Sovereign of the New Yu Era

Upon that wall were recorded the reasons behind the world's extinction. The person had left no name, but having walked the Dao of Blood, calling him the Blood Master seemed fitting. While roaming the chaos, the Blood Master had crossed paths with the Time Master—the "sword-wielder" he mentioned, a formidable swordsman wielding the Cangqiong Sword. The two had clashed in the chaos. Why the conflict arose was unknown to Su Yu and the others, as the Blood Master had recorded no details. Yet the outcome was clear. The Blood Master had been effortlessly defeated, his world severed and shattered. The Time Master had not directly executed him. Under those circumstances, however, the core of the Blood Master's world had suffered catastrophic damage at the hands of the Time Master. Surviving was an impossibility; even if he clung to life, he would be completely crippled. In the end, the Blood Master met his demise within this world. Alongside his passing, his world fell completely extinct, its Great Daos extinguished. "He died..." Seeing this, Su Yu and the others felt complicated emotions. Such a mighty figure had actually died. These were merely the reflections he had left behind in his final moments. Lamenting that he had been born at the wrong time; lamenting that his opponent was simply too strong; lamenting that despite opening a world, it had failed to become a living universe. In his words, there was not much hatred toward the Time Master, only awe at the sheer might of the man. Reading on, the group's expressions shifted. "Upon my extinction, my vitality and blood dispersed for tens of millions of li... Several individuals were tainted by this vitality and blood. Who knows if this world will ever see the day of reopening..." Reading this line, everyone exchanged glances, a sudden realization dawning upon them. Wen Yu spoke up, "Is he referring to the progenitors of the Gods, Immortals, and Demons? Meaning that when he died, his blood and vitality dispersed, undulating across tens of millions of li, invading those figures and even forcibly altering their bloodlines..." The origin of the three races' bloodlines was seemingly not born of an ancient lineage, but caused by the invasion of this being's vitality and blood at the moment of his demise. From this, one could see just how terrifying the Blood Master had been! Even in death, his blood power could affect the ancestors of the Gods, Immortals, and Demons. Once the man died, the world sealed itself, transforming into the Human Sovereign Seal. From that event, the ancestors of the three races had each gained a unique innate skill: God Transformation, Demon Descent, and Immortal Power Possession. In truth, all three were identical: summoning a surge of bloodline power to empower oneself. That bloodline power originated from this very world. However, because the world had fallen into extinction, the summoned power was far from mighty. In reality, the steady weakening of the three races' innate skills was not solely because the Human Sovereign had taken away the Human Sovereign Seal. It was also because the world itself was in the midst of extinction, growing feebler by the era, causing the summoned power to wither as well. Tiangu was evidently one of those who had experienced an exceptional ancestral resurgence, inheriting a substantial amount of this peculiar bloodline power. That was why Doubao had always wanted to eat him... It was merely the instinctual reaction of a world spirit seeking to replenish its own depletion! Tiangu's bloodline power was likely identical to the bloodline power preserved in this world. As the world spirit of a dead realm, Doubao desperately needed this energy to sustain itself. Even though King Wen had found him an alternative Dao—the Illusory Transformation Dao—the instinct remained. Thus, Doubao had kept his eyes locked on Tiangu for countless years! The Blood Master had merely left behind some musings upon his death; there were few details about the era before the opening of the heavens, or about the Time Master's exploits. After examining the inscriptions for a while, Su Yu sighed softly. "If the ancestors of the three races or Tiangu had entered, there would have been a great chance of inheriting this world! But judging by his words, he preferred this place to serve as a graveyard; otherwise, there would have been no need to seal the world!" Since his vitality and blood could reach the three ancestors so far away, he could easily have allowed someone to inherit the realm back then if he had wished. Yet the Blood Master had chosen not to. He had dragged his world into extinction alongside him! The others nodded in assent, gaining a broad understanding of the circumstances. Since the Blood Master was long dead, he had not written an extensive history. Those final words were likely just lingering reluctance at the end of his life, which was why he had jotted down a brief account of the Time Master. A terrifying existence! He seemed exceedingly overbearing and domineering as well—the sort who would clash instantly upon a chance meeting in the chaos, and once the fight was done, simply dust off his robes and depart, not caring in the least whether the Blood Master lived or died. As for Su Yu, the group said little. Su Yu likely carried traces of the three races' bloodlines, and there was a decent chance he even possessed some of Tiangu's lineage. Naturally, that was a digression, and none of them dwelt on it. There was no point in discussing it. Forget Tiangu; most humans today still carried the bloodline inheritance of the Heavenly Gate, yet they turned against one another just the same. After countless eras of human propagation, bloodlines had become far too intricate. Figures like Xing were ancient ancestors whose lineage could be traced back, yet when battle called, they still had to be eliminated. No enemy would treat you as family simply because you shared a sliver of their blood. Having read through the inscriptions, the Human Sovereign spoke, "These records don't actually tell us much. First, the sword the Time Master wielded was called the Cangqiong Sword. It might have contained two divine characters: Cang and Qiong. Qiong is right here, so has Cang completely shattered, or has it vanished?" "Second, the three ancestors were not direct descendants of the Blood Master; their lineages merely mutated when his dispersing vitality invaded them upon his death." "Third, this world is actually half-dead. Doubao wasn't the original world spirit from the start, but a wisp of spirit extracted by King Wen from its half-dead state, so he isn't an indigenous spirit!" "Fourth, the Time Master was extraordinarily powerful—so powerful that even a figure like the Blood Master was slain by him. Mind you, it wasn't an instant kill, but a demise caused by fatal wounds... That implies the Time Master was so overwhelmingly strong that the Blood Master couldn't even heal. A Heaven-Opener rarely perishes unless struck down on the spot; to die from unhealable injuries is truly terrifying!" Beyond these points, the remaining text held little else. Within this world, there were no other structures besides this hall, which was sparse and bare, bearing scarcely any traces of the past. The Human Sovereign turned toward Su Yu. "Since your Dao of Blood has already spread across this realm, you should be able to inherit it! Paired with Doubao, you might be able to merge it into your world. In my estimation, the Blood Master must have commanded at least forty Daos in life—at the very least! Of course, the world is now extinct, and the depletion over all these years has been immense. Right now, the world is far weaker than it once was, but I suspect it will still grant you a considerable boost!" This world suited Su Yu! Though it was half-ruined and a shadow of its former self—inheriting it would not instantly grant Su Yu forty Daos—the Human Sovereign and the others judged that it could at least elevate his strength by two or three Daos. It might even bring him directly to the level of the Lord of Dead Spirits! If so, Su Yu's growth would be substantial. The Heavenly and Earth Gates had yet to fully recover. If Su Yu could digest this world before they returned to peak condition, he and the Lord of Dead Spirits could join forces against the two gates. This promised to be Su Yu's greatest harvest across his many battles. While the others remained silent, Qiong seemed unconcerned with the inheritance, agonizing over something else instead. "Do you think Cang shattered, or did it get lost somewhere?" "..." He was still dwelling on that! Su Yu chuckled and said offhandedly, "The Cangqiong Sword broke during the Heaven-Opening era. If Cang didn't take human form back then, it most likely shattered and merged into the River of Time. Cang... Cangtian, Cangsheng, Cangqiong... heaven, common people, the vault of the sky... it merged into the river..." Su Yu grinned. "Could it have transformed into the present Dao of the Common People?" Qiong froze, staring at Su Yu. Su Yu smiled and continued, "Certain Great Daos are extraordinary. Predecessors never opened them, yet they exist within the River of Time—like Manor Lord Wan's Dao of Seven Emotions and Six Desires, or Lan Tian's Dao of the Common People! It's entirely possible that Cang from the Cangqiong Sword dissolved into the Dao of the Common People!" Qiong grew anxious. "Does that mean Lan Tian is practically my brother?" "..." Su Yu shrugged. "You can't quite put it that way. Cang might have dissolved into a Dao, and Lan Tian was the one who opened it, making it his Dao now! If you had completely shattered back then, you might have dissolved into a Great Dao as well, blending into the river to await someone to open it!" After finishing, Su Yu smiled again. "Of course, that's purely speculation! The Dao of the Common People might have nothing to do with the character Cang. Cangqiong can refer to the heavens above, the azure sky... The heaven we speak of is the reflection cast by the River of Time. That divine character Cang might have simply dispersed into a part of the river, or even a part of the myriad realms." Su Yu continued, "The Time Master was immensely powerful, and his sword must have been just as mighty! Yet opening the heavens snapped the blade. I imagine the toll of power was so vast that it melted into these realms, damaging the sword in the process. The divine character Cang has likely long dissolved, scattered across the entire universe!" Qiong was thoroughly crestfallen. "So you're saying I have no hope of ever fully restoring the Cangqiong Sword of old?" Su Yu nodded. In all likelihood, it was impossible! The group walked out of the hall into the lifeless world, greeting the silent, dead river of bloodlines. Everything was utterly desolate. Even though Doubao had entered that Blood Dao Scripture, it could not reverse the world's descent into irreversible dormancy. Restoring it to life would be monumentally difficult, requiring vast stretches of time to nurture. For a world like this, devouring it was perhaps the optimal path. Su Yu turned to the Human Sovereign. "This world has been in your possession all along. Are you really giving it to me? You could use it yourself. We don't intend to inherit and repair this realm; if we were doing that, it would indeed be difficult for you. But if it's purely devouring... anyone here can do it!" Inheriting and restoring it would not suit just anyone. Su Yu was indeed the most suitable candidate! Yet devouring was another matter. Everyone present possessed their own world and could absorb it; it was merely a matter of conversion efficiency. The Human Sovereign chuckled. "Do you think I'm less generous than you, Su Yu? After entering the Earth Gate, I took the Myriad Dao Stone, devoured the Longevity Bamboo, and absorbed the Great Dao powers of Taotie and the Ancient Ox. By your logic... should you have kept all those things for yourself?" Sometimes, treasures were easy to obtain, while hearts were hard to win. When Su Yu was petty, offend him once and he would remember it for a lifetime. Yet when he was generous, he had handed over Kong's Great Dao without letting it even pass through his hands. The Human Sovereign Seal had indeed been held by the Human Sovereign for many years. He could certainly devour this world, and the boost might not be any less than what Su Yu would gain; he might even reach thirty-eight or thirty-nine Daos and become a core pillar of defense. Doubao, the world spirit, had been extracted by King Wen. King Wen could also devour it, and Doubao would cooperate willingly. Yet the Human Sovereign believed Su Yu remained the most appropriate choice! Seeing Su Yu remain silent, the Human Sovereign added with a smile, "You are the link that binds us all together, the mediator! If you aren't strong enough, to put it bluntly, our outcome might mirror that of Jitian and his lot. Everyone is willing to listen to you now... but the prerequisite is that we're still alive and haven't felt the immediate threat of annihilation. When that moment truly comes, we might not handle it any better than they did!" As the leader sustaining this delicate alliance, Su Yu needed to be stronger! At present, Su Yu was noticeably weaker than the Lord of Dead Spirits, which was not necessarily a healthy dynamic. The Human Sovereign continued, "If you reach thirty-nine Daos, you'll match the unrecovered Heavenly and Earth Gates, who currently stand at around that level! You and the Lord of Dead Spirits can hold off the two gates; Qiong, at thirty-eight Daos, can deal with Jitian; I, at thirty-six Daos, can manage Zhou! Once King Wen devours Kong's Dao and reaches thirty-six Daos, he can team up with Wen Yu to tackle Yu or Jingtian... Taishan can face Ri and Yue... That way, our odds of victory will be far greater!" By then, the gap between the two sides would narrow considerably. Of course, a deficit would still remain. Even working together, King Wen and Wen Yu could only hold off one between Yu and Jingtian, unable to block both. Su Yu looked at the Human Sovereign, then glanced at the others, and finally turned toward the Lord of Dead Spirits with a faint smile. "Bloodline power also harbors rich life vitality! Old Dead's death power has always overshadowed his life power. If he had enough life vitality to strengthen his world, reaching forty Daos might be within grasp!" The Lord of Dead Spirits raised a brow, remaining silent. Su Yu continued, "Everyone here has gained some degree of improvement recently. Old Dead is our primary vanguard, yet since merging the twin worlds, he has barely progressed. Any thoughts?" The Lord of Dead Spirits replied coolly, "Call me 'Old Dead' one more time, and I'll have plenty of thoughts!" With that, he said indifferently, "If you want to absorb it, then absorb it. What's with all the useless chatter? Before the twin worlds merged, I underwent an extinction within the Heavenly Gate and gained an improvement. That was already decent enough!" Su Yu chuckled and soon said, "Forget it, I won't absorb this world! King Wen and Wen Yu can split it evenly. Perhaps both of them can reach thirty-six Daos. Kong's Dao goes to King Wu, which should bring him to at least thirty-four Daos..." Both King Wen and Wen Yu looked toward Su Yu. Su Yu said calmly, "Having a few more thirty-six Dao combatants might be better! It's not that I'm obsessed with maintaining a balance, but on my end... strengthening a single Dao right now isn't necessarily a good thing!" The others fell into thought. Not necessarily a good thing? Su Yu had recently been striving to balance all his Great Dao powers. Overpowering the Dao of Blood at this juncture might truly bring unintended consequences. He might reach thirty-nine Daos, to be sure, but it was not guaranteed, and the fundamental attributes of his world would shift! Absorbing too much would skew his world's foundation toward bloodline power, turning him into the next Blood Master, which served little purpose. Sometimes, not every world was suitable for consumption. "King Wen and Wen Yu will each take a portion to strengthen their worlds. If both of you advance, things will become much easier!" The group looked at one another; Su Yu had genuinely relinquished it! When they first entered and Su Yu's divine character 'Blood' transformed into a Dao, everyone assumed this world naturally belonged to him. There might have been a trace of envy, but Su Yu had contributed tremendously to their collective effort. Giving it to him was completely acceptable to all. Even the Lord of Dead Spirits had no objections. Had it been given to anyone else, the Lord of Dead Spirits might have frowned. Right now, he said with a furrowed brow, "Two thirty-six Dao practitioners are far less impactful than one thirty-nine Dao powerhouse! Su Yu, what are you thinking?" He pressed, "Don't assume I'm invincible. I'm strong, and I won't belittle myself—in a one-on-one duel against either gate, I fear neither! But right now, I have to face both... It exceeds my strength!" Su Yu laughed. "What's the rush? I haven't been sitting idle lately! Rest assured, when the battle truly erupts, I'll find a way to handle one of the gates..." The Lord of Dead Spirits stared at him, momentarily speechless. Could he really pull it off? King Wen frowned slightly. "Wen Yu and I drawing power from this world..." Su Yu raised a hand. "Enough, it's decided! Besides, Wen Yu growing stronger is beneficial to me as well! At critical moments, I can still borrow her world's power!" Empowering these two had always been Su Yu's desire, though previous opportunities had been lacking. Now, the chance was right before them. King Wu would also gain a boost, ensuring he could easily handle Ri and Yue. Otherwise, facing two experts of the same tier alone, King Wu's victory would not have been guaranteed. If he reached thirty-four Daos against two opponents at thirty-two Daos, with his peerless combat instincts, victory would be assured! As the overarching strategist, Su Yu had to optimize their collective combat efficiency. "It's settled. Doubao, assist King Wen and Wen Yu in drawing the world's power! As for becoming a world spirit, that works out well too—Wen Yu's world lacks one, so you can serve as hers!" Su Yu smiled. "Didn't you complain that Fei Qiu bullies you? Once you become a world spirit and your strength skyrockets, Fei Qiu won't be able to beat you anymore, and you can bully him every day!" Doubao blinked. Become Wen Yu's world spirit? King Wen already had a world spirit—the Book Spirit. Su Yu and the Human Sovereign served as their own spirits, whereas Wen Yu was still missing one. Doubao was already the world spirit here, an ethereal entity, making him a perfect fit. Hearing this, Wen Yu did not refuse. Doubao had been her playmate in her youth. Only later, when Doubao became less fun, had she stopped playing with him, leaving him to spend most of his time with King Wen. To the side, Qiong grumbled, "You could have given it to me. I'm at thirty-eight Daos; with this, I'd have a shot at forty..." Su Yu laughed. "Once you devour the Prison King or the Human Ancestor, it'll be the same for you! What are you in such a rush for? Giving it to you wouldn't maximize our resources. I won't claim absolute fairness, but under normal circumstances, everyone gets their chance!" Qiong chuckled sheepishly. "Just saying!" Su Yu had handled things exceptionally well. Their alliance remained far sturdier than the enemy's precisely because Su Yu exerted immense effort to keep it from fracturing. Qiong, the Lord of Dead Spirits, the Human Sovereign's faction, and Su Yu himself effectively formed four distinct camps. That these four factions maintained a harmonious balance was largely thanks to Su Yu. "Let's not waste any more time, begin!" Unwilling to linger on the topic, Su Yu said swiftly, "King Wen, you and Wen Yu absorb what you can. If there's any surplus, give it to King Wu! Once King Wu devours Kong's Dao, I wonder if he can reach thirty-five Daos... If not, whatever remains here might push him across the threshold..." At that point, Su Yu added, "Reaching thirty-six Daos will be tough. In the short term, King Wu won't have many more avenues for rapid advancement!" He had already absorbed an underworld Dao and undergone extinction; any further leaps would require opening his own world! Yet King Wu's Dao was too pure! Suddenly, Su Yu thought of something, pausing as if to speak, but held back. The Human Ancestor still had a Physical Body Dao—the human race's Physical Body Dao—left behind. But Su Yu had promised that Dao to the Martial Emperor! Recently, the Martial Emperor had been absorbing that Great Dao's power. The Martial Emperor's strength was no longer particularly formidable, barely reaching twenty Daos by now. That Physical Body Dao would perhaps be better utilized in King Wu's hands. After deliberating, Su Yu kept silent. "Don't just stand there, let's begin! Old Dead, I'll have to trouble you and the others to stand guard outside... I'll spend some time comprehending the world's Great Daos here. King Wen, you two start absorbing!" The Human Sovereign sighed softly, nodding with deep emotion. "Su Yu... you truly do a better job than I ever did!" At times, he felt Su Yu was reckless. Yet he had to admit that Su Yu was often far more decisive than himself. Without Su Yu, bringing this coalition together into a cohesive force would have been an impossible feat. Su Yu smiled faintly. "Why so sentimental? Feeling old?" The Human Sovereign laughed self-deprecatingly and said no more. Soon, the Human Sovereign departed, while Qiong and the Lord of Dead Spirits exited as well. Su Yu sat down cross-legged. Instead of absorbing any energy from the area, he picked up the Blood Dao Scripture and began perusing it. Doubao stared at Su Yu inquisitively. Su Yu looked up, and Doubao asked curiously, "Su Yu, what exactly is the relationship between the two of us?" "..." Su Yu paused. Bringing this up right now? Seeing that look of curiosity, Su Yu had assumed Doubao had something profound to ask, only to hear: 'what's our relationship?' "Think about it: my Little Fur Ball is your companion, so that makes you my nephew... But then, you and Jiu Yue are of the same generation, while my Chubing carries the origin of Er Yue, which makes me your ancestor! And I'm this world's spirit, while you might carry the bloodline inheritance of this world's master... So what does that make us?" "..." You certainly have a lot of questions! Su Yu was utterly speechless. What kind of nonsensical tangents was this creature dwelling on? Reaching out, Su Yu grabbed Doubao's round head, kneaded it vigorously for a moment, and tossed him over toward Wen Yu, chuckling, "Take him and play. This guy has lived for ages, yet his head is stuffed with so many ridiculous questions!" Doubao grumbled resentfully, "I was genuinely curious!" Ignoring him, Su Yu turned his attention back to the book. He had noticed that every world possessed a book; the book was the core! King Wen had one, he had one, Wen Yu had one... Everyone had one! Even this realm had one. Did the River of Time possess one as well? If the River of Time had a book, where was it hidden? And what was it called? Su Yu possessed the civilization chronicle, King Wen had the Classic of Ten Thousand Daos, Wen Yu possessed the Time Record, the Human Sovereign had the Human Sovereign Classic, and the Lord of Dead Spirits held the Death Record... "So the River of Time likely contains a book as well! For Lan Tian to devour the River of Time, he must first locate this book!" "A book... the Human Gate..." Could there be a connection between the two? Su Yu sank into contemplation. Assuming the Human Gate—referring to the sealing gate Wan Tiansheng had spoken of—was formed from a book... "No... the sealing gate is centered on the Dao of Seven Emotions and Six Desires! The River of Time is not dominated by that Dao!" "That sealing gate is most likely an independent Great Dao or world of its own!" There was evidence to support this! Previously, Su Yu could not be certain, but now that even the Human Sovereign Seal proved to be an entire world, the sealing gate could very well be an independent realm or a standalone Great Dao! And a formidable one at that! Since it was independent, it could not be the core text of the River of Time! Thus, with a ninety percent probability, another book lay concealed within the River of Time, serving as its true core. "What exactly is the foundational Dao of the River of Time?" Su Yu pondered deeply. Earlier, he had assumed it was the power of time. Yet according to Jitian, the river's true purpose was sealing. If so, could the core of the River of Time be the Dao of Sealing? No... not necessarily! Thoughts flickered across Su Yu's mind one after another. Not far away, Wen Yu and the others glanced toward him. Seeing him lost in deep thought, Wen Yu sent a voice transmission, "Brother, do you still think he resembles you?" King Wen glanced at Su Yu, smiled faintly, and shook his head, replying through voice transmission, "He and I are not alike. That guy is far too intricate... Never mind that, let's absorb the power. He gave up strengthening himself to pass this to us... we must not let his intentions go to waste!" Wen Yu said no more. The two of them channeled their worlds forward, and soon, the entire realm began to shudder, rapidly siphoning the dormant river of bloodlines. In truth, doing this was exceedingly wasteful! Nurturing it over many years might have yielded a true forty-Dao powerhouse. Yet right now, they could only plunder its reserves, taking the entire realm's essence for themselves—a method akin to draining the pond to catch the fish. To rapidly attain power, however, they had no choice! Their auras began to climb steadily. Meanwhile, King Wu began absorbing Kong's Great Dao, his aura swelling as well. ... As for Su Yu, he read, contemplated, and continued harmonizing his own Great Dao powers. He wanted all his Daos brought into complete equilibrium. He was even willing to discard portions of his strength. It might cause a temporary dip in his combat prowess, but Su Yu did not mind. Once balanced, fusion would become far simpler. Gain and loss often hung on a single decision. Only by letting go could one truly gain! Originally, Su Yu had fused one hundred and eight acupoints to reach thirty-six Daos. Now, through continuous balance, he had fused one hundred and thirty-six acupoints, yet his strength remained firmly at thirty-six Daos, without increasing! King Wu was still tied to his world, but Su Yu directly severed his control over King Wu's Dao, intending to excise him from his world entirely once King Wu grew slightly stronger! He would allow King Wu to fully draw the Dao into his own body and break free from Su Yu's realm. In the past, Su Yu had practiced addition; now, he was practicing subtraction. "My world doesn't necessarily need so many people. Raw combat power means nothing; what I need are high intellects... individuals who can help me fuse Daos, where one can do the work of ten!" "Therefore, those walking the path of divine character masters are far more suitable!" Divine character masters commanded multiple characters. Their individual Daos might not be overwhelmingly strong, but they possessed a natural aptitude for fusing Daos. Formidable as King Wu and his peers were, their grasp over multifaceted Daos was poor. To each their own specialty! King Wu and his kind focused entirely on a single Dao, which was not the type of talent Su Yu required. Su Yu fell into deep contemplation. Civilization Masters... His teachers were all Civilization Masters, but their comprehension of Great Daos was not particularly profound. Even so, those from the Multiple Divine Characters Department held an innate understanding of multi-tiered Daos. Should he invite them to step forward? They were too weak! They hadn't even pushed a single Dao to its limits; could they truly accomplish Dao fusion? Furthermore, the rogue cultivators brought back from the Heavenly Gate might need to be excised as well. Su Yu would not burn bridges and execute them outright, but he could transfer them to the Human Sovereign and the others, whose worlds possessed plenty of Daos. "Perhaps I need to prune the occupants of my world's Daos... I don't necessarily need the strongest, but I definitely need the sharpest minds!" Doing so would simultaneously strengthen the Human Sovereign and the others, killing two birds with one stone! "A group of steadfast followers, a group of brilliant minds, and the rest... can all be handed off!" Why hoard so many people? Pruning a portion would certainly cause a dip in his raw strength, but it would render his world far purer! As for his teachers, Su Yu was still weighing the options. Their hiding place was concealed, yet not necessarily foolproof. The Human Ancestor's world had previously resided within the Human Realm and might have grasped certain clues. "Myriad Dao fusion..." "Lan Tian!" Su Yu thought of Lan Tian once more. Lan Tian had opened an independent realm, breaking away from Su Yu's system, and was currently attempting to fuse myriad Daos. Su Yu had even prepared to let him swallow the River of Time. Yet success was far from guaranteed! If Lan Tian failed, the optimal alternative was... merging with Lan Tian! Lan Tian was actually far more suited for this than Wen Yu. Wen Yu commanded myriad Daos as well, but the world she opened and the world Su Yu opened would only result in a stacking effect, rather than the true state of myriad Dao fusion that Lan Tian offered. Stacking brought strength; fusion brought transcendent power! And after merging with Lan Tian, Su Yu might be able to attempt devouring the river himself! With thoughts flashing through his mind, Su Yu vanished from the spot in an instant. Meanwhile, King Wen and the others saw their auras surging rapidly. After an unknown stretch of time, the world shuddered violently, showing signs of collapse. Already an extinct realm, under the voracious absorption of the two cultivators who drained even its origin essence, how could it not crumble? ... With a thunderous roar! On the third day after Tiangu and the others perished, the sixth day since the Heavenly and Earth Gates opened, the Human Sovereign Seal shattered completely! Three figures materialized within Yu Emperor Hall. The Human Sovereign and the others arrived swiftly, their expressions tinged with complexity. The Human Sovereign Seal was gone! It had not been consumed by Su Yu, but by King Wen and Wen Yu. At this moment, both King Wen and Wen Yu radiated formidable auras. Both had stepped into thirty-six Daos. King Wu, having devoured Kong's Great Dao and absorbed a share of the world's power, had actually reached thirty-five Daos! The Human Sovereign looked at them, sighing with emotion! By this point, out of the seven-member group, only King Wu had yet to enter thirty-six Daos; everyone else had crossed that threshold. Su Yu, in comparison, no longer appeared particularly dominant! With this, the traces left by the Blood Master within the universe had been thoroughly erased. At this moment, the Lord of Dead Spirits stood at thirty-nine Daos, Qiong at thirty-eight, while Su Yu, King Wen, Wen Yu, and the Human Sovereign were all at thirty-six, and King Wu reached thirty-five. "Where is Su Yu?" Wen Yu asked, not seeing him. The Human Sovereign pointed toward the sky. The group looked up, their expressions turning peculiar. Su Yu was actually lying asleep within the River of Time, allowing the myriad Daos to wash over him, seemingly comprehending something. Beside him, a single figure stood guard: Lan Tian! Wen Yu watched for a moment, saying nothing more. Su Yu lay quietly asleep within the river, and the only person protecting his Dao was Lan Tian. Whether Su Yu had refused to let anyone else guard him or the Human Sovereign's faction had chosen not to go, it was most likely that Su Yu simply felt no need for their presence! At this moment, even the outwardly brash King Wu let out a quiet, barely audible sigh. Yet in his diary, he recorded a single line: Su Yu, Sovereign of the New Yu Era! In Su Yu's heart, only the people of the New Yu Era were his true companions, friends, brothers, and kin... As for the rest, no matter how amicable Su Yu appeared, they were never quite as essential. A sudden wave of melancholy washed over all of them. None of them had ever truly entered Su Yu's heart.