another. At this moment, King Wen lowered his proud head! Even in the direst peril, he had never bowed his head. When Shi suppressed him, he had never lowered his head, always remaining calm and poised. Today, amid the greetings and complex gazes of the crowd, King Wen felt profound shame! "A hundred thousand years..." King Wen let out a sigh. "I am sorry!" Gone for a hundred thousand years, familiar faces were few and far between. Back then, there had been the Four Cardinal Human Kings, three hundred and sixty Human Marquises, countless titled and untitled generals—a constellation of talents. Yet now, barely anyone was left to see. The ancient era... had truly become a thing of the past! Only a handful of old relics remained, having relied on Su Yu's rescue to return one by one! Behind him, King Wu opened his mouth but could not bring himself to say anything. King Wu merely looked toward the several dao companions in the crowd, baring his teeth in a smile that was laced with bitterness. Back then, to rescue King Wen, he had departed the myriad realms without looking back. At that time, eighteen dao companions had seen him off. At that time, his son was still alive. Today... his son had fallen in battle, and half of his dao companions were dead. He had done right by King Wen and honored their brotherhood, yet he had failed his own dao companions and failed the descendants who had perished in war. The entire world fell quiet, save for King Wen's apology. At that moment, the Human Sovereign also sighed. "It was my own pride. After pacifying the myriad realms, I lost my vigilance. After stepping into the supreme rank, I assumed I was invincible under heaven and that the three gates were nothing special! When you left and told me to wipe out the myriad races, it was my arrogance that refused. You told me to keep suppressing Yu, but I worried too much and allowed Yu to return... That was a grave mistake! "Furthermore, my fault lay in restricting the human race's development. Generation after generation of geniuses died at the Dao Integration Realm, with no one able to step into the Ruler of Rules Realm! "It was I who sealed off this era, leaving it without successors..." When the Human Sovereign had sealed the world, he had assumed he would not be gone for long. Yet he had been away for a hundred thousand years! In those hundred thousand years, perhaps if the human race had developed on its own, it would not have fallen to such depths. Of course, none of that was certain; perhaps the myriad races would have grown even stronger. Regardless, in this tide, humanity had indeed reached a dead end. As the Human Sovereign spoke, he regained his composure, his tone steadying. "Now you have returned, all thanks to Su Yu's aid. So, I have been considering..." Su Yu said indifferently, "Don't bother considering. Whoever wants to do the chores can do them! I have no interest in shouldering that burden! Nor is it my responsibility! Don't pin every blame on me!" Even without the Human Sovereign saying it, Su Yu knew what he intended. Su Yu wore a detached expression. "I finally made it back, and I only want a few days of peace and quiet. Whoever threw the myriad realms into turmoil should be the one to clean it up! In any case, it has nothing to do with me!" "..." Many looked at Su Yu with strange expressions. The way he spoke, it sounded as though he hadn't stirred up any trouble himself! Still, everyone understood Su Yu's mindset. The Human Sovereign, Su Yu, King Wen, King Wu... Except for Su Yu, all of them had been high-ranking leaders of the ancient human race. Presently, the older generation still listened to the Human Sovereign and his peers, and the Human Sovereign hoped to use this opportunity to hand over authority completely to Su Yu. The Human Sovereign frowned slightly. "I am injured, and King Wen is not as strong as you. Inside the Heavenly Gate, in just four months, you pacified ten great forbidden lands! Powerful, courageous, and resourceful—you have prestige, strength, and wisdom..." "Compliments accepted; I earned them. As for the rest, you can save your breath!" Su Yu glanced toward King Wen and the others. "You old-timers should catch up properly. You haven't seen each other in years! I'd like a moment of peace myself, so I won't disturb you!" Saying this, Su Yu smiled. He looked toward the distant Earth Gate, which was trembling at that moment. Looking at the Earth Gate, Su Yu chuckled. "This time, I must thank the Earth Gate for lending a hand! I heard the Human Sovereign promised you that once we came out, you could choose one thing among the spoils we brought back." Su Yu said with a light smile, "We returned in a hurry this time and didn't bring many good things. Immortal, Dragon, Demon, and Soul were all completely devoured by us! Martial was given to King Wu. Right now, the Great Daos of Phoenix and Zhou haven't been completely broken down yet. In addition, some of Fa's origin remains. Speak, what do you want? I can give you two things: one promised for elevating Tongtian to eighteen Daos, and the other as compensation for guiding us out this time!" Exuding an extraordinary aura, Su Yu waved his hand, and Great Daos emerged, sending ripples through heaven and earth! Not only that, Fa's phantom materialized, carrying a heavy presence. Even the Earth Gate shuddered slightly! He was genuinely willing to give them? Su Yu laughed heartily. "If these don't satisfy you, you can make a request. What do you want? For instance, do you want me to help you take out the Lord of Chaos, Yu, or the Human Ancestor? Say the word. I'll be heading over sooner or later anyway, having disliked them for a long time. Tell me who to kill, and I'll slay them for you!" "..." Arrogant and overbearing, yet somehow utterly convincing—he truly could pull it off! Looking at the treasures before it, the Earth Gate fell silent. Su Yu asked indifferently, "What do you want?" The Earth Gate's will fluctuated slightly. "I can do without these. I want a promise!" "Speak!" "Open up a territory in the myriad realms for the Chaotic Era..." Su Yu sneered, "Wishful thinking! Do you think I could ever agree to that? I'm in a good mood today, so I'm giving you the right to choose. As for anything else... let ability decide! If your Chaotic Era can destroy us, the entire myriad realms will be yours! Why would you need a designated territory? If you lack the ability... then what is in the past shall remain in the past!" With that, Su Yu snorted, and two battered Great Daos flew toward it: those of Phoenix and Zhou, one of thirty-four Daos and the other of thirty-one Daos, both in utter ruin. To Su Yu, they were still quite useful. Yet he gave them to the Earth Gate nonetheless. "If you won't choose, then take these!" Giving it no chance to say more, Su Yu said indifferently, "Before the three gates fully open, I won't move against you, and neither will anyone else! I await your recovery! I'd like to see just how strong the three gates truly are, and how powerful the world opened back then was!" The Earth Gate fell silent for a moment. The portal vibrated, devoured the two battered Great Daos, and quickly vanished into the void! The Human Sovereign glanced in the direction where the Earth Gate had disappeared, then looked back at Su Yu. Su Yu smiled. "No need to pay it any mind. I gave what was owed, and the promises previously made by the Human Sovereign have been fulfilled. An enemy is an enemy." Su Yu added coldly, "The three gates belong to the past; only we represent the present! The future is ours as well, so... the past should stay in the past. Do not mix them up over extraneous factors!" The Human Sovereign nodded, tacitly agreeing with Su Yu's words. Su Yu looked at Wen Yu and the others, smiling. "Then King Wu should cultivate well, break through to the supreme rank soon, and spend time with your dao companions. These companions of yours... are quite good!" King Wu looked at him with a strange, suspicious gaze... Su Yu's expression changed, and he snapped, "What are you looking at! I meant that after you left, they followed the Human Sovereign into battle without hesitation!" What did this guy think he meant by that look? Among the crowd, King Wu's senior dao companion was not present; several first-rank powerhouses were defending the front lines, including King Zhenwu, the Great Zhou King, and the Martial Emperor. The other companions were present, and none of them looked pleased at the moment. King Wu felt sheepish. What's with the glare? I didn't say anything. Without further ado, Su Yu soared into the air, returning to his own world. In the next moment, he called out clearly, "Wen Yu, take good care of Feiqiu. King Wen, once things settle down on the Southern King's side, I'll have her come look for you so you two can have a good chat..." King Wen was rendered speechless. What are you playing at? "I will be in secluded cultivation for a while. Do not disturb me, and do not look for me for anything unless I step out of my world on my own!" With those words, Su Yu's world swept across the land, and the entire upper realm was instantly thrown into turbulence. In the blink of an eye, Su Yu's world plunged into the chaos. It vanished without a trace! Su Yu's people disappeared along with it, not a single one remaining. All at once, only a group of old relics was left in the area. Watching him depart, the Human Sovereign chuckled. "That fellow..." King Wen and the others also sighed with emotion. King Wen smiled. "A peerless genius!" Wen Yu stroked Feiqiu's head and grinned. "Half my disciple!" Everyone laughed! Not far away, Xingyue remarked calmly, "My subordinate!" "..." Total silence! After saying that, Xingyue glanced at Wen Yu, then at King Wen, and said, "I'll go take a look. We'll catch up later when there's time!" With that, she vanished without a trace! King Wen froze and looked toward the Human Sovereign. The Human Sovereign shrugged. "She oversees the Dao of Life and Death in Su Yu's world and hardly ever comes home now. Don't look at me; it's useless!" Fair enough! King Wen said no more. King Wu chuckled lewdly. "Something going on between them?" The Human Sovereign glared at him. After all these years, he was still as irreverent as ever. He snorted and quickly said, "Cut the nonsense. You fellows stayed inside the gate for a hundred thousand years... to think I expected you to return early. You were almost wiped out entirely!" Speaking of this, a sense of helplessness washed over them. King Wen sighed. "We were schemed against; there was no way around it. We were watched for thousands of years and couldn't make a move! In the end, we still underestimated the three gates." "It has nothing to do with the Earth Gate!" The Human Sovereign interjected—not to defend the Earth Gate, but merely to point out how pathetic it was. Even if it wanted to plot, it had no capable pawns to use. King Wen burst into laughter. The Human Sovereign smiled as well. "All right, let's not talk about that for now. Let's go to your world and merge them! With you absent, I couldn't barge into your world, but now that you're back, let's go have a look together!" "..." King Wen was speechless. "You're coming too?" "Hm?" The Human Sovereign frowned. "What's the matter? Is there a problem? Do you have secrets from your big brother? You're merging dual worlds; your big brother can reference it and offer some advice. Any issue with that?" "..." King Wen dearly wanted to refuse! I really don't want to bring you to my world! Yet he could hardly find a way to decline. Sure enough, the Human Sovereign added, "Bring the old brothers along to take a look too. It hasn't been easy for them, and they haven't made much progress over the years. Come on, don't fuss. Even Su Yu dared to open his world for everyone to observe; don't tell me you don't dare? Can't even compare to a youngster?" "It's not that..." Before King Wen could finish, the Human Sovereign patted his shoulder. "Second Brother, don't be so petty!" I'm not damn well being petty! King Wen was exasperated. Anyone else could go, but I just don't want you going, don't you understand? I understand! The Human Sovereign nodded. King Wen hadn't even voiced it, but he nodded anyway, because he truly understood. He patted King Wen. "Relax, I don't fancy your world anyway! With a better option available, why would I look at yours? Even now, you're still so proud! What do you think I'm planning? If I really run into trouble, I'd stuff my Great Dao into Su Yu's world rather than yours. What are you thinking?" "..." King Wen suddenly felt an empty ache. At that moment, his heart was thoroughly stung! Those words were far too hurtful. The boss's words poked straight into his heart and lungs! Back then, he had dreaded the boss stuffing his Dao into him, but now... the boss wasn't even willing to do so. This reversal made him want to weep! He hadn't cried upon his return, but now he truly felt like crying. King Wu sputtered with suppressed laughter, desperately holding it back. Second Brother had been proud his entire life, arrogant his entire life, yet in the end, he was overshadowed by a junior! How pathetic! The others were also struggling to suppress their chuckles. Wen Yu smiled as well. After laughing for a while, she suddenly asked, "Brother Xing, where is my home?" "Your home?" The Human Sovereign was taken aback, only responding after a pause: "In the dead spirit realm!" Su Yu had used it to plug the hole in the Tianyuan Realm! King Wen felt helpless and said nothing more. Soon, the group flew down toward the lower realm. King Wen's world was situated in the All-Heavens Battlefield. ... Meanwhile, within Su Yu's world. The world was expanding wildly, relentlessly pushing outwards into the entirety of the chaos. Su Yu sat languidly in his chair, watching in silence. Around him stood many people—powerhouses from his world in the myriad realms, as well as masters from within the Heavenly Gate, such as the Blade Master. At this moment, the Blade Master and his peers were trembling with fear. Gui and the others who had been captured that day were also present, each of them terrified. They had already learned that a tremendous upheaval had occurred within the Heavenly Gate: ten great forbidden lands had been flattened by Su Yu, which was simply mind-boggling! Su Yu looked at the two clearly divided camps without speaking, continuing to eat food and drink wine procured from Wen Yu. He watched in silence as the world expanded, merged, and grew increasingly powerful! The entire world had grown colossal. The world inside the gate had wielded the power of thirty-two Daos, while the world outside had possessed twenty-four Daos when he left. One had fewer Great Daos, while the other had many. At present, the duplicated Great Daos had not yet fused, because some Daos were occupied by people from both sides. If they merged, a problem would arise: who would command the Dao? For example, with the Dao of the Blade, Xia Longwu was on this side, while the Blade Master was on the other. With the Dead Spirit Dao, Emperor Mingtu commanded it here—even Qu had been forced to yield his position, though he had stepped aside willingly, lacking the nerve to lead Mingtu—while Xingyue commanded it on the other side. Currently, within Su Yu's world, there were nearly three hundred Rulers of Rules hailing from inside the gate! Yet from the myriad realms, there were fewer than a hundred. Those from the myriad realms were generally weaker; among them, only Marquis Jiantian and Xingyue had stepped into the first rank. The rest, such as the Martial Emperor and the Great Zhou King, were not here, and even Wan Tiansheng had yet to reach the first rank. Inside the gate, however, there were quite a few first-rank powerhouses. Beyond these individuals, Fa's phantom materialized, Heiyue wailed in agony, and Riyue also manifested here, his expression deeply conflicted. Yet everything remained quiet! No one spoke! They all simply watched Su Yu, observing his aura continuously climbing, seeing his physical body vibrate and his acupoints radiate brilliant light like a heavenly deity! Thirty-three Daos of power! Thirty-four Daos of power! Previously, when merging dual worlds, Su Yu had possessed the strength of thirty-four Daos. Now, this was not merely overlapping two worlds, but directly fusing them into one. Faintly, Su Yu was advancing toward thirty-five Daos, though he still fell slightly short. He was approaching the peak of thirty-four Daos! Su Yu knew he had a chance of reaching thirty-five Daos, provided that beyond merging the worlds, he also combined the duplicated Great Daos—joining Yin and Yang into one so that they erupted further. If so, he had a shot at reaching thirty-five Daos this time! This was his greatest harvest from entering the gate! Next, he could consider fusing all the Great Daos that could be compressed, ultimately forming seven hundred and twenty acupoints commanded by seven hundred and twenty powerhouses. After that, unifying the acupoints would transform it into a true River of Time! Yet at this moment, Su Yu was still pondering! Pondering many things! After an unknown amount of time, a tremendous boom sounded. The world stabilized and ceased expanding, a massive world presenting itself before everyone's eyes, and Su Yu's aura settled as well. Thirty-four Daos of power—slightly stronger than when his dual worlds had overlapped, but not quite at thirty-five Daos. In the quiet hall, Wan Tiansheng stepped forward with a smile. "Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Su Yu chuckled. "Governor, it's merely thirty-four Daos; there's nothing to congratulate. On the contrary, congratulations to you, Governor. You've taken command of several Great Daos and your strength has progressed. It looks like you'll reach the first rank soon!" Wan Tiansheng smiled wryly. Thirty-four Daos wasn't worth congratulating, yet you congratulate me for reaching a dozen or so Daos! Su Yu smiled and looked at the crowd. "You have all seen one another. Some of you command the same Great Dao, merely split into Yin and Yang, one Dao in two bodies. Do you have any thoughts on this?" Thoughts? Naturally, they did! Those outside the gate wished to fuse, and those inside wished to fuse as well, but the latter were terrified—utterly terrified! Because Su Yu was a native of the myriad realms! They feared death! All the Great Daos were under Su Yu's control. Regardless of their numbers, resistance was futile! With a slight adjustment, Su Yu could seal off their acupoints and Great Daos, stripping everyone else of their combat strength. At this moment, a bewildered Riyue suddenly spoke: "You... are a person of the myriad realms, and you have now returned to the myriad realms?" He then looked toward Fa's phantom and asked with difficulty, "This is Uncle Master Fa..." Su Yu smiled and nodded. "Your Uncle Master Fa should thank you! Had you not provided me with intelligence, I wouldn't have achieved such great spoils this time, killing Martial, Immortal, Dragon, Zhou, and multiple other powerhouses!" Riyue's expression turned exceedingly unsightly! Su Yu smiled again. "Are Ri and Yue truly your parents? Both are quite formidable, exceeding my expectations—two supreme-rank powerhouses of thirty-two Daos!" Riyue remained silent. Fa wore an indifferent expression as well. He too had been thoroughly ruined by Riyue! In the crowd, Heiyue, who had previously refused to speak, now spoke up hurriedly: "Su... Emperor Yu, Your Majesty, I am willing to submit, and I will reveal everything I know regarding the Human Gate to Your Majesty..." Inside the gate, there had still been hope. Here, there was none left. Especially with Su Yu's rapid progression, which was terrifying to behold—reaching thirty-four Daos in the blink of an eye, and perhaps about to charge toward thirty-five Daos. Thirty-five Daos was considered top-tier even inside the gate, second only to the likes of Shi and Kong. "No rush!" Su Yu looked at the crowd and said with a smile, "Those from the myriad realms have fought alongside me all the way here. Ever since I was weak, they followed me, hacking through thorns and brambles. It hasn't been easy at all! "As for the friends from the Heavenly Gate... some joined to survive, some to gamble on a future, and some had no choice... Of course, all of you contributed to increasing my strength! "Those without overlapping Daos... are easy to handle. But those with overlapping Daos... are tricky!" Su Yu chuckled. The eyes of several people from inside the gate flickered, and soon someone said in a deep voice, "Tribulation Lord, I... I can relinquish my Great Dao. Might the Tribulation Lord grant me an opportunity... to command an unoccupied Dao? We do not ask for much, only to survive! In the clash between the Heavenly Gate and the myriad realms, we are merely ants seeking to live!" Su Yu looked at the speaker, slightly surprised. It was actually the Blade Master! Su Yu chuckled. "Blade Master, you are quite interesting! You command the Dao of the Blade and are already an eighteen-Dao cultivator. Aren't you going to fight for it? General Longwu only possesses the power of six Daos." The Blade Master said nothing. I only want to live! Those from the myriad realms were clearly Su Yu's core confidants, whereas they were merely tools—true tools meant only to supply Su Yu with world power and insights into the Great Dao. How could they compete against them here? There was no way to compete! Rather than waiting passively, it was better to give it up voluntarily and see if he could obtain command of a less important Dao, preserving his status as a Ruler of Rules and avoiding death. Otherwise... he might genuinely die! Su Yu's attitude toward them was plain to see. Then again, all powerhouses within the Heavenly Gate treated subordinates this way—they could die without anyone batting an eye! In the crowd, Xia Longwu frowned slightly, saying nothing. The cultivators of the myriad realms also harbored mixed emotions. On one hand, they hoped to fuse their Daos; on the other hand, they wanted to rely on their own strength to slay powerful foes and seize Daos to fuse, rather than having a group of powerhouses passively surrender their Daos to them because of Su Yu, which felt rather uncomfortable. "When Yin and Yang merge, the Dao grows stronger, and everyone's strength increases!" Su Yu said calmly, "To put it bluntly, those from inside the gate are indeed just tools for me to use. But to those from outside..." Su Yu looked at the crowd. "I've repeatedly raised your upper limits, which is somewhat like pulling up seedlings to help them grow. I only made you stronger without considering the consequences! Those from inside the gate are like catfish... I need them to stir this stagnant pool of water into life! "Toward those from the myriad realms, I, Su Yu, will naturally show favoritism—there is no need to deny it!" Su Yu continued calmly, "Therefore, I have considered the matter. If the cultivator from the myriad realms is stronger, they will directly devour the other party's Dao, and the other party will switch Daos! If the myriad realms cultivator is weaker, they will jointly command the Great Dao with the other party, and we will observe the outcome. You... may compete internally! Encroach upon each other's control over the Dao, starting with fifty percent each. Whoever can seize the other's control over the Dao to over eighty percent... the weaker party shall step down!" The eyes of the Heavenly Gate powerhouses lit up! That was an option too? Su Yu said calmly, "When the other party merges into the Dao, their insights will fuse as well, allowing you to absorb them. True geniuses and cultivators seeking strength can quickly absorb the strengths of the other party's insights to empower themselves!" With that, Su Yu added, "If those from inside the gate fail in the contest, then behave yourselves and remain ordinary cultivators! As for those from the myriad realms... I, Su Yu, value sentiment... you may switch worlds! Whether it's Wen Yu's, King Wen's, or the Human Sovereign's... I will leave an escape route for you! "However, having an escape route isn't necessarily a good thing. With a way out, you lose the resolve to fight with your back to the river, so consider this carefully for yourselves!" Su Yu sighed softly. "I hope all of you can keep up with my footsteps... yet I know that might not be possible! Following me isn't necessarily a blessing; my footsteps are destined never to stop! A batch of those unable to keep pace has already been phased out by me!" He referred to the likes of Marquis Dingjun, who had now entered the Human Sovereign's world. Everyone fell silent. Indeed, Su Yu was phasing out those who could not keep up step by step. The worlds of King Wen and the others were also powerful. Yet... The crowd thought no further and bowed, shouting, "Your Majesty is wise!" Su Yu chuckled. "Wise about what? I simply don't want you stumbling along after me, utterly exhausted!" With that, he smiled and asked, "Doubao, why didn't you go to King Wen's side?" In the crowd, a giant fur ball's eyes flashed. "Feiqiu always bullies me!" "..." Su Yu burst out laughing. "Does it?" "It does!" Doubao nodded its large head. It really does—Feiqiu always kicks me around like a ball. I'm definitely not going to King Wen's side, or Feiqiu will kick me again! Su Yu chuckled. "Fine, then follow my instructions and begin merging the Daos of Yin and Yang!" At this moment, Mingtu suddenly stepped forward. "Tribulation Lord, I command the Dead Spirit Dao... However, having followed my master for many years, previously the Tribulation Lord needed the support of my Dao power, but now that we have returned to the myriad realms... may I return to my master's world?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. Mingtu lowered his head and said nothing. The main reason was... damn it, he couldn't compete here! Never mind that he was a top-tier powerhouse of twenty-eight Daos while the person commanding the Dead Spirit Dao here was only a sixteen-Dao cultivator. Yet... holy crap! He had heard about her identity: the Human Sovereign's younger sister, closely tied to the Human Sovereign, King Wen, King Wu, and Wen Yu! Furthermore, he had faintly heard earlier that Xingyue had a close relationship with Su Yu as well... Damn it, how could he compete? Forget it, I give up! I want to go home! I'd rather stick with my master. Master is incredibly powerful now too. There's no surviving under Su Yu, so I'll withdraw myself! Behind him, Qu and Hei Long stepped forward as well, saying hurriedly, "We pray the Tribulation Lord will show leniency; we also wish to continue following our master!" All of them wanted to leave! If it were anyone else, it might have been difficult. However, their master was the Lord of Dead Spirits, who had helped Su Yu considerably, so they might be allowed to go. Su Yu looked at them and smiled. He glanced over at Xingyue. Xingyue wore an innocent look, as if saying: It has nothing to do with me! She even felt a twinge of regret—if they all left, wouldn't that prevent the Dead Spirit Dao from growing stronger? Su Yu smiled and said, "Very well! The Lord of Dead Spirits is immensely powerful and doesn't lack this bit of Dao power. His Great Dao is nearly unified, capable of sustaining countless cultivators with a single Dao, far superior to mine... If you leave, leave your insights and Dao power behind!" The group immediately breathed a sigh of relief. That was fine; being allowed to leave was enough. The Lord of Dead Spirits was also a top-tier overlord—no, the very highest overlord—so following him was quite good! Very good! Su Yu looked at Xingyue and said, "You've been monopolizing my Dao of Life and Death all this time. Inside the gate, life and death intermingled for me as well. If you still can't reach twenty-five Daos or higher, you'd better go find your brother later!" "..." Xingyue said nothing, feeling somewhat dejected and gloomy. Not everyone advances as fast as you! "Then merge the Daos!" Su Yu said no more. At this moment, streams of Great Dao power emerged in the void, rapidly fusing! Yin and Yang joined, and the worlds intermingled! In the blink of an eye, several Great Daos unified and instantly strengthened! Take the Dao of the Blade, for instance. Previously, the Blade Master possessed only eighteen Daos of power, while Xia Longwu had only six Daos. Under normal circumstances, six Daos plus eighteen Daos did not equate to twenty-four Daos; let alone twenty-four, even reaching nineteen was difficult! Yet now, upon fusing, the strength of this Great Dao instantly reached the level of twenty Daos! Of course, that was merely the Dao's upper limit. Xia Longwu and the Blade Master sat cross-legged at once, each controlling half of the Great Dao. Xia Longwu's aura surged violently, advancing into eight Daos in an instant and stepping into the second rank. The Blade Master's aura, however, declined significantly. After a moment, it fell to around sixteen Daos, nearly dropping out of the first rank! Even so, the Blade Master breathed a sigh of relief. I have sixteen Daos of strength and the insights of eighteen Daos. Xia Longwu is only at eight Daos. Though he absorbed my insights, what's mine is mine in the end, not his! If it truly came down to seizing control, he still had a great deal of confidence! Those stronger than the myriad realms powerhouses split control fifty-fifty. As for those weaker than the myriad realms cultivators, Su Yu openly favored the locals, directly merging the Daos into them. As for those who had lost their Great Daos, they could either merge into them as Dao Integration cultivators, or seek other opportunities to see if Su Yu might grant them unoccupied Daos to command. Su Yu observed in silence, his own aura rising slightly once more. After watching for a while, he looked at Fa and asked, "If those from inside the gate don't merge with the Daos of the myriad realms, what fate awaits them?" Fa looked at Su Yu, and after a long silence, said calmly, "At first, it isn't a major issue. Over time, Yin energy erodes and impacts the Great Dao, causing it to rot, collapse, and perish entirely! Thus, those coming out from inside the gate must kill and merge Daos! Of course, there are other methods, but killing and seizing Daos is the best choice! "Because we are people of the past. Given enough time, our lifespans will be utterly exhausted... Out here, without merging Daos, one can only wait for death!" Saying this, he looked at Su Yu and asked calmly, "Do I still have a chance to live?" Su Yu had not allowed him to merge Daos! If this continued, his origin would gradually disperse. Although his origin was strong and wouldn't fade so quickly, over time—perhaps within a single year in the myriad realms—he would disintegrate and die! This was why those inside the gate scrambled to come out first. Coming out late meant having no opportunities, which was also death! Fa was a powerhouse of thirty-two Daos. A being who had opened half a world! Although only some of his origin remained, Su Yu felt somewhat hesitant at this moment: how should he handle him? After a long pause, Su Yu smiled. "Forget it, I won't deal with you. Once I'm done here, I'll hand you over to Wen Yu, King Wen, and the others! Your grudges are what truly matter!" Since it was tricky to handle, he couldn't be bothered to deal with it and would simply dump him on King Wen and his group later. Fa said nothing more. Perhaps these were his final days. Meanwhile, Heiyue was frightened out of his wits, wishing he could pour out everything he knew to Su Yu in one breath, but Su Yu was no longer looking at him. Su Yu ignored them. He glanced in the direction of the myriad realms, then looked up at the River of Time piercing through the chaos, sinking into deep thought. He wanted to meet with the Great Zhou King! In addition, he also wanted to see Xing. Was Xing inside Wen Yu's world? Back then, many rogue cultivators had been captured; whether Xing and the others had blended in among them was unknown to Su Yu. If he was there, Su Yu wanted to meet him as well! Back then, out of what consideration had Xing merged a duplicate of the Time Record into him? As someone from the Sacred Grounds of Humanity, even if he hadn't seen the Human Sovereign, there was no need to merge this duplicate into Su Yu. That item was a supreme treasure—even a copy was an invaluable relic. Wasn't Xing worried it might create an enemy powerhouse? Someone from the Sacred Grounds of Humanity like Xing should have been entirely dedicated to the Heavenly Gate. This was a point of deep perplexity for Su Yu. "I hope someone from the Sacred Grounds of Humanity blended into Wen Yu's world back then..." Time had been too pressing, leaving Su Yu and the others no time to inspect those rogue cultivators. Whether Xing was among them remained uncertain. Without resolving this doubt, Su Yu felt somewhat uneasy. Furthermore, there was the matter of the Great Zhou King, that supposed supreme powerhouse of seven Daos... Supreme, my foot! Su Yu still wondered: was there truly something wrong with the Great Zhou King? If there were, he would have had countless opportunities to kill Su Yu. Not just Su Yu—he could have destroyed the Human Sovereign's physical body as well! If the Great Zhou King truly had an issue, he had possessed far too many chances to ruin numerous people! "The Great Zhou King... Zhou Tian..." Su Yu sank into contemplation. That name was laden with associations. Ri, Yue, Xing, Chen; Zhou, Tian, Wen, Ming—the leaders of the eight tribes! With his single name, he claimed the spots of two leaders. Was he the child of the Human Ancestor and Tian? "Bizarre!" Su Yu muttered. In the next instant, his aura shifted! Boom! The power of thirty-five Daos completely pierced through the world and tore through the chaos! At this moment, Su Yu had thoroughly digested everything he had gained inside the gate! Four months inside the gate had yielded immense harvests. It had to be said that this journey to the Heavenly Gate had provided Su Yu with ample capital. "Thirty-five Daos... One step further... and the likes of Kong, Shi, and Qiong will merely be my equals!" Su Yu broke into a radiant smile! Old seniors, I'm catching up step by step! Of course, if the Human Sovereign didn't recover soon, Su Yu would surpass him in his prime. In his prime, the Human Sovereign had possessed the power of roughly thirty-five Daos, and according to him, he had been on par with Qiong back then. And back then, Qiong had been a cultivator of thirty-five Daos, having advanced a step over the years. "If you don't recover soon, by the time you do, I'll be able to beat you!" Su Yu looked toward the myriad realms and smiled once more. His smile soon faded. Back then, even the Human Sovereign at thirty-five Daos had been schemed against. The Human Gate... was truly mysterious! Among the three gates, two had nearly been figured out, yet only the Human Gate remained exceptionally mysterious!