We Believe in You!

The Longevity Bamboo pierced through heaven and earth, shooting straight toward the ancient Human Sovereign. This was the Human Ancestor's Dao-validation weapon, nurtured for countless years and incomparably formidable. Cultivated from the Heaven-Opening Era down to the present day, it had slain Integration-tier powerhouses. It was rich with a vast aura of life, mingled with the power of countless Great Daos. If the Human Sovereign claimed it, he would inevitably restore his formidable combat strength. At this moment, Great Saint Bei Tian, a powerhouse who claimed compassion for heaven and earth, grew incensed. His voice reverberated through the realm: "Zhou, you are seeking your own destruction!" "No one else may know the Sovereign's terrifying might, but do you not understand it even a little?" Zhou had actually chosen this moment to strike! And the moment he struck, he displayed terrifying might, executing a super-tier powerhouse on the spot and hurling his Longevity Bamboo—a sacred healing treasure—straight toward the Human Sovereign. Abominable! Hateful! He deserved to die! Great Saint Bei Tian assumed a posture of sorrowful mercy, bringing his hands together as he muttered an incantation. In an instant, the world shared in his grief. Even Wen Yu, despite doing everything in her power to intercept him, could not hold out! Wen Yu suddenly burst into tears, overcome with grief, feeling that life held no further purpose or hope! What a terrifying Dao of Seven Emotions and Six Desires! Even a thirty-four-Dao Heaven-Opener like Wen Yu was heavily influenced. With palms joined, Bei Tian let out sigh after sigh. Yet doing so cost him tremendous energy; Wen Yu's thirty-four Daos as a Heaven-Opener could easily rival thirty-five Daos, even if thirty-six Daos were ultimately superior. Even so, affecting Wen Yu required a massive drain on his reserves. Still, he could not allow the Longevity Bamboo to fall into the Human Sovereign's grasp! The instant he disrupted Wen Yu, he reached out toward the Human Sovereign. A powerful aura blanketed heaven and earth. If the Human Sovereign restored himself to his peak, then today… this battle would become far more troublesome! By now, the Human Sovereign was closing in on the Longevity Bamboo. Yet Bei Tian moved to preempt him, his colossal palm blotting out the sky as it clawed toward the Human Sovereign's back. If the Human Sovereign dared take the Longevity Bamboo, Bei Tian was confident he could inflict a crippling wound. Would the Human Sovereign dare persist? If he gave it up, Bei Tian would seize the bamboo for himself! At that critical juncture, the Human Sovereign gritted his teeth, looking as though he were ready to seize the Longevity Bamboo by force, indifferent to sustaining severe injury! Su Yu abruptly roared, "Are you stupid?!" The Human Sovereign's body instantly twisted like a slippery loach, vanishing from the spot in the blink of an eye. Great Saint Bei Tian's hand reflexively clamped around the Longevity Bamboo—and his expression warped! Su Yu's furious shout had alerted him to something! Sure enough, the instant his grip closed around the bamboo, a surging, boundless energy welled from within, feeling as though it were about to detonate on the spot! A powerful suction force emanated from the stalk, threatening to lock him in place! Great Saint Bei Tian was mournful no longer. His expression shifted violently, and a tremendous wave of aura erupted from his palm as he desperately tried to cast the thing away. Su Yu roared again: "Flee farther! Watch out for him throwing the bamboo at you…" He shouted another warning to the Human Sovereign! The Human Sovereign, who had just begun to retreat, paused slightly, his speed slowing by a fraction. Great Saint Bei Tian's mind raced. With a thunderous bellow, a terrifying aura surged from him, deliberately severing his own hand to forcefully cast the bamboo toward the Human Sovereign! This bamboo might severely injure him! Yet it would surely kill the Human Sovereign! Against a thirty-six-Dao powerhouse's Dao-validation weapon self-destructing, a thirty-two-Dao Human Sovereign had a very high chance of being slain! A look of terror appeared on the Human Sovereign's face, and he scrambled to escape! However, the bamboo was hurled far too swiftly! By then, Wen Yu had regained her senses. Aghast at the sight, she let out an angry cry. A blazing sky-burning flame erupted as myriad Daos converged, forming what looked like a fire-poker in her hands, which she swung down mercilessly toward Great Saint Bei Tian! Boom! Great Saint Bei Tian was knocked back a short distance, but a faint smile touched his lips. A minor wound, nothing more! He whipped his head around to look at the Human Sovereign, but the sight froze him in place. The Human Sovereign was slick as an eel. Snatching both the bamboo and the severed hand out of the air, he threw back his head and laughed heartily: "Many thanks, Senior Bei Tian!" "You idiot!" A voice cursed furiously from afar. It was Qing Tian, locked in combat with Su Yu, unable to hold back a bellow of rage: "Are you a moron?! That is Zhou's Dao-validation weapon! Whether it explodes or not is for him to decide!" Have you lost your mind? In that split second of crisis, he had been completely led astray by a single sentence from Su Yu. What 'Human Sovereign run, watch out for the blast'… to hell with that! This bamboo was not an ownerless object! It was Zhou's Dao-validation weapon. Of all the places to throw it, why throw it right at the Human Sovereign? What did you just accomplish? You handed over the Longevity Bamboo on a silver platter, and threw in one of your own severed hands as a bonus! Have you gone senile? Great Saint Bei Tian's face darkened. In the lightning-fast clash just now, there had been no time to deliberate. When Su Yu yelled for the Human Sovereign to run, Bei Tian's immediate thought had naturally been that blowing up the Human Sovereign was best. How could he have weighed every angle? The crisis had simply unfolded too quickly! The crux of the matter was that Su Yu had deliberately misled him! His face twisted in frustration. Meanwhile, the Human Sovereign held the Longevity Bamboo, but his own expression quickly shifted as well. Radiance of the Great Daos continued to pulse along the stalk, seemingly on the verge of self-destructing! At this moment, even the Human Sovereign was trembling in fear! Damn it all, I'm scared! Truly! He had no idea what the Human Ancestor was really planning. If the man was merely pretending to be an ally and pulled off a stunt like this… it was over; he would be utterly dead! The Human Ancestor's motives were far too difficult to decipher! No one could tell what he was thinking! Feeling the violent fluctuations thrumming through the bamboo, the Human Sovereign genuinely felt an urge to cast it aside. He was terrified! Would it really explode? The Human Sovereign's face shifted repeatedly. Yet time was running out. Should he absorb the bamboo into his world and assimilate it? If he truly took it inside his world… should it detonate within, he would have zero chance of survival, not even an avenue of escape. He was anxious to the point of madness! The Human Sovereign was inherently decisive, yet at this moment, he still hesitated. It could not be helped; the Human Ancestor was far too unfamiliar to him, someone he had almost never dealt with. And from what little he had heard, this figure was hardly benevolent. A fellow who turned against the Heavenly Gate, turned against the Human Gate, rebelling again and again! An instant later, the Human Sovereign sighed and pulled the bamboo into his world, tucking it inside the Human Sovereign Seal. In that single breath, he had reasoned it through! The Human Ancestor's thoughts were impossible to divine, but if he were truly here to slaughter people on behalf of the Human Gate, with his thirty-six-Dao cultivation, joining forces with Great Saint Bei Tian would never require such convoluted schemes. He could simply reduce a complex situation to its simplest form! He could outright overpower and slaughter both him and Wen Yu! Since the Human Ancestor had not done so, the likelihood of using such a trick to kill him was not very high. He could only gamble on that probability! …… At the same time. The rejuvenated Human Ancestor unleashed ten thousand punches in rapid succession, battering the Lord of Chaos until he stumbled backward again and again, ultimately forcing him to revert to his true form: a colossal, towering ancient tree! Branches and leaves fluttered wildly across the giant tree. Life force leaked in abundance! The Lord of Chaos was shaken. He was actually no match for Zhou! Meanwhile, after delivering ten thousand consecutive blows, the Human Ancestor remained completely unruffled, his breathing steady. Glancing over toward the Human Sovereign and seeing him integrate the bamboo into his world, Zhou suddenly chuckled, a playful look in his eyes. The next instant, the Human Sovereign's world manifested. Right then, within his world, the massive bamboo suddenly began draining the Human Sovereign's world energy with voracious speed, rapidly driving its roots deep into his world! The Human Sovereign's face drained of color! The Human Ancestor's faint laughter drifted over: "I borrow the power of your world to nurture this Longevity Bamboo with the Human Sovereign's Dao. I imagine it will become even more formidable, perhaps even rivaling the Heaven-Opening Sword!" Dead silence fell across the surrounding expanse! The Human Sovereign let out an agonizing roar. Over in his fierce battle, Su Yu's expression shifted drastically as well! Meanwhile, Great Saint Bei Tian felt as though he had just traversed from the depths of hell to the heights of heaven. Casting aside his sorrow, he exclaimed in surprise and joy: "Zhou…" This Zhou! Regardless of his ultimate goal, he was currently leeching the Human Sovereign's world energy. This… the Human Sovereign was finished! He had actually allowed the Longevity Bamboo to enter his world! Now, the Longevity Bamboo was siphoning world energy directly, taking root inside and gorging on the potent Human Sovereign Great Dao, growing at immense speed while taking on a golden hue. The Human Ancestor's voice echoed across the void once more: "When the Longevity Bamboo turns entirely golden, it will have reached full maturity! Slaying so many over all these years has finally brought it to the brink of completion!" A smile crossed the Human Ancestor's lips! "The Human Sovereign's world… truly magnificent!" "Damn you!" The Human Sovereign could not help cursing aloud. In the end, his trust had been misplaced! He had assumed the Human Ancestor had no need to kill him, weighing the pros and cons, and that there was no reason to use such underhanded means against him. As it turned out, the Human Ancestor did not intend to kill him directly, but rather to plunder the Great Daos of his world! "You will be assimilated by me!" the Human Sovereign roared furiously! The Human Ancestor appeared entirely unconcerned, replying flatly: "Nothing more than the so-called Dao of Responsibility. If I am assimilated, so be it! What does it matter?" …… "Die!" Su Yu let out a thunderous bellow, his long blade hacking down wildly. Great Saint Qing Tian, however, sneered coldly. Even though he was currently suppressed by Su Yu, he no longer cared. You are finished! He had not anticipated that the Human Ancestor had been targeting the Human Sovereign's world all along! Su Yu's expression was grim. The Human Ancestor! Su Yu had analyzed and weighed the situation for a long time. He had assumed that as long as his side displayed sufficient strength, the Human Ancestor—as one of only two unsealed entities in the myriad realms—would not turn hostile against them! Yet… the Human Ancestor had turned hostile anyway! He was draining the Human Sovereign's Dao energy! Myriad thoughts flashed through Su Yu's mind. He could not allow this extraction to continue. If the Human Sovereign were truly drained to death, disaster would be absolute! The Human Ancestor's sudden betrayal had exceeded Su Yu's expectations. The sensation of having everything under control shattered in an instant! Su Yu realized he had placed too much faith in his own instincts and judgment. At this point, retreat was the only option! He glared at Great Saint Qing Tian, his expression turning icy. The next moment, Su Yu abruptly pulled back his blade. Great Saint Qing Tian instinctively backed away. Right then, a stalk of bamboo materialized in Su Yu's hand. It was not very large—the very bamboo previously integrated by San Yue. Of course, even after integration, it had remained within Su Yu's world! It had been merged directly into the Great Daos of Su Yu's world. When San Yue detonated the bamboo back then, he had only destroyed its physical form; its essence remained, fused into the Daos. Now, Su Yu whipped out this bamboo, and an immense power of curse abruptly surged along the stalk! "I curse… longevity to perish!" A terrifying curse traveled along this illusory bamboo, instantly snaking across the void toward the Human Sovereign! Upon the massive Longevity Bamboo within the Human Sovereign's world, a black line suddenly emerged! The black line spread at astonishing speed. Su Yu retreated steadily, bringing forth another object—or rather, a person. Grasping the figure in his hand, Su Yu spoke with boundless chill: "Using the fortune of the myriad realms as my foundation, I curse longevity to fall…" Far away, tangled in combat with the Lord of Chaos, the Human Ancestor abruptly looked back. Seeing this, his brow furrowed, and he barked, "Stop!" Su Yu paid him no heed! Warden Tianhou let out a shrill scream as his physical form began to fracture. A streak of black pierced heaven and earth, shooting straight for the Longevity Bamboo inside the Human Sovereign's world. Su Yu commanded coldly, "Human Sovereign, trap that bamboo and watch me curse it to dust!" At that moment, a stream of golden fortune surged within the Human Sovereign's world—the very portion of fortune Su Yu had partitioned to him earlier! Now, that power of fortune was also rapidly igniting! Plumes of black smoke permeated the world! They blanketed the violently thrashing bamboo! The Human Ancestor's face changed again, and he cursed, "You fool! Draining his world energy was to help him reconstruct his foundation!" The Human Ancestor shouted in frustration! At that exact instant, the massive bamboo within the Human Sovereign's world abruptly shattered, releasing boundless, overwhelming waves of vital essence. The Human Ancestor's cursing voice echoed again: "You fool! Now it has shattered, so it can only restore him, not elevate him further… If you hadn't interfered, reconstructing his foundation might have pushed him into the thirty-six Daos!" The Human Ancestor cursed incessantly! Su Yu's gaze remained frigid as he glanced at the Human Sovereign. The Human Sovereign's world was expanding rapidly, its Great Dao power strengthening at tremendous speed! Then Su Yu looked toward the Human Ancestor once more. A cold sneer rose in his heart! Hard to say! Was that true or false? If he had not cursed the Longevity Bamboo, would the Human Ancestor truly have helped the Human Sovereign rebuild his foundation? Not necessarily! The Human Ancestor likely had not anticipated that Su Yu would not only burn his own fortune to curse the bamboo, but had also left an enormous reserve of fortune inside the Human Sovereign's world, igniting both in a simultaneous curse! If this had continued, the Human Sovereign would suffer, but the Longevity Bamboo would also be utterly destroyed! The Human Ancestor would have walked away with nothing! And he would have completely alienated Su Yu's faction beyond repair! Therefore, once he realized Su Yu had the means to counter him, he might have simply shifted his stance, seizing the convenient excuse that draining the world's energy was merely meant to ease the reconstruction of his foundation! Did such a method exist? It did! Just as Su Yu could cleanse all negative afflictions by undergoing Nirvana a few times, draining the Human Sovereign's world energy before reconstructing it could theoretically purge all previous lingering injuries! However, Su Yu refused to gamble! Thus, even though he had burned through a full thirty percent of his own fortune in that single instant, Su Yu had not hesitated! Looking across the distance at the Human Ancestor, he bared his snowy white teeth: "Many thanks for your assistance, Human Ancestor. Junior acted rashly!" Without another word, Su Yu lunged back toward Great Saint Qing Tian to suppress him once more! …… Meanwhile, cold sweat broke out across the Human Sovereign's forehead! Reconstructing his foundation? Or killing him to nurture the Longevity Bamboo? Perhaps only the Human Ancestor himself truly knew! Indeed, even the Human Sovereign could not be certain whether the Human Ancestor's action in that split second had been meant to help or harm him! If the Longevity Bamboo had truly absorbed his world's energy, it would have become overwhelmingly powerful. Combined with such an artifact, or by devouring it, the Human Ancestor might have been able to make another breakthrough! Who could say for sure? In this situation, playing dumb was the only option, pretending to take the Human Ancestor at his word! …… At this moment, the Human Ancestor sighed: "What a pity. The chance to reconstruct the foundation was ruined. Young people are simply too impatient!" "Otherwise, Xingyu might have advanced… Alas!" He let out a long sigh! At that moment, even the Lord of Chaos looked at him with an odd gaze, sneering, "Hypocrite!" Was it truly to reconstruct his foundation? Hard to say! Of course, he had no way of knowing either. No one could fathom Zhou's thoughts; only the Human Ancestor himself knew whether his intent in that moment had been benevolent or malicious! The Human Ancestor seemed entirely unbothered. Now that the Longevity Bamboo was shattered, the Human Sovereign's aura was surging rapidly, while Great Saint Bei Tian continued his frantic assault on Wen Yu, striking her until she coughed up blood repeatedly! The Human Ancestor turned to the Lord of Chaos and sighed: "Fool, are you still trying to stop me? The Human Gate has a full eight Great Saints. Right now, the Earth Gate is restricting their numbers. Even if I join the battle and slay one, another will descend shortly; their numbers will not diminish! Weakening the Human Gate's strength is the true priority! Both the Earth Gate and Heavenly Gate have suffered catastrophic losses, yet the Human Gate remains completely unscathed…" The Lord of Chaos hesitated for a fraction of a breath, and in that instant, the Human Ancestor vanished! The Lord of Chaos made a motion to pursue, hesitated, furrowed his brow, and rapidly dissipated into a wisp of blue smoke, disappearing from the area! Sensing the Human Ancestor rushing over, Great Saint Bei Tian bellowed, "The rest of you, force your descent!" In the distance, the aura of several gates began to violently fluctuate! Other Great Saints were preparing to force their way down! Great Saint Hong Tian also roared, "Earth Gate, do not obstruct us! If you hold us back, they will only grow stronger as the battle drags on! We will cease once just two more descend!" Two more Great Saints! He wanted to show the Earth Gate that this was no threat, but a necessary measure forced upon the Human Gate! …… Su Yu's expression changed slightly. This was the troublesome part about the Human Gate: they had far too many experts. If two more Great Saints arrived, even if the Human Ancestor joined the fray, he could not handle two at once. And whether they could descend depended entirely on whether the Earth Gate chose to block them! If the Earth Gate looked the other way, immense trouble would follow. Furthermore, regarding the Human Ancestor… Su Yu was still on guard. The scene just now had been far too perilous! Su Yu shouted at the top of his lungs: "If you allow more powerhouses from the Human Gate to descend and leave them unscathed, what benefit is that to you? Once we kill one or two of their Great Saints, it will benefit you as well! At that point, even if you let more enter to suppress us, you will maximize your own gains!" They could not be allowed in right now! Otherwise, the situation would spiral out of control. Su Yu yelled, "Earth Gate, your smartest choice is to force the Human Gate to feed them in piecemeal—one dies, one descends! Mutual destruction is your only victory! If either side crushes the other, your death will not be far behind! If five Great Saints descend and we collapse, when the Lord of Dead Spirits and the others charge in and those five Great Saints break out… you will die without a doubt!" At this moment, the Earth Gate held tremendous sway! Hong Tian, still locked in fierce combat with the Lord of Mount Tianqiong, roared again: "Do not listen! If this Su Yu is not slain swiftly, he will become an unstoppable disaster…" That was also reasonable! Whether additional Great Saints could descend rested entirely in the hands of the Earth Gate. Right then, with a thunderous roar, a Great Saint descended. Su Yu cursed loudly! Yet a moment later, the second Great Saint preparing to descend suddenly… had no further movement! Hong Tian and the others cursed bitterly! They understood! The Earth Gate was striking a balance. He would not permit Su Yu's side to win easily, but he certainly would not let the Human Gate win effortlessly either. Sensing the Human Ancestor approaching, he allowed one Great Saint through to deal with him! This was the Earth Gate's choice! At that point, Su Yu suddenly roared: "Why don't we join forces and destroy the Earth Gate first?!" Su Yu shouted fiercely: "Four Great Saints, plus us, plus the Lord of Dead Spirits outside—if we join hands, what say we kill the Earth Gate first?!" "……" …… In that moment, out in the myriad realms, the Earth Gate suddenly shuddered. Fuck! Don't let things spiral out of hand! He had heard Su Yu's roar and was instantly spooked! He had indeed been remote-controlling both sides to maintain a balance of combat power, but if control slipped… that would spell absolute disaster! Four Great Saints had descended, plus Qiong, Su Yu, the Human Ancestor, the Human Sovereign, Wen Yu… If they united with King Wen and the others on the outside, blasting him to pieces would not be difficult at all! The Earth Gate had not fully awakened; otherwise, cold sweat would have drenched him. Balancing the powers from behind the scenes was exhilarating! Yet the slightest misstep would see him suffer a catastrophic fall! Fortunately, Hong Tian bellowed in the next breath: "The Sovereign issued only one command: execute Su Yu! Earth Gate, let one more through! Once we slay Su Yu, we will depart shortly!" The Earth Gate remained silent and allowed no further descents. At this stage, he dared not act recklessly. Allowing another Great Saint to descend would make five, which was far too dangerous! He also had to be wary of Su Yu and the others genuinely feeling that all was lost and choosing to destroy the Earth Gate instead! That would be catastrophic! *The combat strength is balanced… I cannot allow any more to enter!* the Earth Gate thought, when— Boom! The Lord of Dead Spirits threw a punch, billowing with sky-covering death qi. The Lord of Dead Spirits said coldly, "You seem to be stirring up some trouble." The Earth Gate trembled violently, its true body vibrating under the force of the strike. His consciousness rippled rapidly: "No, I am blocking the Great Saints of the Human Gate from descending! Are you trying to get Su Yu and the others killed? Without me holding them back, if all the Great Saints of the Human Gate descend, Su Yu and his people will die!" At this moment, the situation was tangled and immensely complex! The Lord of Dead Spirits cast an utterly frigid look at the Earth Gate, then glanced at King Wen. King Wen was also frowning; with the Earth Gate sealed, they could not perceive the conditions within. Right now, they had no way of judging the situation behind the Earth Gate's actions. However, just moments ago, it really might have been holding back the Human Gate's Great Saints. King Wen chose to stay his hand, saying gravely, "Do not try any underhanded tricks… It seems the battle has truly begun!" The next instant, he looked toward several people in the distance and said in a heavy voice, "All of you sit cross-legged and focus your perception! If either Su Yu or Big Brother falls… we charge inside immediately!" If either of them died, he would know, because many of the experts present were linked to their worlds. If they died, it would signal that one of the two leaders had fallen! The Lord of Dead Spirits said nothing more, merely fixing a deadly stare upon the Earth Gate. The Earth Gate had engaged in petty maneuvers just now; he had sensed it! As for the internal situation, no one could be sure! …… Inside the gate. The fourth Great Saint had descended! She materialized instantly before the Human Ancestor. This was a woman carrying an alluring grace, who laughed softly: "Zhou, you know very well they cannot win. I imagine you truly intended to kill Xingyu earlier, did you not? Why not let me grant your wish? I can join you in killing him. What do you think?" "Huo Tian!" The Human Ancestor looked at her and said softly, "To think it was you who came. I thought it would be Jing Tian." Great Saint Huo Tian smiled seductively: "He certainly wanted to come, but on second thought, I felt it better that I come instead. Back then, he was the one who guided you into our fold, only for you to betray us. He has wanted to kill you for ages… Zhou, with me here, there is still room for compromise. If Jing Tian had come, no compromise would be possible!" Years ago, when Zhou allied with the Human Gate, his contact had been Great Saint Jing Tian. Later, Zhou fled into the Earth Gate, leaving Great Saint Jing Tian beside himself with rage. He had tried repeatedly to contact Zhou and even contemplated forcing a descent to kill him, but because Zhou remained within the Earth Gate, he had never succeeded. The Human Ancestor looked at Huo Tian before him and smiled: "Even if you come, what can you change?" "Why bother?" Huo Tian wore a look of regret: "Even if Su Yu and his side manage to kill one of us, so what? Only half of the Human Gate's eight Great Saints have arrived. With the Sovereign's command in place, even if it means dying, they will descend one after another. And even if the Great Saints are wiped out, there are still the Integrations! Even if Su Yu and his allies fight to the bitter end, only death awaits them. Do you truly not understand this?" Even if four Great Saints died, four more remained! Arriving one by one in a war of attrition, Su Yu's faction would inevitably be wiped out! Thus, the Human Gate stood on invincible ground! "Is that so?" The Human Ancestor glanced toward Su Yu in the distance and smiled: "What if he grows stronger and fiercer the more he fights?" Their strategy of attrition was based on the premise that Su Yu's side would grow progressively weaker after slaying enemies. Yet what if Su Yu grew more formidable as the battle raged on? What then? Huo Tian replied softly, "Of the eight Great Saints, those of us here are merely at thirty-six Daos. The truly powerful ones have yet to arrive! If Su Yu truly grows stronger, even mightier figures will descend naturally. The Earth Gate… will not stand in their way!" The two stood chatting casually, making no move to clash. However, Su Yu and his companions no longer cared! On the Human Ancestor's side, he had at least shattered the Longevity Bamboo, allowing the Human Sovereign to recover swiftly, and he had tied down this newly arrived Great Saint. That was enough! Su Yu never pinned his hopes on him genuinely helping them kill enemies! The scene from earlier still left Su Yu with lingering dread! How could he dare place his hopes on the Human Ancestor again? …… Su Yu observed the surroundings as he fought, his gaze solemn. Continuing like this would not work! Even if the Human Sovereign restored his combat strength and, together with Wen Yu, could hold off Bei Tian more easily than before, killing him remained extraordinarily difficult! Meanwhile, Su Yu himself lacked a decisive, high-burst finisher. He did not possess the overwhelming might needed to slay a thirty-six-Dao powerhouse. Even though he had opened his own world, was a battle-hardened thirty-five-Dao cultivator, possessed the fusion of dual worlds, wielded myriad methods, and was partially immune to the Dao of Wrath… None of it was enough! Against a thirty-six-Dao expert, he lacked a surefire finishing strike! Su Yu had slain many super-tier experts, the strongest being Curse at thirty-four Daos. Yet that had been an opportunistic kill when Curse was already heavily wounded. He had defeated the thirty-two-Dao Dragon on his own—though not completely obliterating him—proving he had the power to kill a thirty-two-Dao cultivator. But… thirty-six Daos was a different matter entirely! Across from him, Great Saint Qing Tian was gradually growing more relaxed. He, too, had realized that after countless years without battle, he had been somewhat rusty. Yet… as the fight with Su Yu dragged on, he found his movements becoming increasingly fluid! Indeed, at this moment, the situation had inverted. It was no longer Su Yu using him as a whetstone, but Qing Tian using Su Yu's hands to hone his rusty techniques back to perfection! Qing Tian's anger suddenly faded, replaced by a laugh: "Su Yu… let us drag this out then! Even if this stalemate continues indefinitely, pinning down your footsteps… will be our victory!" So what if the Human Sovereign recovered? Thirty-five Daos was, in the end, merely thirty-five Daos! Joining hands with the Time Master to resist or even suppress Bei Tian was possible, but killing him was a pipedream. At this level, entities of comparable strength found it exceedingly difficult to kill one another! Su Yu could not, and the Great Saints of the Human Gate could not either. Meanwhile, Su Yu continued to fuse aperture after aperture, yet his rate of fusion had slowed compared to before. By now, he had fused eighty-two apertures, but he was still far from fusing all one hundred and eight! A protracted battle would only invite disaster! What should he do? Thoughts flashed rapidly through Su Yu's mind. The enemy could summon reinforcements indefinitely! His side could not! If time dragged on, he feared the Human Ancestor might harbor secondary motives, and he feared Qiong might grow impatient and choose to abandon the fight! After all, they were not truly of one mind! Moreover, two other powerhouses remained within the Earth Gate: the Lord of Chaos and the Prison King. Even if the Prison King possessed only thirty-two Daos, her intervention at this juncture could alter the scales! *Will the Prison King help the Human Sovereign?* That thought surfaced in Su Yu's mind, and his gaze hardened. That wouldn't do either! If the Prison King helped the Human Sovereign, how could he kill her later? Killing her then would mean completely falling out with the Human Sovereign! And that would make it impossible for Su Yu to answer to his allies; he had explicitly promised Yi Yue that he would kill the Prison King! Amidst the storm of thoughts, a resounding boom echoed. Distracted for a split second, Su Yu was struck by Qing Tian, who had steadily regained his peak form. A fiery palm blasted into him, the flames of rage searing his heart! Excruciating pain surged through Su Yu, snapping him back to absolute alertness! The greater the pain and anger, the clearer his mind became! Qing Tian frowned slightly. Anyone else struck by this palm would have lost their composure long ago, yet this fellow Su Yu had grown visibly more lucid. No wonder the Sovereign regarded him with such wariness! Saying nothing, Qing Tian pressed his advantage without mercy. Colossal palms laden with the flames of wrath struck out one after another. At this moment, his technique was far more refined than before, forcing Su Yu to retreat repeatedly. From being suppressed by Su Yu, he had now turned the tables and was suppressing Su Yu in turn! This was the first time Su Yu had fallen from having the upper hand to being suppressed by his opponent! Under normal circumstances, once he gained the upper hand, his opponent was given no chance at all. Yet today, he had inadvertently served as a sparring partner for Qing Tian, allowing him to regain his peak combat prowess! Qing Tian roared repeatedly, the flames of wrath blazing furiously! His fists and palm strikes were honed to absolute mastery! Taking on the aspect of an enraged Vajra, he bellowed, "Su Yu, I must thank you for serving as my practice partner! Not having fought for so many years truly left me rusty! Consider this a reminder; it seems we will need to fight far more often in the future!" …… Farther away, the Human Sovereign's aura continued to swell. Teaming up with Wen Yu, they had transitioned from an initial disadvantage to fighting on equal footing with Bei Tian! Meanwhile, the Lord of Mount Tianqiong unleashed sword strike after sword strike. Powerful though he was, he could not completely suppress Hong Tian and grew increasingly impatient. Hong Tian's mocking laughter grated on his nerves, causing him to slip from his initial upper hand into a slight disadvantage. None of the three battlefields showed any sign of an overwhelming victory. If this continued, the battle would likely drag on for an eternity! The fear remained that the Human Gate would send more reinforcements, or that the Earth Gate would intervene directly! …… In the distant depths of the Earth Gate. The Lord of Chaos had returned, looking coldly toward the distant battlefield with a furrowed brow. He had wanted to intervene, but he now understood the Earth Gate's intention: do not interfere; let both sides grind each other down! In this clash, the Earth Gate was the weakest party. Taotie and the ancient bull had essentially died in vain! Right then, the Lord of Chaos frowned slightly: "What is it?" Behind him, Tiangu, a cultivator of meager strength, appeared far calmer than most. Flying forward swiftly, he looked toward the horizon: "My Lord, does Lord Earth Gate intend to let them continue this stalemate?" The Lord of Chaos nodded slightly: "Indeed!" Tiangu's brow tightened: "We cannot let this drag on. If this continues… it will actually work in Su Yu's favor!" The Lord of Chaos was surprised: "You know nothing! You are too weak to see clearly. If this drags on, only Su Yu and his people will suffer! The Human Gate has only sent four Great Saints; more have yet to arrive…" The Earth Gate's obstruction now did not mean it would obstruct them forever! If one of the Human Gate's Great Saints was wounded or incapacitated, the Earth Gate might well allow a fifth to descend! "No, no, no!" Tiangu shook his head: "My Lord, I know Su Yu! He may have no way of dealing with these Great Saints right now… but if this drags out, variables will inevitably arise!" The Lord of Chaos frowned: "What do you mean?" "We should weaken Su Yu's side first. Slaying the Human Sovereign, slaying Wen Yu, or slaying the one from the Heavenly Gate—by any means necessary, Su Yu's side must suffer casualties… Otherwise, continuing this entanglement will only breed disaster!" Tiangu said earnestly, "My Lord, you should confer with Lord Earth Gate. Step forward yourself to tie down one of their opponents, or tie down the Human Ancestor! Allow the newly arrived Great Saint to enter the fray! At worst, once one of their side falls, you can turn around and help Su Yu's faction block the enemy… That is the only way to genuinely consume the combat power of both sides. Keeping them evenly matched right now is not consuming them at all!" He felt that the Earth Gate and the Lord of Chaos sitting back to watch the tigers fight was an exceedingly foolish choice! One side should be weakened first! Preferably Su Yu's faction, after which they could turn around to assist Su Yu… Su Yu would have no choice but to accept the Lord of Chaos's aid, which could then be used to weaken the Human Gate! "However…" The Lord of Chaos frowned: "What if my intervention prompts them to join forces against us?" "……" Tiangu was left speechless! This kind of apprehension was the greatest stumbling block! At this moment, one should throw caution to the wind! Gamble that they could not join forces! Being so terrified of them uniting… the Earth Gate might forfeit its final opportunity and hope! Otherwise, this was the perfect chance to weaken both factions! Tiangu wanted to scream, to roar. He had once shared those very same hesitations, which was why he had lost. You should not be repeating my mistakes! Yet… he could not say it. A ten-Dao cultivator screaming at a thirty-six-Dao powerhouse would likely end with the Lord of Chaos swatting him to death. Tiangu could only say, "My Lord, please find a way to discuss this with Lord Earth Gate. We cannot simply watch like this… This is my humble counsel. If you are willing to listen, please try it!" He bowed respectfully and backed away, staring at the Lord of Chaos's back without another word. If the Earth Gate did not seize this opportunity… it was doomed! Among the Three Gates, the Earth Gate might very well be the first to fall! He looked back toward Su Yu and the others. The titanic clash spanned tens of millions of li, yet a victor could not be determined. Tiangu pondered: how would Su Yu respond? *How will he turn the tables?* Tiangu sighed inward. He wanted Su Yu dead, yet he felt… the powerhouses of every faction were simply too cautious! The Human Gate deploying four Great Saints appeared to show immense gravity! Yet… it was still not enough! Truly not enough! When he retreated, the God Empress transmitted her voice: "The Lord of Chaos is unwilling to strike?" "Yes, and neither is the Earth Gate… They fear being besieged!" A look of anxiety and helplessness surfaced in the God Empress's eyes. She transmitted, "Too many misgivings! What a pity our words carry no weight and our strength is pitifully weak. Otherwise, gathering all forces to eliminate Su Yu first before considering anything else…" Tiangu felt equally helpless. I know that too! Yet one of us possesses ten Daos, and the other four Daos. Who would believe us? Who would listen to us? In trivial matters, perhaps, but when it came to life and death, no one would place their trust in us! That was the greatest tragedy! Knowing full well that stalling was disastrous, yet utterly powerless to change a thing! "Thus, external strength… remains external strength in the end!" Tiangu transmitted another message, adding, "Once the Lord of Chaos departs later, we leave as well!" "Where to?" "The Chaos River!" Tiangu's eyes flickered: "While these titans are locked in combat, we will head to the Chaos River to draw upon the chaos source. Strengthening ourselves is the only thing that matters! Perhaps to these thirty-six-Dao powerhouses, the Chaos River is no longer important, but to you and me… it is an absolute treasure ground!" The God Empress nodded slightly, understanding his meaning. Clearly, she too felt the bitter helplessness of being weak. "When will the Lord of Chaos leave?" the God Empress asked. Tiangu remained impassive: "Wait. The moment a variable arises, he will inevitably leave!" And that variable was extraordinarily likely to emerge from Su Yu's side! As for how Su Yu would turn the tables, Tiangu did not know. Yet that did not prevent him from holding unwavering faith that this archenemy of his would find a way to deal with Qing Tian! At this moment, the ones who believed most fervently that Su Yu could overturn the board were not his allies, but Tiangu and his companions. Indeed, even the Human Sovereign and Wen Yu felt somewhat helpless right now. Because they understood Su Yu's situation. Overturning the board… how could it be overturned? The best possible outcome for this battle was for both sides to disengage. The gain was that the Human Sovereign had recovered from his injuries. Yet slaying a Great Saint of the Human Gate… there was likely no chance. Little did they know that a group of Su Yu's enemies, banished from the myriad realms, possessed a blind, absolute conviction that Su Yu would win. Sometimes, the one who understood you best was none other than your enemy!