The Secret of the Three Races

Darkness, doomsday. The River of Time trembled, shrouded in an aura of pitch black. Swarms of devouring locusts emerged as the powers of apocalypse, tribulation, and destruction swept across the Myriad Realms. Cries of mourning filled every corner, and heaven and earth roiled in turmoil! Such was the state of the Myriad Realms at this moment. Even though Su Yu and his side had not suffered a loss in that clash, the descent of the Heavenly Gate and Earth Gate had still driven the Myriad Realms into the end times. Not only that, but a portion of the Earth Gate's ancient beasts and the Heavenly Gate's rogue cultivators had also slipped into various domains amidst the chaos of battle. Right now, they did not dare make a move, but once wider turmoil erupted, they would likely strike without delay. Naturally, none dared go to the Human Realm. They did not dare! Back when Lan Tian clashed against Tian, those people had been scared off. It was simply too terrifying! …… Just as Su Yu and his companions returned to the Human Realm, another group made their escape and vanished. The God Emperor and his people! And for good reason—the God Ancestor was dead, the Immortal Ancestor was dead, and the Demon Ancestor was dead! Originally, while the God Ancestor lived, the God Emperor still harbored some hopes and reliance. But with the God Ancestor's demise, he no longer dared cling to any hope at all. Taking advantage of the commotion stirred by Su Yu and the others, he instantly slipped away with his people. Everyone was occupied at the time, so no one paid any mind to these minor figures. Even first-rank combatants were hardly worth a second glance to the powerhouses at this stage. Now, while Su Yu and his side withdrew into the Human Realm, a group gathered warily at the edge of the Earth Gate. The long-missing Tiangu and his companions finally resurfaced, reuniting with the God Emperor's faction. Things remained, but the people had changed! Figures like the Immortal Emperor had fallen. Yet the God Empress had finally been reunited with the God Emperor after a separation of a hundred thousand years. At this moment, inside the dark spatial crevice, a gathering of races that had once openly and covertly fought for supremacy stood in heavy silence. Tiangu watched the God Empress and the God Emperor quietly. The God Emperor and his empress simply held hands without a word—speaking neither of the bitterness of separation nor of the apocalyptic peril confronting them today. Just being alive was hard enough! After a long silence, Tiangu spoke, breaking the quiet. "Lord God Emperor!" The God Emperor turned his head toward him and gave a slight nod. Back when the Immortal Emperor died in battle, the God Emperor had pledged that as long as he lived, he would look after the immortal race. Tiangu! The Immortal Emperor's disciple. They had not seen each other in years. Encountering him again now, his strength was decent, having reached fourteen Daos. Clearly, Tiangu had made some gains in the Chaos River earlier. But in this current climate, fourteen Daos was of little consequence. The myriad races had truly been reduced to mere cannon fodder for this era! Those currently contending were all peerless, world-shaking powerhouses! "What is it?" the God Emperor asked, looking at Tiangu. To have safely led his race away while Su Yu held sway over the Myriad Realms proved Tiangu was far from inept. Tiangu said softly, "This junior only wishes to ask one thing!" "Speak." "Back then, when the powerhouses within the Heavenly Gate enticed you and my master to join their ranks, turning against the human race for their sake, did they truly offer no benefits at all? No promises whatsoever?" Though the dead were gone, Tiangu still had to ask: "I believe you and my master were not fools! Would you really stake everything on an empty verbal promise? To go so far as to oppose the ancient Human Sovereign and King Wen when they were unimaginably powerful? If the Human Sovereign hadn't been grievously wounded back then, wouldn't you all have been annihilated long ago?" Clearly, the Human Sovereign's grievous injury had been anticipated. These people must have had some communication with the Heavenly Gate. Of course, none of that mattered anymore! What mattered was that Tiangu wanted to know what promise the Heavenly Gate had made back then that convinced the powerhouses of the myriad races to take such a desperate gamble and betray the Human Imperial Court. As for what the God Emperor had told Su Yu last time, Tiangu did not know it, and even if he did, he would not have taken it at face value. The God Emperor fell silent for a moment, glanced at his surroundings, considered the matter, and finally spoke. "Back then, opposing and resisting the human race was partly to fight for our freedom. We were unwilling to remain prisoners in the Star Residence Mansion!" "Secondly, just as you said, entities within the Heavenly Gate contacted us, promising they could help us overthrow the human race!" "Naturally, no one would believe empty words, take them seriously, and take the risk of going to war with the human race!" The God Emperor hesitated before continuing, "However, those ancient seniors inside the Heavenly Gate once said that once the Heavenly Gate opened, they would help elevate us to an extraordinarily formidable tier..." Tiangu looked at him quietly. Formidable? How formidable? They were all dead! If they were truly that powerful, would they have fallen themselves? In truth, Tiangu held little hope, but he still harbored a lingering unwillingness. He refused to accept that the myriad races would completely decline and be reduced to mere cannon fodder on the battlefield. "What the Immortal Ancestor promised the immortal race, I do not know. Much of what happened back then was orchestrated by him. But my divine race's God Ancestor had his own arrangements as well..." Tiangu looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate. The God Emperor looked back at Tiangu, paused, and continued, "Do you know about the innate racial abilities of our three races?" Tiangu frowned slightly and nodded. "The divine race has God Transformation, the demon race has Demon Descent, and my immortal race has Flesh Rebirth, Immortal Power Vesting..." Of course he knew about innate racial abilities. Many races had them! Naturally, those of the divine, immortal, and demon races were the strongest. In truth, an innate racial ability was also a form of Dao, a kind of divine character—a naturally born divine character Dao. Waiting for him to finish, the God Emperor continued, "Then you must understand that the God Ancestor, Demon Ancestor, and Immortal Ancestor were the founding progenitors of the three races!" Tiangu nodded. Who didn't know that? "Since they are the progenitors, when we speak of Demon Descent, God Transformation, Immortal Power Vesting... under normal circumstances, doesn't everyone believe that the Daos of these three progenitors bestow power upon us?" Of course! Just as Tiangu was about to speak, he froze, staring at the God Emperor. The God Emperor gave a faint nod. "You've guessed correctly. The three progenitors also possessed these innate racial abilities!" Tiangu was stunned! Their ability to use those innate racial abilities was supposedly because their progenitors were powerful, their Daos formidable, lending strength to their descendants. That made sense! There was nothing strange about that! But the three progenitors possessing them as well? What kind of joke was that? Borrowing power from themselves? Now that made no sense at all! Seeing Tiangu understand in an instant, the God Emperor nodded. "You have to realize that before heaven and earth were split open, the world was a vast expanse of chaos. Back then, cultivation was primarily rooted in the Great Dao of Chaos! And even in that era, certain innate racial abilities were passed down... Among them, the progenitors of the divine, demon, and immortal races were considered exceptionally powerful!" Tiangu said in a heavy voice, "I don't quite understand your meaning, Lord God Emperor! Are you saying that these innate racial abilities existed before the progenitors of our three races?" Without rushing, the God Emperor continued, "An innate racial ability is merely the manifestation of a Dao, is it not?" Tiangu nodded! With his current comprehension of the Great Dao, Tiangu answered, "Indeed. If I master a Great Dao and my descendants inherit my bloodline, they might be born with a grasp of some of that Dao's origin—which is what we call an innate racial ability!" "Then where does a Dao come from?" "The River of Time!" Tiangu answered immediately. The God Emperor smiled. "Then where did the Daos of the Human Gate powerhouses come from?" Tiangu was struck dumb. He froze completely. That was right... the Human Gate existed before the River of Time! Prior to this, nobody had paid it much attention because the Human Gate was far too mysterious. It was only today, when several Great Sages were slain, that Great Daos were confirmed to exist within them. But their Daos were different—they were not connected to the River of Time! Instead, they existed independently! Upon their deaths, their Daos manifested, nestled within their bodies. It was unclear whether this was because reaching supreme rank led to incorporating the Dao into the flesh, or whether even the weaker among them held independent Daos within themselves! People still knew far too little about the Human Gate. Tiangu looked at the God Emperor with a strange expression, remaining silent for a long time. He was contemplating the meaning behind the God Emperor's words. Innate racial abilities, the Human Gate's Daos, the River of Time... These terms seemed entirely separate. Could there truly be some connection between them? The God Emperor spoke once more. "Let's cut straight to the point. When the God Ancestor contacted me back then, he actually mentioned..." "Wait. The God Ancestor was inside the Heavenly Gate. How did he contact you? Did you open the Heavenly Gate as well, My Lord?" "No, I didn't!" The God Emperor shook his head and offered a faint smile. "We cannot open the Heavenly Gate. We do not belong to its lineage. Only Su Yu and his kind can be considered part of the Heavenly Gate's lineage! Most later generations of the human race belong to the Heavenly Gate's line; only a rare few with unbroken primordial bloodlines possess the bloodline of the Human Gate and can open it." "He contacted me through our innate racial ability!" At that moment, Tiangu was thoroughly dumbfounded! "Naturally, it was exceedingly difficult!" the God Emperor chuckled. "In truth, when the Human Sovereign was ambushed back then, others contributed, but our ancestors played a part as well. You probably didn't know, but our ancestors took part in that siege..." Tiangu nodded slightly. The God Emperor continued, "Innate racial abilities are different from one another! They fall into two categories. For example, your immortal race has more than one: Flesh Rebirth, Vitality Stimulation... These actually came later, tied to the Immortal Ancestor's Dao of Longevity and Dao of Life! But don't you feel that Immortal Power Vesting has nothing to do with the Dao of Longevity?" "The same goes for my divine race's God Transformation and the demon race's Demon Descent. In truth, they have little to do with the Daos cultivated by our respective progenitors. Have you noticed that?" Tiangu had never paid attention to that before. Instinctively, he said, "I assumed they were drawing upon the strength of our ancestors..." "How could every single one of us draw upon their strength?" The God Emperor laughed, and Tiangu came to his senses. Yet ingrained habits of thought still compelled him to ask, "Are you saying this wasn't borrowing power from the Immortal Ancestor and the others, but that... it truly exists?" "Yes!" The God Emperor nodded. "In this world, there must truly exist three unimaginably powerful Great Daos, or perhaps... just one!" With a complex gaze, the God Emperor said, "Just like the Daos of the Human Gate, it does not rely on the River of Time and existed before heaven and earth were opened! The God Ancestor, Immortal Ancestor, and Demon Ancestor might have inherited portions of the very same Great Dao. So, haven't you noticed? The innate abilities of our three races merely bear different names, but their actual effects are identical: upon summoning, a mighty power descends! As for why the powers differ, it is only because we cultivate different energies, so the power we channel manifests differently!" Tiangu was shaken. "Then what you mean is..." The God Emperor nodded. "There exists a Great Dao in this world, and likely only our three races inherited it. Our three races can wield its power, and our bloodlines even carry the essence of that Dao! Just as Yan Huo possesses the bloodline of the Earth Gate and the human race possesses the bloodline of the Heavenly Gate... our three races must also possess our own heritage. Each of the three progenitors inherited a portion of that Great Dao's power..." "Then didn't the three progenitors know this?" "Of course they knew!" The God Emperor nodded. "If they didn't know, what were they scheming for?" Saying that, he let out a sigh. "A pity they're all dead! They died so pointlessly before they could even make use of it! That Great Dao isn't inside the Heavenly Gate; it's in the Myriad Realms—or rather, in the Myriad Realms during a specific era... Exactly where, I don't know! But back then, when the God Ancestor used the innate racial ability, he must have routed the message through that Great Dao for us to receive it. The God Ancestor might have known its exact location, but unfortunately, we do not!" "Our opposition to and rebellion against the human race back then was partly because of this!" Tiangu frowned. "I still don't understand. Even if such a Dao exists, what does it have to do with the human race? True, we may all share humanoid forms and could all be called humans, but according to your words, only our three races possess this Dao, while the human race indeed has no such innate ability!" "There is a connection!" The God Emperor said, "That Dao must be extraordinarily powerful. If it weren't, the three progenitors wouldn't have been able to borrow its power. What's more, all three could tap into it! They once tested it... but once they entered the Heavenly Gate, they could no longer borrow its power. Do you know what that signifies?" Tiangu realized instantly. "It means that Dao isn't in the past, nor inside the gate, but outside the gate! Because we can still borrow its power!" "Exactly!" The God Emperor smiled. "Yet they could still contact it faintly; they simply couldn't transmit power into the Heavenly Gate anymore. That proves the Dao has always existed outside the gate, everlasting and indestructible!" "The three progenitors likely discovered some clues, perhaps even knowing where the Dao was hidden, and might have been able to take control of it once they emerged... What a pity!" He felt deep regret. The God Ancestor had lived the longest, coming so close to stepping out of the Heavenly Gate! Once out, he might have found that Dao. With the God Ancestor's strength, once he inherited it, he would have been terrifyingly powerful! The God Ancestor had died such a bitter death. Leaving aside the Immortal Ancestor and Demon Ancestor who perished earlier, the God Ancestor had almost survived to the very end! Tiangu frowned. "Then..." He still wanted to point out that this didn't explain the connection to opposing the human race. The God Emperor smiled. "You want to say this still doesn't explain our rebellion against the human race, right? Wrong, there is a connection! The God Ancestor once said through our innate ability that after the human race grew powerful, even he could no longer clearly contact that Dao from within the gate. Yet before the human race rose to dominance, he could still vaguely draw upon its strength!" "Do you understand now?" Tiangu's eyes shifted, finally beginning to grasp it. "You mean this Dao might be linked to the human race! When the human race is strong, that Dao is suppressed; when the human race is weak, the Dao manifests! So back then, in order to make that Dao manifest again, the myriad races rebelled against the human race?" "Correct!" The God Emperor nodded. "You might not know this, but we are well aware. Long before the human race unified the heavens, our innate racial abilities were tremendously potent! But after the human race unified the heavens, our innate abilities became... extraordinarily feeble! The boost they provided became virtually useless! Yet according to the progenitors, back in the ancient days, even when they reached thirty Daos, they could still draw substantial power from it!" Thoughts raced through Tiangu's mind. "When the human race is strong, that Dao is weak! When the human race is weak, that Dao is strong! The stronger that Dao, the more power we can borrow! So this might be tied to the destiny of the human race?" "Indeed!" The God Emperor continued, "During the years the Human Sovereign was injured, our innate abilities grew significantly stronger. That validated what the progenitors had said! Ever since, we firmly believed this Dao truly existed! So for our future and for our races, we had to resist back then. We couldn't allow the human race to remain powerful indefinitely; otherwise, that Great Dao might never have a chance to appear again! When that day came, our three races' innate abilities would vanish entirely!" The God Emperor added, "This was a closely guarded secret among our three races. That is why, outwardly and internally, our three races generally advanced and retreated together! Of course, by your generation, no one knew of this anymore, which is why infighting grew more frequent!" Tiangu's interest was thoroughly piqued. "Where do you think that Dao is, My Lord?" The two exchanged a look. In truth, both vaguely sensed the answer. Tiangu added, "So you mean that Dao is a heritage from before heaven and earth were opened, or perhaps an entire inherited world, and we have always been borrowing power from it. It's just that right now, it's heavily suppressed, making our innate abilities nearly useless—the stronger we get, the more trivial the boost. That's why God Transformation, Demon Descent, and Immortal Power Vesting could never form divine characters and transform into Daos." The God Emperor nodded once more. Tiangu took a deep breath. "Then let me ask one more thing: before the Human Sovereign's rise, were our racial abilities truly that strong?" "Extremely strong!" the God Emperor nodded. "Back then, I was only second-rank, around twelve Daos—weaker than you are now. Yet after borrowing power, I could boost myself by at least one or two Daos of strength!" That was staggering! The God Emperor continued, "In truth, during our era, the Human Sovereign had already begun his rise. Before us, the enhancement had been even more terrifying!" Tiangu licked his lips. "My only worry is that it's too powerful for us to inherit at all!" The God Emperor sighed. "Yes. That was our exact thought back then. If the three progenitors came out, they would stand a chance of inheriting it. The gap between us and it is far too vast! That was why we always held the confidence to persevere until the end, until the Heavenly Gate opened, until the three progenitors emerged to become supreme powerhouses! That was the foundation of our conviction. And in the end..." The God Emperor smiled with profound bitterness. "Now, even if we could obtain it—which we can't—all three progenitors are dead. If we got our hands on it, do you think we could inherit it? This is a Dao that enhances even supreme-rank powerhouses. I imagine it's at least thirty-six Daos in strength, perhaps even higher!" At this moment, besides Tiangu and the God Emperor, one other person had been listening: the God Empress. The God Empress looked slightly puzzled. "You two have talked all this time without even knowing where the Dao is. Isn't discussing this utterly meaningless?" They were already debating whether they could inherit it! Tiangu gave a wry smile. "Lord God Emperor has explained it so clearly. Is there even a need to ask where it is? It's inside the Human Sovereign Seal! When the Human Sovereign rose, the Human Sovereign Seal became unimaginably powerful, suppressing the outward leakage of that Dao's power! When the Human Sovereign weakened, the seal weakened with him, which was why we could still use our innate abilities! To know whether this is true or false, we only need to test our innate abilities right now and compare them to before!" Earlier, the Human Sovereign had grown powerful once more! So how much of a boost could their innate abilities offer now? The God Empress's eyes flickered slightly. In truth, she hadn't used her innate ability in a long time; at her level, the amplification was negligible. Even so, she tested it now. It was an innate ability, born into her bloodline, impossible to truly lose. With that test... she was stunned. "I don't know if it's an illusion, but it truly feels as though there's no boost at all..." Tiangu sighed. "We could find someone weaker—a Tengkong or Shanhai cultivator—to test it. It would be much clearer! If it truly exists, it must be inside the Human Sovereign Seal! Legend has it that the Human Sovereign picked up a stone and polished it into the seal. It was a natural supreme treasure! Historical records describe it as the foremost imperial weapon and divine artifact of antiquity." The God Emperor nodded. "That object truly was picked up! The Human Sovereign himself said he found it. Seeing that the stone was indestructible and extraordinarily potent, he assumed it was a remnant Chaos Stone and used it as his imperial token! It gathered the destiny of the human race and the destiny of the Human Sovereign! In the end, he used it as an imperial seal, while we were the ones who suffered for it..." The God Emperor chuckled bitterly. "The three ancestors deduced back then that a Great Dao was likely sealed within that seal! Perhaps even an entire world! Unfortunately, the Human Sovereign didn't know. Yet while he was ignorant, we couldn't take it from him... Our only choice was to weaken the human race's destiny, reduce their strength, and rebel against them! Otherwise, if the myriad realms remained unified until now, the Human Sovereign might possess thirty-eight Daos of strength by now, his human destiny unmatched. Even if the three ancestors emerged, they wouldn't stand a chance of seizing it!" Tiangu drew in a sharp breath. "So that's how it was! No wonder!" To think such a secret was hidden behind it all! Right now, they didn't know how aggrieved the God Ancestor had felt earlier. He had still held a trump card, but... it was useless! Because back then, the God Ancestor had no way of taking the Human Sovereign Seal! He had wanted to sell the secret to Su Yu in exchange for his life, but who could have guessed that bastard Su Yu would strike him down without a single word, leaving him to die in utter indignation! The God Emperor continued, "Previously, I didn't fully understand either. But after seeing the Daos of the Human Gate, I began to see. Before the Heaven-Opening Era, cultivation methods must have been different. Those Daos were cultivated independently rather than through the long river! So now I am certain that if a Great Dao truly exists within the Human Sovereign Seal, it must be the very Dao inherited by the three ancestors... likely left behind by their forebear! The three ancestors might even share a common progenitor!" No living being came from nothing. The ancestors of the divine, demon, and immortal races must have had parents, and their lineage could well trace back to the same origin. The God Emperor added, "Perhaps a figure from the era of the Lord of Time... In the end, that entity perished, but the Dao remained, eventually taking the form of the Human Sovereign Seal's original shape—a stone!" Tiangu was caught between laughter and tears. "Then how are we supposed to seize it?" What a joke! That object wasn't just the Human Sovereign Seal; it was now the core of the Human Sovereign's heaven and earth. Moreover, the Human Sovereign had reached thirty-six Daos. Who could possibly wrest it from him? Not only that, Tiangu added, "We must keep this strictly concealed. We can't let the Human Sovereign find out. If he learns that a mighty Great Dao—or even a whole world—is hidden within it... we would only be doing him a favor!" The God Emperor sighed. "Indeed. That's why we never brought this up over the years! We certainly never spoke of the Human Sovereign Seal on our own initiative! What a coincidence that he was the one to pick it up. If we had been the ones to find it, none of these troubles would have ever happened!" What they didn't know was that the Human Sovereign had always believed his seal was a Ten Thousand Daos Stone. When he lent it to Qiong last time, he said he had merely picked it up and suspected it was a Ten Thousand Daos Stone. Back then, the Human Sovereign had never actually seen a Ten Thousand Daos Stone. Of course, this time, he had obtained a genuine one and already absorbed it. Now, the God Emperor looked at Tiangu with a helpless expression. "Let us speak no more of this. Even if we discuss it, we cannot obtain it! It's better to keep the secret buried in our hearts. Even if we die, we shouldn't hand an advantage to the Human Sovereign and his people. They are our ancient enemies!" Tiangu looked around at the people gathered nearby, pausing for a long time before speaking. "My Lord, do you think that selling this secret... selling it to Su Yu and his side... might grant us a sliver of hope to survive?" The God Emperor's brow furrowed immediately! Tiangu said in a heavy voice, "My Lord, in the coming chaos, do you think Su Yu's faction will win, or will the Earth Gate and Heavenly Gate prevail? Our three races... have almost no hope left! With the three ancestors fallen, even if we truly obtained the Human Sovereign Seal, who among us could inherit it? Besides, we can't get our hands on it in the first place!" "Unless we kill the Human Sovereign!" Tiangu sighed. "Even if someone kills the Human Sovereign, his seal is a supreme treasure. Would whoever kills him simply ignore it? Even if they don't notice that Great Dao, they wouldn't abandon the item, because it is the core of the Human Sovereign's world! Therefore, no matter which side wins, there is virtually zero chance we can ever claim this treasure!" The God Emperor wore a bitter expression. Indeed! It was the Human Sovereign Seal! If it were just a plain stone, perhaps no one would pay it any mind. But now, its fame resounded through the world, and everyone regarded it as the Human Sovereign's imperial seal. Yet the God Emperor knew it was far from that simple! "We are mortal enemies!" The God Emperor let out a sigh. "Given Su Yu's temperament... The Human Sovereign might be reasonable, but Su Yu... You've seen him; you should know him better than I do! Vengeful to a fault, utterly mad, unmatched in slaughter. Do you truly believe that telling him this will make him spare us? Even if they win, do you think he would let us off?" Tiangu said in a low voice, "He won't!" Then why even bring it up?! Tiangu fell silent for a moment before saying, "Yes, those of us whose hands are stained with human blood are destined for a grim end! Not just Su Yu—even the Heavenly Gate and Earth Gate never took us seriously. With the three ancestors dead, our three races hold zero standing in the Myriad Realms!" "However, punishing the principal culprits is enough! My Lord, among our three races, there are still countless ordinary citizens who have never stepped outside their ancestral realms for countless years!" Tiangu looked toward the God Emperor. "Should we... leave a path of survival for those people?" He watched the God Emperor, but the God Emperor remained silent. Only after a long pause did the God Emperor speak. "Tiangu, doing so would mean aiding the enemy! They are our greatest foes! Over the years, countless powerhouses of our three races have fallen by their hands. Right now, the only reason we aren't killing them is that we lack the strength. Do you truly wish to aid our enemies?" Tiangu fell silent as well. I don't want to either! But I fear... our races will be wiped out! The God Emperor considered the matter and said, "Perhaps there's another way. We don't necessarily have to tell them. We could tell the Heavenly Gate and Earth Gate, using them to kill the Human Sovereign! Once the Human Sovereign dies, Su Yu will never let the matter rest. It would be best if both sides fought to the death!" In truth, he still clung to a shred of hope! A hope that they could take this object back. This was the true future of the three races! The God Emperor had shared this with Tiangu in the hopes that Tiangu might devise some plan to reclaim it. Yet Tiangu's only thought was to trade it to Su Yu to secure their people's future! The God Emperor was left speechless. Seeing Tiangu still deep in thought, the God Emperor added, "Furthermore, looking at the current situation, the three gates still hold the upper hand. Su Yu's side has no advantage whatsoever... Are you certain that the one who can ultimately preserve our three races will be Su Yu? If they lose, and we tell Su Yu about the Human Sovereign Seal, once the three gates find out... that will truly be an extinction-level catastrophe!" Tiangu sighed. "If the three gates win, whether we inform them or not, it will be an extinction-level catastrophe regardless!" The God Emperor froze! Tiangu said with immense bitterness, "On our side, so many members of our three races remain. The divine, demon, and immortal races are the three strongest races in the Myriad Realms—stronger than the humans in numbers, lacking only top-tier combat power. But once the human race is shielded... My Lord, who do you think those people will target to replenish their Yang energy?" The God Emperor's expression changed slightly! "If the three ancestors were still here, they could naturally shield us. But the three ancestors are gone!" Tiangu looked up to the heavens and sighed deeply. "Right now, those rogue cultivators and ancient beasts don't dare provoke the Myriad Realms lightly! Even small races aren't easily slaughtered. Yet our three races are displaced wanderers, and we have the dragons, phoenixes, and others with us—all prominent races of the Myriad Realms! We are the fattest pieces of meat! My Lord, you may have overlooked this! Even if, as you said, they need to fuse the three incarnations, that requires at least the Sun Moon Realm. Not everyone in our three races is at the Sun Moon Realm!" With the ancestors of the divine, demon, and immortal races dead, they were destined to become prized prey! By now, everyone likely knew the three races were wandering refugees. Su Yu would never care whether they lived or died! No one would care! Since they couldn't devour the flesh, Yang energy, and Great Dao rules of powerhouses, devouring weaker beings in large quantities might yield a similar result! Tiangu looked into the distance and sighed once more. "So, I know Su Yu is our enemy, and I wish he would die this instant! If the three ancestors were still alive, joining forces with the three gates would indeed be a good plan. But with the three ancestors dead, no one will treat us as anything! Our only choice is to use this secret as a bargaining chip to trade for Su Yu's protection..." Begging an enemy for protection! How absurd! Yet such was reality. Only Su Yu possessed the strength and capability to do so, and he would not covet those weaklings because they were useless to him. But the three gates? No matter how weak a life was, Yang energy was a delicacy—they would devour it! If it was inconvenient to consume the beings of the Myriad Realms right now, who else would they feed upon if not our three races? The God Emperor's eyes shifted, and he suddenly let out a disheartened sigh. In that moment, an overwhelming sense of powerlessness washed over him! Yes, weighing everything carefully, perhaps only Su Yu would protect the three races, because he truly wouldn't care about the weak—he wouldn't bother with their lives. Yet... that path spelled certain death for themselves! Su Yu might overlook those who hadn't stained their hands with human blood. But powerhouses like Tiangu who had risen through the ranks—which of them hadn't killed humans? Would Su Yu spare them? Impossible! "Trading the secret... and our own lives... for the future of our three races?" The God Emperor looked at Tiangu, feeling an inexplicable sorrow. "Are we truly left with no way out?" Tiangu nodded. Suddenly, his expression shifted. The God Emperor's face changed slightly as well. At that moment, an ancient beast barged into the spatial crevice, seemingly stumbling upon it by accident. Its eyes widened, followed by an expression of wild ecstasy! "The divine, demon, and immortal races..." A feast of meat! A fortune! Boom! Within the spatial rift, the various powerhouses struck simultaneously! These people were not defenseless. First-rank figures like the God Emperor, Dragon Emperor, and Nether Emperor were still alive! And first-rank powerhouses were not found everywhere. There weren't many within the Earth Gate, and Su Yu had virtually wiped out those in the Heavenly Gate, leaving hardly any behind. How dare a mere peak second-rank ancient beast act brazenly before them! The powerhouses quickly dispatched the beast. Yet the God Emperor's mood grew exceptionally heavy. This was an omen! Indeed, people were searching for them. The three races had become prized prey! Right now, it was only a second-rank ancient beast; the true powerhouses hadn't yet resolved to use them as substitutes. The supreme-rank entities of the Heavenly Gate, for instance, hesitated because their quality was too low! Yet if they failed to deal with Su Yu and his side for too long, what would they choose? Naturally, they would choose to substitute the three races! After all, there were still several first-rank Daos of the living world among them. Having slain the ancient beast, Tiangu let out a long sigh. "Across the Myriad Realms, Su Yu is the maddest, the most arrogant, and the most ruthless. He has slain the most powerhouses of our three races. Yet... if one can secure a promise from him, he is also the most dependable!" If they could obtain Su Yu's guarantee that the three races would continue to exist in the Myriad Realms after their victory, Tiangu believed Su Yu would not go back on his word. Most of the time, Su Yu didn't dwell on such trivialities. Was it laughable? Not in the least! By contrast, the three gates were far less reliable. Even if they agreed, they might turn around and wipe out the three races immediately afterward! Not only that, but Tiangu suddenly added, "Su Yu and his side might not be able to inherit or even assimilate that Dao! And knowing Su Yu's nature, he harbors deep grievances against the divine and immortal races, but he rather appreciates the straightforward demon race... Moduona!" The God Emperor snapped his gaze toward him. Tiangu said in a heavy voice, "Moduona is a genius forged on the battlefield. He has killed humans, but always in fair duels on the All-Heavens Battlefield—contests between geniuses! He and Su Yu have even joined forces and cooperated before! If no one on their side can inherit or assimilate that Great Dao... My Lord, do you think there's a chance?" "Moduona is very weak..." Just as the God Emperor spoke, Tiangu countered solemnly, "He is weak. Even now, after absorbing chaotic origin, he barely possesses the power of eight Daos! But Su Yu's faction might not lack the means to forcefully elevate him..." With flickering eyes, Tiangu continued, "If our three races wish to survive, we also need a leader! Otherwise, Su Yu's sheer indifference could lead to our ruin... Moduona is actually exceptionally suitable! If he can inherit that Dao, it would be... an even greater opportunity!" "Will Su Yu agree?" The God Emperor looked hesitant. Tiangu considered it and replied, "It's possible! Of course, we would need to pay a price. For instance, if Moduona can inherit that Great Dao, he could help Su Yu's side slay several powerhouses! Furthermore, offering our heads in exchange for Su Yu's promise... would naturally dispel any wariness in Su Yu's heart!" As the two conversed, the only listener at their side was the God Empress. Listening to the conversation between these two men, a touch of sorrow crept into her eyes. Offering their heads... in exchange for a future for their three races! Among them, one was her Dao companion, and the other was a junior she deeply admired. The God Empress suddenly felt that even if she walked toward death, there would be few regrets left. At the very least, she had seen him again! At this moment, the God Emperor also wore a faint smile. "Let us wait. There is no rush! Giving charcoal in a snowstorm is far better than adding flowers to brocade... We shall wait a little longer. When Su Yu's side feels backed into a corner... we might be able to secure even greater promises!" Tiangu nodded. The group spoke no further, leading their people once again into migration, wandering through this apocalyptic world. All for survival!