Reactions Within the Earth Gate

A person's name was like the shadow of a tree. Even though Su Yu had never set foot inside the Earth Gate, his name had already spread far and wide through it: a ruthless powerhouse, a supreme expert, a god of slaughter! Slayer of forbidden land masters! The Myriad Realms did not understand what that truly meant, but having once clashed with the Heaven-Opening Era, the Earth Gate knew exactly what forbidden land masters were. What kind of figures were they? The progenitor who founded the immortal race! The progenitor who founded the demon race! ... A cohort of beings who had forged eras, carved out realms, and founded entire races—incomparably powerful. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, during that final war at the close of the Heaven-Opening Era, the Earth Gate had suffered grievous losses, with countless experts of the Primordial Chaos Clan slain in battle. Thus, the Earth Gate had always harbored a lingering dread toward the Heavenly Gate. Yet now, word was spreading that Su Yu had slaughtered his way through it, slaying multiple forbidden land masters! At this moment, the entire Earth Gate trembled in shock! Su Yu of the Myriad Realms! They already knew of the Human Sovereign of the Myriad Realms—a ruthless apex being who had battered through the Earth Gate twice with brute force. Now, another name was etched into their awareness: Su Yu of the Myriad Realms! ... Meanwhile. In the boundless void, a void continent stood suspended. At this moment, many living beings inhabited this continent. When that thunderous shout rang out across the realm, a crowd of figures looked up, their expressions shifting dramatically. "Tiangu!" The God Empress Consort and several others flew over hastily, looking toward Tiangu, who was still cultivating. Tiangu exuded a powerful aura, thick with the vitality of the Life Dao. Ever since the Immortal Emperor was slain and Yuan Sheng chose to yield the Great Dao, Tiangu had resumed cultivating the Immortal Emperor's Great Dao that he had practiced for a hundred thousand years. With the Immortal Emperor fallen and no rival contesting the Dao, Tiangu had advanced by leaps and bounds. Yet at this moment, Tiangu's face turned slightly pale. Su Yu! He had come! He glanced in the direction of the Earth Gate as powerhouses gathered around him one after another. The God Empress Consort, Saint Marquis, Celestial Venerable Huang, Heavenly Venerable Dao... They all turned their eyes to Tiangu. Their expressions were weighed down by helplessness and sorrow! They had fled into the Earth Gate, yet before they could even settle in, Su Yu seemed poised to descend once more! What were they supposed to do? Tiangu fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "Even if he comes, his primary objective won't be to deal with us. You all heard—he slew some forbidden land masters... What tier of existence is a forbidden land master?" As he spoke, Tiangu looked toward an expert striding through the air and asked in a deep voice, "May I ask, Senior, what level of cultivator is a forbidden land master?" The newcomer radiated towering demonic energy! With an arrogant sneer on his face, he replied coldly, "Beings beyond your imagination. Only cultivators who command thirty-two Dao of power can be considered true forbidden land masters. Even the weaker ones possess thirty Dao of power!" Tiangu's face shifted! After entering the Earth Gate, their years of accumulated foundation had unsealed, allowing rapid progress. Tiangu, in particular, had been spurred on by the Immortal Emperor's demise, his strength climbing continuously. By now, he had surpassed the God Empress Consort and the others who had broken through before him, having already stepped into ten Dao of power! This was the realm of geniuses! He had been stranded at the Dao Merge realm for countless years. Entering the Earth Gate had brought a sense of unburdening relief, and combined with the Immortal Emperor's death, his swift advancement astonished even the God Empress Consort and the others. Back in the Myriad Realms, this was second-rank! One had to know that although Su Yu had many subordinates, those who reached second-rank purely on their own strength were as rare as phoenix feathers or qilin horns. People like Wan Tiansheng were only second-rank as well, though not far from first-rank. Ten Dao of power versus thirty-two Dao of power. And Su Yu had actually slain forbidden land masters! At this moment, Tiangu let out a long sigh. A wave of boundless exhaustion washed over him! The immortals had to die standing. On the day the Immortal Emperor fell, fearing that his people would lose all hope, Tiangu had proclaimed that immortals would never compromise! Never submit! Yet now... Su Yu, who had slain forbidden land masters, was likely coming. No, not likely—he was definitely coming! Thirty-two Dao of power—was that super-rank? Tiangu vaguely understood. In that case, the upstream battlefront had likely already been suppressed. No, after the Immortal Emperor died, the myriad races upstream probably crumbled. How many of them were still alive right now? The God Emperor and the others might not be dead, but countless must have perished. Even if the Heavenly Gate had not been completely pacified, it was almost certainly thrown into utter chaos. Given Su Yu's current power, he wouldn't come here just to deal with them. That meant his targets were the apex beings! He looked at the demon expert and asked again, "Pardon my boldness, but what is Lord Yanhuo's current strength?" Indeed, this demon expert was a subordinate of the Yanhuo Demon Emperor—a demon emperor who had followed the Prison King into the Earth Gate! The demon experts had perished in droves from the Myriad Realms all the way to the Heavenly Gate, leaving only Celestial Venerable Mo as a surviving Ruler of Rules. Yet here in the Earth Gate, there was another supreme expert of the demon race: the previous Demon Emperor, the Yanhuo Demon Emperor! After Tiangu and his group entered, seeking survival, they had Celestial Venerable Mo make discreet contact with that demon powerhouse. However, to avoid being swallowed whole, Tiangu had refrained from joining them directly, choosing instead to lead his people and station them in this perilous region. The demon expert frowned slightly and scolded, "Is that something you are qualified to ask?" The sharp rebuke sparked anger among several surrounding cultivators. Yanhuo held decent sway here, backed by the Prison King, who was counted among the top tier. As a result, Yanhuo was doing quite well for himself. Yet faced with cultivators from the Myriad Realms, this subordinate acted arrogantly! Still, one had to bow when under another's roof. In the Myriad Realms, Tiangu had been the leader of the immortal race and the leader of the alliance of races. Here, he was merely an ordinary second-rank. In Yanhuo's camp, second-ranks were not uncommon. Although the Earth Gate was not as formidable as the Heavenly Gate, possessing fewer super-ranks and significantly fewer first-ranks, Yanhuo's faction actually had first-ranks of its own. Toward someone like Tiangu who didn't know his place, this demon cultivator had no intention of showing courtesy. Some of these demon cultivators had followed Yanhuo back then, while others were later descendants. The one before them had only recently entered second-rank, yet he remained arrogant before Tiangu! Back in the Myriad Realms, the God Empress Consort and the others had reigned supreme for years, but here... their status was negligible. The God Empress Consort had only just stepped into third-rank, commanding five Dao of power. The others had made decent progress, but most wielded merely three or four Dao. While that might suffice to scrape by on the periphery, it amounted to nothing in the inner regions! Tiangu didn't get angry either. He smiled and said, "Then I overstepped!" He looked at the demon expert and asked again, "Does My Lord know if Lord Yanhuo and Lord Prison have any countermeasures prepared for Su Yu?" "That isn't your concern either!" As the demon expert spoke, he frowned. "That broadcast earlier must have come from the Lord of Chaos... Slaying forbidden land masters, Su Yu... Is that the same Su Yu you mentioned before, the one who drove you out?" "It is him!" "Who does the Lord of Chaos think he's fooling?" The demon expert sneered. "Trying to stir up trouble again, is he? Tiangu, you said earlier that the fellow hadn't even reached eight Dao. Now, in the blink of an eye, he's slaying forbidden land masters? Laughable!" Tiangu said nothing. Laughable? Not in the least! Indeed, it sounded unimaginable. Only about half a year had passed here. Claiming that someone who commanded less than eight Dao half a year ago was now slaying thirty-two Dao masters sounded ridiculous to any normal person. The Heavenly Gate had likely felt the same way, and anyone inside the Earth Gate aware of Su Yu's past would probably agree... Yet on Tiangu's side, from Tiangu himself down to the common cultivators, no one doubted it for a second. Were it anyone else, it would be impossible. Since it was Su Yu, it was a certainty! At this moment, Tiangu rapidly weighed the situation. The Prison King's faction was likely no longer safe! Right now, the denser the concentration of powerhouses, the more dangerous it was! Especially around the Prison King... it was extremely perilous! Because the lineage the Prison King had left behind outside had thoroughly offended Su Yu. Even if the Prison King was a sworn sibling to the Human Sovereign and his peers, Su Yu didn't know her! It wasn't as though Su Yu had never killed ancient humans! Marquis Yunshui, Marquis Anying, and the others had been executed by Su Yu all the same. The Prison King... was no more noble in his eyes than they were. Thoughts raced through his mind. Tiangu looked at the demon expert before him and smiled. "My Lord, if Su Yu arrives, this place will probably become unsafe... There are no defenses nearby. Would you permit us to relocate a bit further away?" The demon expert replied coldly, "Of course not! Without the Demon Emperor's command, no one may leave!" Tiangu sighed inwardly. 'Just as I expected.' Yanhuo still refused to let them leave. Taking refuge under Yanhuo had pros and cons. The advantage was securing a temporary foothold to settle down. The disadvantage was that Yanhuo had his own agenda. Tiangu and his people were weak, without question; the gap between them and the experts of the Three Gates was enormous. However, Tiangu's group consisted of cultivators from the Myriad Realms. And cultivators from the Myriad Realms were coveted prizes! Slaying cultivators of the Myriad Realms enabled one to return there! By killing them, Earth Gate experts could strengthen their origin sources and replenish their yang aura—something necessary for the Earth Gate. Naturally, Yanhuo hadn't made a move yet. Yanhuo had his own direct lineage, subordinates, and even friendly powerhouses. To Yanhuo, Tiangu and the others were private trading commodities. Yanhuo might not need them himself, but recently, Tiangu had sensed experts lurking in secret, appraising them as though examining merchandise. He suspected their group had been treated as bargaining chips, traded off to other experts within the Earth Gate! Yet those buyers were waiting! Waiting for Tiangu's side to grow stronger. In particular, Tiangu himself had probably fetched a hefty price. Sure enough, the moment he proposed leaving, the guard refused. Previously, Tiangu had had nowhere else to turn, which was why he chose to temporarily reside here. He never imagined Su Yu would arrive so soon. The territory where Yanhuo and the Prison King resided was guaranteed to be Su Yu's prime target. And Tiangu's group was stationed right on their perimeter... Anyone heading there would have to pass through this area. Waiting here was nothing short of courting death! He had originally planned to lie low a bit longer, but now... that was no longer an option! Tiangu's eyes flickered, and he sighed. "Very well, then." With that, he glanced at the God Empress Consort and the others, then back at the demon expert. Hesitating for a moment, he said, "My Lord, since we cannot relocate... do you think you could ask Lord Yanhuo to dispatch a first-rank expert to patrol around here occasionally...?" "Hah!" Tiangu wore a look of helplessness. "My Lord... I... I left the Myriad Realms in haste and didn't bring many treasures. However, back then, the Immortal Emperor left behind an Immortal Emperor Stele, which contains insights into the Great Dao of Life. I wonder if My Lord might be interested?" The demon expert's eyes flickered as he looked at Tiangu. Tiangu said with a smile, "My Lord, could you perhaps make some arrangements? Just adjust the patrol routes of some experts so they pass through here a few more times..." "Well..." The expert feigned hesitation, but he was clearly tempted. Tiangu had, after all, been the later sovereign of the immortal race and still possessed some valuable heritage. At that moment, a stone stele materialized in Tiangu's hands. With a bright smile, he walked toward him, holding the stele respectfully with both hands. Not far away, members of the demon race were present; Celestial Venerable Mo was among them. He watched in silence, looking at Tiangu. Several times he opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately remained quiet. Just then, Tiangu reached the demon expert's side and presented the Immortal Emperor Stele with both hands. It was indeed a stele left by the Immortal Emperor, possessing considerable power. The demon expert reached out to take it. At that exact instant, Tiangu erupted with a tremendous surge of power and smashed the stele straight at him! Nearby, the God Empress Consort and the others struck with all their might without the slightest hesitation! Boom! Under the demon expert's horrified gaze, the stele crashed down with a deafening blast, shattering his physical body to pieces. The others struck directly at his Great Dao with a violent roar! The Great Dao cracked and fractured! The stele in Tiangu's grasp rapidly transformed into a cage, instantly suppressing the enemy's Great Dao and sealing his sea of will inside. The group acted in dead silence. Swift and vicious! This demon expert, who had only recently crossed into second-rank but already commanded nine Dao of power, was effortlessly overwhelmed and subdued in a flash! Only now did the concealing arrays around them shatter. Tiangu looked calm. The stele struggled in his hands, but he ignored it, turning to Celestial Venerable Mo and asking softly, "Are you staying, or coming with us?" A complex expression appeared on Celestial Venerable Mo's face. Beside him, a purple-haired young man said in a low voice, "We're coming with you! The Yanhuo Demon Emperor... is no longer the sovereign of the demon race after entering the Earth Gate! We cannot fathom his intentions, but over these days, he hasn't shown the demon race any favor..." Turning to Celestial Venerable Mo, he added, "The era has changed! He left the Myriad Realms too long ago, and his mindset has changed—he is no longer the emperor of the demon race! Lord Motian, we... are no longer in the same boat as him! What's more, they underestimate Su Yu. Disaster will strike them sooner or later. Our only way to save ourselves is to leave!" Celestial Venerable Mo sighed and nodded. "Brother Tiangu... from now on, discuss the demon race's affairs with Moduona!" Tiangu glanced at him, then at Moduona, and smiled. "This is probably the wisest decision you've ever made, Motian! If the demon race goes on like this... extinction is only a matter of time! The Demon Emperor is dead, and Yanhuo... his motives are unfathomable! But like the Prison King, he might harbor other ambitions..." He looked into the depths. "If they don't take the news of Su Yu's arrival seriously, these people... including the Prison King, will suffer a devastating loss! "Our words carry no weight; even if we spoke up, no one would care! "However, since the Lord of Chaos broadcast this message across the Earth Gate, it means he takes it very seriously! I don't know if the Human Gate contacted him, but he must view this with utmost gravity to make such a move. Yet some fools think he harbors ulterior motives—how utterly stupid of them!" Right now, Tiangu felt that the Lord of Chaos had made an exceptionally wise choice! It had to be made public! Otherwise, if Su Yu slipped in unnoticed and no one took him seriously, they would all regret it sooner or later. "We can't stay here any longer!" "People like us are coveted prizes; the ancient beasts in the Earth Gate all want to devour us!" "As for Zhou's side, he is of the human race after all and cannot coexist with us! The Lord of Chaos... will probably be one of Su Yu's inevitable targets once he arrives..." Tiangu pondered for a moment before saying, "There's no hiding from this!" After further deliberation, he said, "I want to lead everyone to seek refuge with the Lord of Chaos!" At those words, the God Empress Consort's expression shifted slightly. "You just said Su Yu will head there! Besides, we are far too weak and carrying a vast number of our clansmen. Tiangu, a single misstep could mean the extermination of our races!" "I know!" Tiangu took a deep breath. "But we have no choice! Even if the Lord of Chaos is attacked, he will likely be the last. He is the strongest; if Su Yu and his people make a move, they won't necessarily strike there first... "Furthermore, we aren't completely without bargaining chips!" "Bargaining chips?" The others looked at him. What else did they have? Aside from their surviving clansmen, they had nothing! Tiangu said in a heavy voice, "We still have them! Some of our Myriad Realms experts are not dead yet—the God Emperor is still alive! And we understand Su Yu intimately, better than anyone else, better even than the Human Gate. That is our bargaining chip! "The fact that the Lord of Chaos takes this so seriously shows he isn't stupid. At the very least, he is willing to listen to advice! "I'll go scout out the situation first..." The God Empress Consort frowned. "I'll go!" She looked at Tiangu. "You cannot go. If you go first... what if he kills you..." "He won't!" Tiangu smiled. "Weakness has its advantages. If I were a cultivator with twenty-some Dao, he might indeed kill me. But I only possess ten Dao of power—to him, that's a drop in the ocean. Killing me offers him no benefit! If Su Yu comes to deal with him, wouldn't he want to deal with Su Yu as well?" Beside him, Heavenly Venerable Long said in a deep voice, "Deal with Su Yu... Tiangu, can they truly pull that off?" It wasn't that he overestimated Su Yu, but rather... the myriad races had truly been beaten into terror by him! Tiangu nodded. "Your concern is valid. That's why... our goal isn't to stay there forever! We will obtain what benefits we need from the Lord of Chaos, increase our strength, and leave promptly! It could even be a simple transaction where we sell intelligence on Su Yu in exchange for resources..." Tiangu added, "If we keep hiding, death is only a matter of time! We must take a gamble!" He looked toward Moduona in the crowd. "If you are willing to take a risk... you could seek out Su Yu and sell him the intelligence we have in exchange for resources. Su Yu might not strike... though, of course, he might just kill you on a whim!" Moduona furrowed his brow slightly. "He could capture anyone at random and likely learn more than what we know. Would that even be useful?" He wasn't afraid, but rather doubted it would yield anything. Tiangu smiled. "You don't necessarily have to give him critical intelligence. The point is to let him know... that we fear him, that we dare not oppose him, and that we... are willing to offer everything we know! That way, if we truly cross paths, there might be a chance of survival... Even if we don't make it, he might spare our races from slaughter!" The group exchanged glances and nodded one after another. Tiangu took a deep breath. "Then let us act separately. Gather all our clansmen and evacuate immediately before Yanhuo's side notices!" This group was decisive. By now, they had grown accustomed to living on the run. Soon, they gathered all the clansmen roaming the continent. These cultivators of various races were calm, orderly entering spatial weapons to take shelter. They could not return to the Myriad Realms, and the Earth Gate was fraught with peril. Being able to come out for fresh air was already a luxury; they couldn't ask for more. With Su Yu about to enter, they knew better than anyone just how terrifying that monster was! Avoid him at all costs! The group evacuated swiftly and systematically. Ever since entering the Earth Gate, they had experienced days like this more than once. Some clansmen had already fallen—sometimes killed before they could even react. ... Tiangu and these cultivators of the myriad races were perhaps the quickest to react. The moment they heard that Su Yu might enter, they decisively struck down the demon race's sentry and fled without hesitation. Compared to Yanhuo's wrath, Su Yu was the true embodiment of terror; what did Yanhuo amount to? Though Yanhuo was formidable and Tiangu commanded only ten Dao of power, Tiangu didn't think much of him. Sometimes, strength did not equate to longevity! If Yanhuo and his cohort continued to be this careless... before long, Tiangu felt, news of their deaths would reach his ears. As for trying to convince them... impossible. Even the Lord of Chaos's warning went largely unheeded, so what weight could the words of powerless nobodies like them carry? ... At this moment, Su Yu was naturally unaware of all this. He was in a foul mood! He preferred slipping into the village quietly, playing the schemer lurking in the shadows to stab enemies in the back. He had little fondness for charging head-on into brutal confrontations! After all, they weren't strong enough to sweep across everything yet. Unless he was truly capable of steamrolling all opposition, Su Yu far preferred operating behind the scenes as a shadowy mastermind! Yet the moment he entered, his name had been trumpeted across the realm! Right now, the Human Sovereign was also feeling helpless. "Good grief, am I not even worthy of having my name mentioned?" "..." Su Yu was speechless. He glanced at the Human Sovereign. When did this fellow start caring about that sort of thing? The Human Sovereign chuckled and continued, "Forget it. One skilled in battle wins without great acclaim. Since you're in the limelight, you might as well shine a bit brighter!" Without dwelling on it, he turned to Hou and asked with a smile, "How are January and the others doing?" Hou replied in a low voice, "A few have died, but the rest are doing well... Your Majesty, shall we go find them?" "According to my arrangements back then, they should have infiltrated various factions..." The Human Sovereign smiled. "No rush. First, tell us what you know. We'll talk as we walk. It won't stay peaceful here for long; scouts will arrive shortly. With Second Brother Wen keeping watch outside, there shouldn't be much trouble, and even if the Earth Gate wants to pass messages, it won't expose itself just yet!" With that, the group vanished from the spot. Before long, scouts arrived to survey the Earth Gate. The portal remained as tranquil as ever, but few dared approach it, terrified by the Human Sovereign's two previous strikes. These scouts also feared that if Su Yu's group had truly entered, they might casually slaughter them on sight. Among them were ancient beasts as well as humanoid creatures. Some hailed from the Human Ancestor's banner, some were spies from the Human Gate, and others came from the Prison King's lineage. ... By now, Su Yu and his companions had already moved far away. Transformed into a refined middle-aged man, Hou gave a swift briefing: "Your Majesty, there are countless factions of all sizes within the Earth Gate! However, five main powers dominate! Bihua Mountain, where the Human Ancestor resides; Avici Hell, where the Prison King resides; Mount Bulao, where the Lord of Chaos resides; and two other rather mysterious forbidden lands. It is said that supreme powerhouses oversee them as well, though they have never been seen in person... Still, intelligence indicates that supreme powerhouses truly exist there!" The Human Sovereign nodded slightly. Seeing him recount these factions like familiar family treasures, Su Yu smiled and asked, "Are the Human Ancestor and Prison not targeted by anyone?" "No!" Hou shook his head. "Because they are too strong!" This was different from the Heavenly Gate! The Heavenly Gate was overwhelmingly powerful, so even an entrant of the Lord of Dead Spirits' caliber was fiercely targeted. But here, as long as the Lord of Chaos refrained from acting, the other two mysterious factions—even if they possessed super-ranks—likely had no interest in intervening. And even if they did, they might not succeed in taking them down! Su Yu thought for a moment and said, "What was the purpose of the Human Ancestor and Prison entering the Earth Gate? Aside from seeking refuge, could there be another objective?" Seeking refuge might be one reason. The Human Ancestor, for instance, might have entered to avoid trouble from the Human Gate. But what about Prison? She had been in here for so many years. If these people truly wanted to leave... it wasn't as though they never had an opportunity! Yet they had stayed inside the Earth Gate all along. Even previously, the Rulers of Rules who ventured outside were all weaklings; none of the true powerhouses had emerged. Earlier, one of Prison's disciples had gone out. Yuqing! She wasn't particularly strong—looking back now, she wielded roughly four Dao of power—and was said to be Prison's ninth disciple. Of course, the state of the Earth Gate back then couldn't support the passage of stronger beings. The fissure in the Earth Gate was not large! And as for threatening the Earth Gate into opening... only Su Yu and his companions would dare pull off such a stunt! When Su Yu and the others entered, they hadn't counted on leaving easily. The current fissure in the Earth Gate was insufficient to support their exit. However... Su Yu was confident that if they turned the inside upside down and slaughtered countless beings, the Earth Gate itself might forcibly open to expel them! Thus, the three of them weren't worried in the slightest about getting out. If they lost, they couldn't leave anyway. If they won, there would naturally be countless ways to walk out! The Human Sovereign smiled. "There are naturally benefits to the Earth Gate. Slaying Earth Gate experts replenishes one's origin source! With a strengthened origin source, once you return outside and absorb the power of the Myriad Realms, you can rapidly bolster yourself!" Continuing, he added, "Furthermore, the Earth Gate seals the Chaos Era. Inside the Earth Gate, there is actually another treasure trove: the Chaos River!" Su Yu was surprised and looked at him. "What Chaos River?" "Just pools of primordial chaos origin power!" The Human Sovereign explained, "I recovered quite quickly earlier—look, I've already reached thirty-one Dao—mostly thanks to the chaos origin! It does wonders for healing. Pure chaos origin, an existence from before the opening of the heavens, is immensely beneficial for both healing and comprehending the power of the Great Dao!" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "You managed to get your hands on that?" He shot him an odd look, then glanced at Hou and asked with a grin, "Senior Hou, is it easy to obtain?" Hou hurriedly said, "Extremely difficult! That Chaos River is surrounded by several major factions. Under normal circumstances, only those major factions ever get a chance to harvest some..." Su Yu looked back at the Human Sovereign, who grinned. "What are you staring at?" Was it so difficult for him to have planted some people in the upper echelons? Su Yu considered it and said nothing more. At this moment, Su Yu pondered and asked, "Where does the Human Sovereign think our first stop should be?" The Human Sovereign laughed. "How about finding those two mysterious super-ranks first? Take out the unknowns before dealing with the rest! Once those two are eliminated, the remaining... three factions might not form an alliance!" "Will Prison still listen to you?" Su Yu looked at the Human Sovereign. "You are her sworn elder brother, after all. Do you think she might listen to you?" The Human Sovereign fell into deep contemplation, only speaking after a long silence: "I don't know, probably not. I don't know what is on her mind now. Back then, I might have been able to tell, but as you said, the lineage she left behind caused endless turmoil for the human race! She might have known about all of it... yet she never intervened or stopped them... I don't know what she thinks today! With fissures in the Earth Gate, supreme experts couldn't pass through, but approaching them was certainly possible. She should have received news from the Myriad Realms, yet she never intervened..." At that point, he let out a sigh. Wen Yu, having some grasp of Prison's mentality, said nonchalantly, "What could she be thinking? Even if she knew, she wouldn't stop them!" Seeing Su Yu look over, Wen Yu explained, "Prison is cold-blooded to the core! She advocates the extreme law of the jungle! In her eyes, the weak don't deserve to survive; whether they are abandoned or discarded doesn't matter, human or not! So even if she knew her people were causing havoc outside, she wouldn't care!" Su Yu understood. He chuckled and said, "Forget about that, then! I don't count on cooperating with her, nor do I want to! Your Majesty Human Sovereign, let me make my stance clear from the start... If I kill her, you are not allowed to stop me! Let's get that straight first!" The Human Sovereign frowned slightly and nodded without a word. Su Yu added, "It's not that I'm determined to kill her just to make things difficult for you, but... I have to give certain people an explanation!" Su Yu said calmly, "I don't actually hold any deep personal grudge against Prison. However, she killed Er Yue, and San Yue, Si Yue... they are all serving me! Er Yue was San Yue's father. On that point alone... there is virtually zero possibility of cooperation between her and me! Perhaps you feel San Yue and his kin are far less valuable than Prison, but in my eyes, those who support me are my people! Those who don't... are enemies! Under that premise, Prison is my foe! "If I have the chance to kill Prison, I won't hold back!" He had to make this clear in advance! The Human Sovereign remained somewhat ambivalent toward Prison. Men like King Wen were decisive figures, and Su Yu could sense their sharp, resolute determination! For instance, earlier in the Heavenly Gate, coordinating across vast distances had been handled with masterful precision! Yet whenever the Prison King was involved, things changed. Su Yu could understand. Tens of thousands of years as sworn siblings meant deep bonds. The Human Sovereign and the others had personal attachments; they were human after all, and humans inherently possessed mortal emotions and desires. That was why both the Human Sovereign and King Wen had shielded Prison back then! The Human Sovereign rarely hesitated or wavered, but now he merely sighed again, remaining silent. Wen Yu seemed completely unbothered, saying nonchalantly, "Kill her if you want. I haven't even bothered settling the score for her tarnishing my reputation! Back then, if Big Brother hadn't held me back, I would have made her pay for it!" The Prison King had impersonated the Time Master and slaughtered countless people, including allied races! Afterward, Wen Yu hadn't dared show her face as the Time Master, as doing so invited endless trouble. Even King Wen hadn't dared disclose that his sister was the Time Master for fear of the fallout. Hou listened in silence, not daring to utter a word. Talking about killing the Human Sovereign's third sworn sibling right to his face—Hou could clearly sense that this newly risen supreme powerhouse of the human race held an equal, if not superior, standing among the trio. A truly terrifying existence! No wonder the myriad races had been shattered; this man showed no mercy. As for the Prison King... Hou had been King Wu's mount, after all, and knew a thing or two. Once, the Prison King had targeted him, and only King Wu's intervention had scared her off; otherwise, Hou would have perished long ago. Su Yu walked alongside Hou and asked, "Does January know that Er Yue was killed by Prison?" The Human Sovereign was silent for a moment before nodding. "He knows!" Su Yu raised an eyebrow, utterly surprised. "He knows, and you still dare use him? You sheltered Prison, after all!" Could January possibly swallow that? Su Yu was already wondering whether January might have betrayed the Human Sovereign. Er Yue was January's descendant. His descendant had been murdered, yet the killer was protected by the Human Sovereign he served—could he accept that? Even Su Yu found this tricky to navigate. San Yue and the others were serving Su Yu. What if January had turned traitor...? Would Su Yu have to execute January? If news of that reached San Yue and his kin... even if they knew January had betrayed them, the fallout would be messy. Su Yu had no desire to fall out with the experts who supported him; the Iron Eater race had backed him from an early stage. The Human Sovereign let out a breath and suddenly said, "It's fine. In earlier years, I made amends to January. That the Iron Eater race has endured to this day is largely thanks to that. Back then, after Prison killed Er Yue, I severed a portion of the human race's providence and infused it into the Iron Eater race, linking the survival of the Iron Eaters to the human race!" The Human Sovereign said in a low voice, "I also promised January that if he could avenge him himself, or find someone else to kill Prison... I would not stop him!" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that just quenching thirst by looking at plums? If January could kill her, he would have done so long ago!" An empty promise, practically useless! It was just like Su Yu telling the Martial Emperor that if he had the capability to slay King Wu, Su Yu would keep everyone else off his back—because it was virtually impossible! This time, the Human Sovereign gave a bitter laugh. "That was as much as I could do back then! If you wanted me to execute Prison at the time... do you really think I could bring myself to do it? Tens of thousands of years of affection..." Su Yu shrugged. "True enough! Still, you handled the matter quite poorly." "Yes, which is why I am merely the Human Sovereign!" The Human Sovereign sighed. "If I had truly been selfless and treated all under heaven as one, I wouldn't be the Human Sovereign—I would be the Sovereign of the Myriad Races! Had I truly treated all races as I treated humanity, they might not have rebelled against me! That is why the fall of the ancient era was tied to me. Su Yu... you don't need to hold me in such high regard; I am no saint!" Hearing this, Su Yu said nothing further. The Human Sovereign was well aware of all this; he understood completely! Yet he was the Human Sovereign! This was somewhat similar to some of Hundred Battles' past strategies, though the Human Sovereign had handled things considerably better than Hundred Battles. Aside from sparing the Prison King when she struck at allied races, he had generally taken good care of his allies. The Human Sovereign was no saint; his responsibility... ultimately lay with humanity alone! Nor was Su Yu a saint; his responsibility lay only with those who supported him and recognized him. In this era, true saints did not exist. At this moment, the Time Master watched the two of them. Seeing that no conflict had flared up, she piped up, "Why think so much about it? We just got here! How about we hunt down a few primordial chaos beasts, kill them, and have a good feast before getting to work?" She interjected to lighten the mood. She felt there was no reason to clash over the Prison King. Within the human race today, Su Yu and the Human Sovereign were the two pillar stones; jeopardizing their tacit understanding over Prison was entirely unnecessary. The Human Sovereign nodded with a smile. "Wen Yu is right. Why not catch a few ancient beasts, slaughter them, and have a feast first?" Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have bothered entertaining Wen Yu's suggestion. Now, however, he readily supported it. Su Yu also smiled. "Deal!" The matter was effectively laid to rest. In any case, the Human Sovereign had already stated that if Su Yu killed her, he wouldn't interfere—and that was enough. As for whether the Human Sovereign himself would make a move... Su Yu didn't care! Forcing the Human Sovereign to personally slay a sworn sister of tens of thousands of years was indeed asking too much. Beside them, Hou, who hadn't dared breathe a moment ago, now let out a breath of relief and said hurriedly, "Lord Yu, I know where the tastiest ancient beasts are. Let me lead the way!" He had been terrified that these figures might start fighting among themselves the moment they arrived. Fortunately, that hadn't happened—it had scared him half to death! Su Yu smiled. He could see Hou's nervousness, but it was entirely unfounded. Su Yu and the Human Sovereign had no fundamental conflict and wouldn't fall out over the Prison King; at most, Su Yu simply wouldn't interact with Prison's camp. For their first order of business, instead of seeking out any supreme experts, the group followed Hou's lead and set off to enjoy a hearty meal!