Ji Tian of the Human Gate

It was the Demon race again! Su Yu had killed many demons. It could be said that among the strong, demons were always the first to die in every battle—for no other reason than that demons dared to fight! The demons were never skilled in scheming, yet time and again, fight they must. Su Yu had always considered the demons foolish! At times, the demons were utterly incomprehensible. Even knowing they would die, they insisted on throwing their lives away. Take Xue Huo, whom he had encountered in Star Residence Mansion all those years ago—he had insisted on fighting to the death rather than retreating. In the end, he died at Su Yu's hands, the strongest opponent Su Yu had slain back then. Among the three great races—Gods, Immortals, and Demons—the God race kept a low profile, and even now, many of their experts still lived. The Immortal race was high-profile, but they were better at swaying people's hearts. Of course, they fought well too, yet they were rarely the first to perish. Only the Demon race died in every battle! And even in death, they were never the type to regret it. Most of the Blood Fire Demon clan back then had been like that—valiant and warlike, suffering countless casualties until Xue Huo's fall sent the Blood Fire Demons into complete decline. "What was the point of that?" Seeing Yanhuo fall, Su Yu furrowed his brows. Sacrificing himself for love? Yet after all these years, what had he gotten in return? Foolish bastard! As a descendant of the Earth Gate, if he had truly possessed strategic sense, he should have allied with the Earth Gate and worked toward genuinely unsealing it. Perhaps then he would have met a good end or even expanded the Demon race. Instead, he had gone and entangled himself with the Prison King. From following the Prison King into the gate back then, to dying today just to seize Daos for her! Su Yu sighed for Yanhuo. An idiot! There were far too many idiots in the Demon race! The Demon race was powerful—from the myriad realms all the way to this moment, they had always been strong, even linked to the Earth Gate. Yanhuo was likely the sole bearer of the Earth Gate's bloodline heritage; otherwise, the Demon race wouldn't have been unable to open the Earth Gate while Yanhuo's bloodline—and the Sacred Race outside—could. What did that signify? It meant the purity of Yanhuo's bloodline was far from low! Yet in the end, he had ruined himself and screwed over the Earth Gate, all just to fulfill the Prison King. With the strength to slay two Great Saints, why bother! Just as he was thinking this, a deafening boom rang out! A furious roar echoed through the heavens and the earth! The interior of the Earth Gate trembled violently! The Earth Gate's enraged roar reverberated across all directions: "Yanhuo, you fool!" He was utterly beside himself with fury! The Earth Gate was practically bursting with rage! Yanhuo's bloodline truly had been exceptionally pure. Before being sealed, the Earth Gate's true form had been a Demonic Flame Beast, a peerlessly powerful ancient beast of the Chaos Era that had run rampant across primal chaos! Where Yanhuo had inherited his bloodline from was something even the Earth Gate wasn't entirely clear on. Thinking back later, he realized it was likely that before the opening of heaven, the chaotic flames he had left behind had incubated, giving birth to Yanhuo. Of course, it was also possible that one of Yanhuo's parents had used demonic flame from that Heaven-Opening Era. The Earth Gate had known about Yanhuo and had taken quite good care of him! After all, Yanhuo had inherited his bloodline power. In this era—in every era—the Earth Gate had left behind no flesh and blood except Yanhuo... yet he had actually been screwed over by this fellow. Screwed over for no good reason! All because the man had chosen to strike for the Prison King... If the Earth Gate wasn't exploding with fury, it was only because he didn't even have the leeway to: taking advantage of the moment his power was drained, the Lord of Dead Spirits and the others had bombarded him madly, forcing the Earth Gate's true form to manifest! It was a genuine portal floating between heaven and earth, and right now, fissures were spreading across it! The Earth Gate was nearly driven mad with rage! *** While the Earth Gate raged, the experts of the Human Gate were equally furious! Running into something like this was utterly infuriating! Losing Bei Tian and Qing Tian was bad enough, but Hong Tian should never have died! Yet he had been killed by a madman. Where was the sense in that? The Lord of Chaos was even unluckier. He had only intended to intercept for a moment and leave immediately. Instead, he hadn't fallen to Su Yu, but to that idiot Yanhuo. In that instant, Jing Tian and Ji Tian quickly converged, and Huo Tian broke away from the Human Ancestor's side to join them, brimming with indignation. Dead! In a single day, three Great Saints had been slain! As for the Earth Gate, he was just as miserable: two transcendents dead, a thirty-six-Dao powerhouse slain, the Earth Gate heavily damaged, and the weakest Earth Gate Era crippled in an instant! The three Great Saints grouped together, their faces dark. At this moment, the void rippled! The Earth Gate no longer had any interest—or rather, the time or energy—to block them! Instantly, two powerful auras surged from two locations. Human Gate Great Saints had descended! The final two Great Saints had arrived! All eight Great Saints had assembled, though tragically, three were already dead. At this moment, the Lord of Dead Spirits and his allies forcefully blasted open the Earth Gate. An aura of world destruction swept across the surroundings, pounding into the myriad realms! The Earth Gate roared in fury: "The aura of doomsday blankets the myriad realms! Just you wait—you brought this upon yourselves! The Heavenly Gate and the Human Gate will both descend soon, in no more than a month! The three gates will fully awaken, and you brought this upon yourselves!" The doomsday aura of the Chaos Era pierced through the myriad realms, signifying that the myriad realms were officially entering the era of the apocalypse. The three gates were on the verge of opening completely; originally, this could have been delayed for years, if not a decade! Now, however, the River of Time throughout the myriad realms was stained black! The river surged with violent unrest! This meant the end of days would arrive soon, and in some places, traces of devouring locusts were already beginning to appear! The omens of world destruction grew ever more distinct! In his uncontainable wrath, the Earth Gate had no further desire to stop anything. He was heavily wounded; stop them with what? The Earth Gate Era was finished! The era he had sheltered was gone, so what was the point of playing along? At this point, the Earth Gate simply stopped sealing the era, letting its aura leak out. As the aura of the myriad realms seeped in, countless ancient beasts wailed in distress! The aura of the myriad realms disrupted them; once the three gates opened, if they couldn't quickly seize the yang energy of the myriad realms, they would soon perish! *** At this moment, standing before the dark portal, the Lord of Dead Spirits, King Wen, and the others also slightly changed color. The Earth Gate had opened directly! That fellow was no longer sealing his era! Since he was wounded anyway, the Earth Gate simply abandoned his slumber and forcefully revived himself. His aura grew stronger and stronger, yet carried a hint of frailty. Now, the Lord of Dead Spirits could finally see the situation inside the gate! Five Great Saints! The Human Ancestor! Plus the Prison King standing over by Avici Hell, as well as Qiong, the Human Sovereign, Su Yu, and Wen Yu—these were all the transcendent powerhouses currently inside the gate. Inside the gate were eleven supreme experts! And at the doorway, the Earth Gate had now shrunk into a small portal, stepping aside from the original fissure to confront the Lord of Dead Spirits and his group. There were four transcendent beings here as well. Fifteen powerhouses in total! All because of a minor figure like Yanhuo stirring things up, the entire situation had transformed in an instant! "Damn it!" The Earth Gate cursed once more! What rotten luck! The Earth Gate's gaze seemed to turn toward the Prison King, laced with anger and resentment: "Stupid bastard! This woman was obviously just using you, and you took it seriously!" He sounded thoroughly exasperated! The Prison King had obviously been using you all along. You were a Demon Emperor—couldn't you even see that? He had seen it! Yet Yanhuo had stubbornly persisted, determined to do it anyway, leaving the Earth Gate speechless! At this moment, the auras of the two newly descended Human Gate Great Saints shook the heavens and the earth! Peerlessly powerful! They exceeded thirty-six Daos! Ji Tian and his two companions did not advance. Soon, the five Human Gate Great Saints gathered together. Ji Tian shook his head and said mildly, "Running into a fellow like that... pure bad luck! Had I known he was so sentimental, sending Huo Tian to deal with him might have yielded unexpected gains!" Hong Tian's death had been the most disgraceful! Setting aside the other two, Hong Tian was on the verge of being rescued when Yanhuo killed him. All because someone had said he wanted to see the Prison King smile once. Even Ji Tian felt helpless! This time, both the Earth Gate and the Human Gate had suffered enormous losses! The five Great Saints were strong, but on Su Yu's side, the Human Ancestor, Su Yu, the Lord of Dead Spirits, Qiong, and the Human Sovereign were all capable of battling Great Saints, while King Wen and Wen Yu were Heaven-Openers with thirty-four Daos. As for transcendents, King Wu was still around, plus the Prison King, who was still standing dazed over there. And the Earth Gate was now all on his own, his thoughts unknown. If he stayed out of it, that would be normal; if he intervened, he might not necessarily target the Lord of Dead Spirits and his group. The situation had become intensely complicated in an instant. The five Great Saints frowned as they gathered. Among the three fallen Great Saints, Qing Tian's death had been unexpected, and Hong Tian's had been humiliating; only Bei Tian's death could be considered normal, since he had at least been brought down by several opponents joining forces. The Human Gate had issued an order to kill Su Yu, yet up to this point, they had suffered catastrophic losses without succeeding. The five Great Saints exchanged glances. What now? Continue? They might not hold any significant advantage. However, there was one silver lining: the Earth Gate had been forcefully breached, causing the aura of world destruction to pervade everywhere. Before long, forces from the Human Gate would likely be able to descend directly into the myriad realms without needing an intermediary relay! Once they could descend directly, the Human Gate still had other transcendents! This time, only several Great Saints had descended, but the Human Gate still possessed other transcendents. *** At this moment, Su Yu was also somewhat surprised by how the situation had developed. A single Yanhuo had wounded the Earth Gate, allowing the Lord of Dead Spirits and his companions to forcefully breach it—an outcome Su Yu had never anticipated. Su Yu cast his gaze into the distance toward the Prison King. Before the Prison King, the power of three full Great Daos fluctuated. The Human Gate likely wanted to reclaim them, but wary of Su Yu's group, they didn't make a move. Su Yu was also frowning! Though Yanhuo hadn't attacked them just now, that meant little. Even if Yanhuo had turned on him, Su Yu wouldn't have been too afraid. Yanhuo had slain Hong Tian and the Lord of Chaos because the Earth Gate's power had been overwhelming, suppressing both of them. Against Su Yu, who possessed the fourth gate, the Earth Gate's suppression wasn't as potent as one might imagine! Su Yu simply didn't know how to employ gate power yet; that didn't mean he couldn't resist it. If Yanhuo had actually attacked Su Yu, he likely would have burned himself out before killing Su Yu. Such power still had its specific counters! At this moment, Su Yu was more worried that the Prison King might cause trouble for him! If the Prison King devoured those three Great Daos—all belonging to thirty-six-Dao powerhouses, even if not entirely intact—she was already above thirty-two Daos and had once studied the Time Master's myriad Daos of time. Could she be about to open a world right now? Once she opened a world, her strength would jump significantly, perhaps stepping into thirty-six Daos or even higher! If she began opening a world, should he stop her or not? Should he besiege and kill her, or let her be? At this moment, Su Yu's eyes flickered with conflicting thoughts. Yanhuo's intervention might not be a good thing! The Human Gate had indeed lost a powerhouse, but it had also caused the Earth Gate to stop sealing his era, bringing the doomsday of the myriad realms forward and leaving Su Yu with less time. Otherwise, the Earth Gate would never have forcefully revived so easily! Nor would he have allowed the remaining two Great Saints to descend! Killing Hong Tian and the Lord of Chaos had only made the situation murkier! Beside Su Yu, Qiong suddenly muttered in a muffled voice, "I didn't find the Heaven-Opening Sword. Could it be hidden in his Great Dao?" Su Yu started! Not found? If Hong Tian had truly been holding the Heaven-Opening Sword, then... it really might have been suppressed inside his Great Dao. But now, that Dao was over with the Prison King! Winning Qiong over had depended entirely on that promise. Now the Heaven-Opening Sword was gone and Hong Tian was dead. Could Qiong... run off? Su Yu frowned! Truth be told, several powerhouses had died today, yet he had gained almost no benefits, merely half of Bei Tian's Dao and half of the Ageless Root. "Did you find the Myriad Daos Stone?" Su Yu sent a voice transmission to Wen Yu. Earlier, when the Lord of Chaos was killed, he had told Wen Yu to search him, not knowing if she had found the Myriad Daos Stone. Their original purpose in entering was to seize the Myriad Daos Stone to heal the Human Sovereign! Although the Human Sovereign had now recovered using the Longevity Bamboo, it would still be best if the Myriad Daos Stone was secured! Wen Yu sounded somewhat depressed as well: "Not on him! Either the Human Gate hasn't given it yet, or... it's hidden inside the Ageless Root. Look for yourself!" Not found! If it was with Yu, then she had accumulated far too many treasures. Su Yu swiftly probed the Ageless Root. The Lord of Chaos cultivated the Dao of Chaos, which was different from ordinary Daos; instead of manifesting as a river-like Dao, it took the form of a core essence. The Ageless Root was effectively equivalent to someone else's Great Dao power. Su Yu probed deep into it, but found nothing. Frowning slightly, he wondered: nothing? Was it over by Yu after all? Su Yu looked toward the five Great Saints in the distance and suddenly called out, "Did you not give the Myriad Daos Stone to the Lord of Chaos?" At these words, Ji Tian—who looked somewhat scholarly among the five Great Saints—said softly, "We gave him one as a deposit!" Su Yu understood! They had given one, keeping the rest. According to the intelligence obtained by the Human Sovereign, there had been more than one stone, which meant the remainder was likely meant to be handed over after the Lord of Chaos fought his way out. Which meant that single stone was likely with the Prison King as well! The Prison King hadn't even lifted a finger, yet she had reaped the greatest haul of treasures! Su Yu's eyes flickered. So after all our bitter, desperate fighting, the Prison King was the one getting all the spoils... Yanhuo, you really did something special! Where he had felt a fleeting touch of awe earlier, Su Yu now cursed inwardly: that guy truly deserved to die! Simping until the very end, dying just to earn a smile? To earn a single tear? If you gave those treasures to me, I'd smile at you every single day! If you like the Prison King's type, I could bring Lan Tian over—whatever type you fancy, he's got it! Seductive, enchanting, innocent, cold-blooded, ruthless... Whatever you wanted, you'd get! Of course, it was too late for that now. The Prison King likely didn't dare make a reckless move either. Even though Su Yu's faction was confronting their enemies, that didn't mean anyone would simply watch her swallow the treasures and open a world to empower herself. The Human Gate wouldn't allow it, and neither would Su Yu! Those of different paths could not plot together! He and the Prison King walked fundamentally different paths. Thoughts flashed rapidly. Inside Su Yu's body, Daos were strengthening. Having devoured half of Bei Tian's Great Dao, the Human Dao within him—a Human Dao infused with the Dao of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires—was growing more powerful! Su Yu's acupoints were also merging one after another. Advancing toward thirty-six Daos! Without another word, Su Yu bit off half of the Ageless Root, and a vitality concentrated to the absolute extreme surged into his body. Within his world, Su Yu's Dead Spirit Dao had always been relatively strong, partly due to his connection with the Lord of Dead Spirits, and partly because he had previously integrated the Dead Spirit Daos of many individuals, such as Mingtu and others. Now, the potent life force from the Lord of Chaos allowed his Daos of Life and Death to merge and achieve balance. His acupoints accelerated their fusion: ninety-nine, one hundred... Su Yu kept eating, chewing silently, waiting. Once all 108 acupoints merged successfully, he would inevitably step into thirty-six Daos! Once at thirty-six Daos, he wouldn't fear these bastards. His shortcoming still lay in the lack of a surefire finishing strike! He lacked a signature lethal technique born of his own unique Daos! Su Yu reflected quietly. Though he had opened a world, his world was slightly different from those of others; he didn't have as definite an offensive focus for his Great Daos as the Human Sovereign and the others did. Originally, he had wanted to forge a Dao of Cosmic Civilization, but Su Yu had risen too quickly, and his comprehension of cosmic civilization remained too shallow! His understanding of the Daos of Space and Time was not profound enough. Otherwise, trapping with space and executing with time—a single slash to wither the years—would make an excellent trump card! Although the Human Sovereign's world didn't possess as many Daos as Su Yu's, he had a specialized mastery, whereas Su Yu was currently a jack of all trades, master of none. In the distance. The Lord of Dead Spirits also quickly assessed the situation. The Great Saints who had descended later were all remarkably strong; he could sense that among them was likely a Great Saint with thirty-eight Daos! He, too, frowned slightly! Storming the Earth Gate seemed not to have been the best choice after all. It had drawn out all the powerhouses of the Human Gate! Now, the aura within the myriad realms was churning with omens of world destruction, triggered by the Earth Gate's shockwaves. Things were likely to become troublesome. The crucial issue was that with the Earth Gate breached, all these people could enter the myriad realms! If the primary battlefield shifted to the myriad realms, Su Yu and his side would face certain constraints! Thus, at this moment, the Lord of Dead Spirits and his group did not dare leave, nor did they dare yield the breach to let these people cross into the myriad realms. Even if the Earth Gate had abandoned guarding it, they still had to hold this ground! *** The battlefield ground to an instant halt. The Human Ancestor did not approach Su Yu's group. Standing nearby without a word, he watched silently like a bystander. The Human Sovereign had a conflicted look in his eyes; he glanced toward the Prison King and remained silent. The five Great Saints observed Su Yu's faction with one eye while keeping the other fixed on the Prison King, because those Great Daos—especially the Daos of Sorrow and Joy—belonged to powerhouses of the Human Gate! They could not allow the Prison King to swallow them! Their auras locked onto the Prison King as well. Had they not been wary of Su Yu's side, the five Great Saints might have struck against her right then! After a moment, the silence was broken. Great Saint Ji Tian—who looked remarkably like Zhou Ji, or rather, had possessed Zhou Ji's physical body—looked at Su Yu and his companions, saying placidly, "The Prison King may not necessarily be on your side! Su Yu, you have a feud with her! A feud of deep blood! Have you forgotten how many Multiple Character cultivators died? Or is it that now that you have grown strong, those Multiple Character cultivators who died in the past are no longer worth mentioning?" "Moreover, she killed Er Yue—everyone knows this! San Yue, Si Yue... all the way to Jiu Yue, they have all been fighting battles for you! Without the support of the Iron Eater race, you, Su Yu, would never have made it this far!" Ji Tian's every word pierced straight to the heart! He chuckled softly. "Of course, whoever has the milk is the mother! If the Prison King grows strong, perhaps you, Su Yu, won't mind welcoming her back into the human race, right? If you kill her, perhaps the Human Sovereign and his brothers will turn against you! Could a few days of acquaintance with you, Su Yu, truly outweigh tens of thousands of years of sibling affection?" "Besides, those who died were merely small fry... Trading the deaths of insignificant figures for a powerful ally might suit your tastes just fine!" His voice shook the heavens, laden with amusement: "The three Daos of Sorrow, Joy, and Life all belonged to thirty-six-Dao powerhouses. Once she swallows all three and opens a world of myriad Daos... I fear even you, Su Yu, won't be as strong as her!" Ji Tian smiled radiantly. "The Prison King truly has methods! First, pretending to fall out with the Human Sovereign and the others to dodge the schemes of the three gates. Because she fell out with them, the three gates never schemed against her, and even supported her! Then, she used Yanhuo's Earth Gate bloodline to secure the greatest benefits for herself!" "And now, because of sibling bonds and the future of the human race... you, Su Yu, and he, the Human Sovereign, might still have to lend her another helping hand!" Ji Tian's smile grew even more brilliant: "Yu is truly a peerless talent of our age! Scheming against heaven, earth, and mortal alike—her foresight is second to none! Even Zhou lent a helping hand, assisting her in establishing a foothold inside the Earth Gate to hold off the Lord of Chaos and the Taotie trio, keeping them from uniting. Yu entering the Earth Gate was truly a brilliant move!" Ji Tian laughed loudly: "A brilliant move indeed! Had she gone to the Human Gate, she would have died! Had she gone to the Heavenly Gate... with her strength back then, she would have died without a doubt! She was no Lord of Dead Spirits! Only by coming to the Earth Gate—because Zhou was here, and Zhou feared being besieged by the Earth Gate powerhouses—could she find support. Helping a Harmony realm cultivate and rise avoided plenty of trouble for him..." Ji Tian marveled: "Remarkable! Truly remarkable! Su Yu, do you see it now?" He smiled brilliantly. "If you see it, you should learn from it. This is how a true expert schemes! Every step solid and steady, every person and matter part of her plot, including this present standoff! Yanhuo just resolved some trouble for you... and the Human Sovereign is her sworn brother. Tell me, Su Yu, will you lend her a hand to help her through this crisis?" "What a pity that Yu didn't enter the Human Gate!" Su Yu continued gnawing on the Ageless Root, chewing with crisp crunches. After some thought, he nodded. "Your assessment... makes some sense!" He didn't deny it. Naturally, he didn't know whether Ji Tian's claims were accurate, but if everything had unfolded according to Yu's designs, she was indeed formidable! In raw talent, she might not surpass King Wu. Yet at this moment, if she successfully opened a world, she might surpass both King Wen and the Human Sovereign in a single leap! And the price paid... was small, pitifully small: merely Yanhuo's death! Nothing more! King Wen, King Wu, and the Human Sovereign had all been schemed against, yet the Prison King had avoided it. Because she had betrayed the human race and fallen out with the Human Sovereign, the three gates had seen no need to clean house on his behalf. If that step had been part of her scheming, it was truly brilliant! Whether it was coincidence or calculation... Su Yu didn't know. If Yu had foreseen all those years ago that the Human Sovereign and the others were doomed, Su Yu would truly admire her. Such methods were extraordinary—certain that the Human Sovereign wouldn't kill her, while breaking free of the shackles of the three gates... Su Yu couldn't help but be impressed! Quietly developing, quietly rising. It had been the same after entering the Earth Gate: the Human Ancestor had intervened on her behalf to help her secure a foothold; otherwise, things would never have gone so smoothly when she first arrived! Su Yu chewed his food as though eating sugarcane, his jaws working as he looked toward the Prison King and chuckled, "Yu, tell me, does what this Great Saint said make sense?" Ji Tian smiled. "My name is Ji Tian!" Su Yu nodded. *I know. Seeing you look just like Zhou Ji, of course I know. But I'm not calling you by name, and what can you do about it?* What relationship Ji Tian had with Zhou Ji, Su Yu didn't care. Whether it was an avatar, mutual scheming, or something else entirely, Su Yu didn't care. All Su Yu truly wanted to know was whether the Prison King's betrayal of the human race had been because she sensed the impending crisis in advance. He had no pressing urge to prove it, merely genuine curiosity. If she had sensed it beforehand... how had she deduced it? She had spent countless years alongside the Human Sovereign; had his Great Dao truly had no influence on her? At this moment, everyone's gaze converged on that spot, focusing on Avici Hell. At the entrance, King Wen and King Wu were watching too. Beside Su Yu, the Human Sovereign and Wen Yu were watching as well. All those years ago, had Yu truly defected early to draw a clear line simply because she had sensed danger? If so, they would rather believe that Yu had parted ways with them merely due to conflicting ideals! Because the two were vastly different! Before the Prison King could speak, Ji Tian chuckled. "Su Yu, do you even need to ask? You aren't stupid, and neither are King Wen and the others! If it had truly been merely a clash of ideals, why kill Er Yue and the rest? If she genuinely wanted to follow Wen Yu's path of myriad Daos, all she had to do was ask. Do you think the Human Sovereign and King Wen wouldn't have found ways to help her obtain portions of Great Dao power?" "It's not as though she had to strip away the entirety of their Daos!" His smile was dazzling: "Killing Er Yue and the others was merely a show for everyone else, a show for the three gates to prove that she, Yu, had truly severed ties with the Human Sovereign's faction! And sparing the humans wasn't because humans couldn't be killed... but because if she dared to kill humans, the Human Sovereign and the others would have executed her without question! When she killed allies, the Human Sovereign and King Wen could only scramble to clean up her mess... but if she had killed humans, once hearts and minds fell into chaos, wouldn't they have slain her on the spot?" "Yu was far too clever!" Ji Tian sighed with feeling: "Truly, over the years, I pondered this. But had it not been for this performance with Yanhuo, I wouldn't have been certain that everything was her design. Now that Yanhuo has played his part... I am certain it was all a scheme! As for how Yanhuo was made to let himself be used so willingly, that I cannot say. Perhaps that is another tale altogether... Perhaps some secret means were involved! Otherwise, Yanhuo was a Demon Emperor of his generation—how could he so readily choose to die for her?" "Did the Human Sovereign and King Wen truly sense nothing at all?" Ji Tian smiled again: "Perhaps they simply refused to believe it—refused to believe that their third sister would betray them merely to fulfill her own ambitions..." A Great Saint of the Human Gate! At this moment, Great Saint Ji Tian demonstrated to everyone what "human nature" truly meant. The Human Gate was the most mysterious, the most adept at manipulating hearts and minds! Right now, everyone's thoughts and perceptions were being led by Ji Tian. Did it make sense? It did! They hadn't heard what Yanhuo said earlier. Had they heard it, a chill would likely have run down their spines. Did Yu truly not know back then that Yanhuo possessed the Earth Gate bloodline? If she had known from the start... then certain implications were terrifying! It would mean that from the very beginning, Yanhuo had walked into a trap! A game spanning countless eras, culminating in his death to seize everything the Prison King desired! And if it had been a game from the start... then the one who laid the board was naturally the Prison King. In that case, Xingyue's death... was far from ordinary! Xingyue's death had resulted in wrath being vented on the Martial Emperor; the wrath visited upon the Martial Emperor had won Yanhuo's gratitude. Otherwise, the Martial Emperor had committed no grave crime. Given the temperament of the Human Sovereign and his peers, had they not taken their grief over Xingyue's death out on him, they would certainly have sought to win the Martial Emperor over rather than suppressing, sealing, and humiliating him! And had the Martial Emperor truly joined the human camp, how could Yanhuo have had his revenge? How could his heart have found satisfaction? Because the Martial Emperor's fate, in Yanhuo's eyes, was worse than death! Thus, believing his vengeance fulfilled, Yanhuo had felt gratitude afterward. Su Yu hadn't yet considered all of this, for he didn't know what had transpired all those years ago to make Yanhuo follow Yu! Had he known, perhaps Su Yu would have deduced a great deal more. At this moment, Su Yu remained silent. Ji Tian continued to dominate the situation, smiling as he asked, "Su Yu, do you believe it or not? Then let me tell you something even more interesting. Would you care to hear it?" Su Yu replied indifferently, "Speak if you wish. The mouth is on your face—can I stop you?" Ji Tian chuckled: "Back then, Time Master Wen Yu's cultivation of a world of myriad Daos was extremely secret, almost completely unknown. She hadn't opened her world and maintained an exceedingly low profile before others; very few even knew of her existence. Only after she met with misfortune and King Wen went to her rescue did a few people guess at her identity, without ever being certain! Guess how the Human Gate and the Heavenly Gate ever thought to use the Time Master as bait? We didn't even know she was planning to open a world of myriad Daos, so how could we have known that Fa would hold such immense allure for her? Have you never considered this?" Ji Tian's smile grew increasingly radiant: "Guess how many people back then knew she was opening a world of myriad Daos? Remember, back then wasn't like today. Today, because of you, Su Yu, everyone knows that the Time Book opens a world of myriad Daos. But back then, why don't you ask King Wen and the others how many knew this secret? Who could have imagined that King Wen's sister was a powerhouse, and one with such grand ideas at that!" Ji Tian counted on his fingers and chuckled: "King Wen, King Wu, King Ming, the Human Sovereign, the Prison King. The Four Kings and One Sovereign roughly all knew. Who else besides them?" Did anyone else know? Was there anyone? Su Yu didn't look back at Wen Yu. Wen Yu curled her lip and said nothing. Was there? If she remembered correctly... no one else! Oh, Fei Qiu had known! But Fei Qiu... well, he was a stay-at-home dog who hadn't stepped outside for countless years! Yet remarkably, an enigmatic powerhouse like her had been schemed against, with the enemy even knowing that Fa would hold irresistible attraction for her. Using Fa to fish for the Time Master had targeted the exact right person; anyone else would have found it nearly impossible to lure Wen Yu! At this moment, myriad thoughts raced through everyone's minds. The cunning of a Human Gate Great Saint was evident; even Su Yu suddenly felt... that made immense sense! Among the Four Kings and One Sovereign, someone must have betrayed Wen Yu—was that it? Su Yu, usually so sharp-tongued and articulate, merely listened quietly now, as if hearing a tale. Ji Tian smiled again: "Let me share another interesting matter. The goal of people like Yu, Hundred Battles, and Yueluo has always been to welcome Human Ancestor Zhou back into heaven and earth! They have spared no effort pushing this forward, even secretly joining hands to assassinate powerhouses and prevent any side from growing too strong—stopping the Human Sovereign's seal from unravelling, denying the Human Sovereign and his comrades any chance of return, and extinguishing King Wen's hope of returning..." "Why maintain a balance across the myriad realms for all this time?" Ji Tian smiled. "Because only with balance could the current situation arise—namely, no powerhouses returning ahead of time. And without their early return, the Prison King's lineage could continue watering the Earth Gate, allowing the gate to merge continuously with their bloodline... Otherwise, if the Human Sovereign returned, could the so-called Prison King lineage still exist? And if they ceased to exist, could Yanhuo have continued merging his bloodline into the Earth Gate?" "Yet now I want to know: does Human Ancestor Zhou even want to return to the myriad realms?" Ji Tian chuckled: "What would he return for? If he went back without the Earth Gate to shield him, wouldn't he fear the Human Gate causing him trouble? Wouldn't he fear the Heavenly Gate causing him trouble? He came to the Earth Gate to seek refuge! Seeking refuge... what would he return for?" At this moment, Su Yu turned to the Human Ancestor like someone enjoying some juicy gossip. Seeing Su Yu look over, the Human Ancestor said slowly, "I never instructed anyone to welcome me back to the myriad realms!" Right at that moment, Ji Tian reached into the void and plucked someone out. Ji Tian smiled faintly. "Do you still recognize her? Yu!" He smiled and asked, "Yu, tell us: was welcoming the Human Ancestor back something the Human Ancestor ordered you to do?" At this moment, Yu appeared frail, bereft of her former arrogance. Hearing this, she answered in a low, muffled tone, "Yes! When I remained behind in the Human Realm, my initial task was to observe the myriad realms and protect the Giant race! Until one day, summoned by my bloodline, I traveled near the Earth Gate and received projections of the Human Ancestor's messages, telling me to find a way to welcome him back to the myriad realms..." "Back then, the Prison King's lineage was stationed near the Earth Gate, so we quickly reached an agreement... to continuously water the Earth Gate and maintain a balance of power in the myriad realms, weakening whichever side grew strong..." "And why is that?" Ji Tian asked with a smile. "Why weaken the strength of every faction in the myriad realms?" Yu said in a deep voice, "Because once the balance of the myriad realms was broken—whether the Human Sovereign's faction returned or the myriad races returned—neither side would allow us to bring a powerhouse as mighty as the Human Ancestor out of the Earth Gate! That was why, when Hundred Battles grew powerful and the human race flourished back then, I allied with the Prison King's lineage to intimidate Hundred Battles, ultimately suppressing the human race to prevent them from breaking the seals and welcoming back the Human Sovereign and his comrades!" Ji Tian laughed out loud. "Su Yu, did you hear that? Ask the Human Ancestor whether he ever projected anything out! In the early years, before the Earth Gate opened, if you lacked the Earth Gate bloodline, the gate wouldn't even let you get close—what projection could there be? Ask the Earth Gate himself: has the Human Ancestor approached him once over the years? Would he ever permit a thirty-six-Dao powerhouse like the Human Ancestor to get near? That being so... the only one who could project an image through, deceive Yu, and make her believe it without a shred of doubt through the Earth Gate... seems to be none other than the fellow who just died!" In the distance, the Earth Gate chuckled faintly: "Zhou never approached me except the one time he entered. Looking at it now... this truly is amusing!" Su Yu continued munching on the Ageless Root. Truth be told, it tasted quite good! Su Yu smiled and said, "Ji Tian, you've said so much. Let me summarize it for you! First, the Time Master was schemed against because someone betrayed and sold her out, right?" "Of course!" "Second, Yanhuo followed Yu and Yu took him in because he possessed the Earth Gate bloodline. Yu knew this early on, and even deliberately manufactured opportunities to make Yanhuo fall for her... and how those opportunities arose likely involved some scheming as well, right?" "Correct!" "Third, back then, she killed allies like Er Yue but spared humans—on one hand to let the three gates know she had betrayed the human race, and on the other, sparing humans ensured the Human Sovereign and his brothers would remember their sibling bonds and spare her life, finding an exact middle ground, correct?" "Right!" "Fourth, the myriad realms maintained a balance for years, with whoever grew strong meeting misfortune, because Yu and the Prison King's lineage joined hands to secretly preserve that balance, while someone impersonated the Human Ancestor so that Yu mistakenly believed the Human Ancestor had commanded them to do so?" "Correct!" "Fifth, had today's events not occurred..." Ji Tian smiled. "Had they not occurred, the Earth Gate would have been the target of her plots! Your arrival may have disrupted some plans, forcing her hand early. Otherwise, the eve of the Earth Gate's revival might have been the true beginning of her scheme! Someone might even regret why you arrived so early—had you waited a little longer, perhaps the Earth Gate's entire world would have been devoured!" Su Yu stroked his chin and smiled: "And striking against the Human Gate instead of us was because she needed us to hold off formidable foes for her at this moment? Because, after all, her sworn brothers are here?" "Correct. Furthermore, she conveniently did you a favor, Su Yu, helping you eliminate two powerhouses. Shouldn't you feel some gratitude?" Ji Tian smiled radiantly. "Tell me, do these deductions of mine make sense, or not? Su Yu, you're a smart man! You have no ties to her, so your head is the clearest. Saying all this to the Human Sovereign and the others would be useless! That is why I speak only to you!" Su Yu clapped! Laughing, he said, "If so, that's truly impressive! A grand drama spanning countless ages... Ji Tian, you're quite wicked. Why say all this now? Wouldn't that spoil everything right at the finish line?" Ji Tian chuckled: "I simply felt that it wasn't worth it for that idiot just now! Otherwise, if she truly succeeded, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for us! It could even drive a wedge between you and the Human Sovereign's faction. I chose to reveal it now merely because I felt that such a fool dying in this way was far too tragic!" "So I should thank you?" "No need for that!" Ji Tian smiled. "Now that I've laid everything bare, if we take back Hong Tian and Bei Tian's Great Daos, will you stop me?" Still chewing on the Ageless Root, Su Yu chuckled: "Could you wait for me for a bit, until I step into thirty-six Daos, before I consider it? It won't take long—three minutes. You can lock onto her first. How does that sound?" Ji Tian laughed! The other Great Saints gave Su Yu strange looks. You... are truly arrogant! Su Yu laughed: "Don't look at me like that. You can't stop me from advancing anyway! My forces are strong and well-provisioned; I don't fear you! So what's the harm in waiting a few extra minutes?" Ji Tian chuckled softly: "Very well, I will wait for you!" "As expected of an old classmate!" Su Yu laughed heartily: "Whether you're Ji Tian, Zhou Ji, or Wan Mingze, you're my old classmate regardless. Old classmates are always the most dependable!" Great Saint Ji Tian merely smiled and said nothing. At this moment, an eerie stillness settled over the entire battlefield. And the Prison King had remained silent from start to finish, for sometimes, speaking accomplished nothing at all. Before the Human Gate, masters of manipulating hearts, and before the cold, iron-blooded, silver-tongued Su Yu, any explanation would ring utterly hollow! At this moment, everyone could only await Su Yu's decision. If he insisted on stepping in, the Human Gate would be powerless to stop the Prison King from opening a world and devouring the Daos! If he didn't intervene... the five Great Saints of the Human Gate could easily slay her!