Slaying the Human Ancestor!

Zhou and his circle tried to drive a wedge right from the start. Would Su Yu let Qiong leave? The slightest misstep would invite immense trouble. Yet Su Yu said nothing, leaving the choice entirely to Qiong. At this point, on this very day, with the grand battle looming right before them, Su Yu could not stop Qiong if he wished to leave, nor did he want to. Forcing someone to stay would only turn an ally into an enemy. Qiong’s eyes flickered. He looked at Su Yu, but Su Yu offered no persuasion. He then looked at Zhou and the others. They appeared exceedingly sincere. Jitian wore a smile. “Qiong, go ahead!” It was nothing more than an alliance of convenience! It was hardly indivisible. Qiong had only known Su Yu for a short time, after all. He originated from within the Heavenly Gate and had not conquered the world alongside Su Yu. Severing Qiong from the alliance was simple; he was the easiest link on Su Yu’s side to break. The Human Sovereign and the others looked grim. If Qiong left, then according to their earlier plan, the Lord of Dead Spirits would have to face both the Heaven and Earth Gates alone. Once overwhelmed, the Lord of Dead Spirits would likely abandon the fight and depart as well. When that happened… defeat and ruin would be certain! At this moment, no one could leave. Losing even one would spell disaster. Qiong looked at Su Yu, then glanced at the others, gritting his teeth. Cang… was something he desperately needed! It was the key to perfecting the Firmament Sword! It was also a shortcut for him to elevate his strength. In the next instant, he cupped his hands toward Su Yu and the others. “I must go retrieve it. Otherwise, once the three gates converge and truly crush Cang… I will have no hope left!” Su Yu nodded slightly and said calmly, “Go if you wish. We were merely cooperating to begin with. As long as you don't turn on us, I, Su Yu, will not hold a grudge over this!” “Good, then!” Qiong exhaled. Gripping his longsword—the Heaven-Opening Sword—he cast a cold glance at the opposing group. “Make way!” The Chaotic River lay right behind them. Jitian and the others wore faint smiles. Having a thirty-eight-Dao powerhouse leave at this critical juncture was a monumental victory for them. Before the battle had even begun, they had already clipped one of Su Yu’s strongest wings. Zhou and his companions shifted slightly to yield a path, though they did not step aside too far. Once Qiong left, they intended to deal with Su Yu and the rest. Since Su Yu was dead set on waging war right now, they would gladly oblige him! Without a word, Qiong flew straight forward with a sullen expression. Su Yu and his allies moved slightly as well, putting Jitian and his faction on instant alert. By then, Qiong had already flown past, murmuring sullenly, “Once I obtain Cang and perfect the Firmament Sword, I’ll come back to help you…” Su Yu nodded slightly. Qiong did not look back, continuing straight ahead. Jitian and the others indeed did not stop him. Blocking him now would render all their earlier efforts meaningless. Just as Qiong was about to exit their perimeter, the longsword in Jingtian’s hand suddenly shuddered! In the next instant, a dazzling burst of sword light erupted from the blade, slashing viciously toward Jingtian himself! His sword had been commandeered! In that split second, Qiong whipped around, swinging his sword toward Jingtian with a thunderous roar: “What are you waiting for?!” Su Yu and his allies reacted instantly! They struck without hesitation! Boom! The group dispensed with intricate techniques. Their Great Daos clashed directly, unleashing a cataclysmic boom that echoed throughout the myriad realms! Shockwaves from the collision swept in all directions, turning the entire region around the Earth Gate into an abyss of black holes! Amid the deafening blast, a figure flew backward, coughing up mouthfuls of blood! In the next instant, everyone was blown back, and both sides fell back into formation. With a single strike, Qiong had sent Jingtian spitting blood. Weaving past him, Qiong swiftly regrouped with Su Yu and the others! Without wasting a breath, Su Yu raised his saber and roared, “Cut through them!” Boom! The group unleashed their power once more, obliterating the passage that had been yielded moments earlier. Led by Su Yu, they charged rapidly toward the source of the chaos! “Qiong!” A frigid shout rang out. Jitian’s voice was dripping with malice. “You have made a foolish choice!” Qiong’s cold laughter echoed back. “You’re the fool! Putting aside whether Cang is even there, even if he were, I would never cooperate with idiots like you! How many experts resided within the Heavenly Gate back then, and how many remain today? You fools can’t wait for all of us to die off! Did you truly take me for a fool to work with you?” Flying past earlier had merely been an excuse to find an opening to strike Jingtian! Jingtian was the most suitable target! He wielded a sword, his strength at thirty-seven Daos was weaker than Qiong’s, and he lacked the deep scheming of Jitian and the others, leaving his guard lower. Of course, that sneak attack had merely inflicted a minor wound. Yet in a clash between supreme experts, victory often hinged on the slimmest margins. A seemingly light injury could easily lead to death if one were careless! The Heavenly Gate’s voice echoed with a sigh. “Qiong, I originally thought that since we were both cultivators of the Heaven-Opening Era, I would avoid crossing blades with you. It seems… you insist on courting death!” “You bastards made a foul mess of the myriad realms!” Qiong snapped cold-bloodedly. “Sharing an era with you is an utter disgrace!” The downfall of the Heaven-Opening Era might very well have been orchestrated by these people. Both the Earth Gate and Heavenly Gate had seized the chance to grow immensely stronger. Back in the beginning, the Heavenly Gate had been on par with them. Kong was the first beast of the Heaven-Opening Era, Qiong was the first sword, Shi was the first stone, and the Heavenly Gate was the first man… The Heavenly Gate had not necessarily been much stronger than any of them. It was only during his war against the Earth Gate that he had risen so rapidly! Perhaps the bastard had sold out the Heaven-Opening Era long ago! “Cut the crap!” Su Yu bellowed, immediately moving to divide their opponents. Worlds erupted from one powerhouse after another. The Lord of Dead Spirits unleashed an unfathomably terrifying aura as his Necropolis World unfurled, sweeping toward the gates of Heaven and Earth! King Wen and the others unleashed their worlds as well. In this instant, worlds stood like a forest. This was likely the greatest gathering of Heaven-Openers in all of history—or rather, every Heaven-Opener since the opening of heaven had gathered here, save for that peculiar anomaly, Lan Tian. Su Yu, the Human Sovereign, King Wen, Wen Yu, the Lord of Dead Spirits, the Heavenly Gate, the Earth Gate, the Human Ancestor, and Prison King. Nine supreme experts, each possessing an opened world! King Wen and his two companions rotated their worlds, instantly encircling Jingtian within their three domains. They made no attempt to stop Jitian, but upon seeing Jingtian trapped by the trio, Jitian’s expression changed drastically, and he rushed to Jingtian’s rescue! The Human Sovereign’s group was the first to isolate Jingtian and Jitian! With their worlds spinning, the five figures traversed the void and vanished from the area in the blink of an eye! King Wu let out a cold laugh and threw a punch that made both Ri and Yue turn pale. With vital energy surging like an untamed dragon sweeping across the world, King Wu battered his way forward, driving them apart! The three of them were pushed to the periphery in an instant! Dividing the battlefield! Both sides shared this intention. In a battle between supreme experts, a chaotic melee was the most dangerous, especially when none could be certain if an ally might turn on them. It was not just Su Yu’s side that needed to compartmentalize the battlefield; Jitian and his faction wanted the same! The two gates of Heaven and Earth did not need the Lord of Dead Spirits to draw them away. The Heavenly Gate’s world materialized, its blazing radiance colliding violently with the Necropolis World. With a thunderous boom, the surrounding space twisted, and when it cleared, the two gates and the Lord of Dead Spirits had disappeared. Qiong’s expression shifted. Thinking that the Lord of Dead Spirits might be able to hold out for a while, he felt it would be better to help Su Yu finish off his opponents first. “Go!” Su Yu barked. Hearing the command, Qiong felt conflicted, but he vanished a moment later, his sword intent surging through the heavens as he charged toward the two gates! ... Only now did everyone realize Su Yu’s intention. Su Yu was taking on both the Prison King and the Human Ancestor! The Prison King’s world unfolded, dark and chilling. The Human Ancestor’s world manifested, radiating a faint light. The Human Ancestor walked primarily the Physical Dao, his vital energy robust and surging like vast waves within his world. Two Heaven-Openers now surrounded Su Yu. Within the Prison King’s world, the laws were severe and unyielding. At the center of her world floated a chain—the Chains of Hell! At the center of the Human Ancestor’s world, a Longevity Bamboo emerged once more. It was not the bamboo weapon he had wielded earlier, but the projection of his world’s core. Zhou looked at Su Yu with an odd expression. “Your strength seems to have grown a bit. You advance swiftly indeed, and you are daring enough. You intend to face both Prison and me?” He glanced toward the other battlefields. King Wu held the upper hand! The Human Sovereign’s side was evenly matched! Qiong and the Lord of Dead Spirits were at a disadvantage. As for their clash with Su Yu, it was still too early to tell. In such a short time, Su Yu’s faction had actually grown capable of meeting them head-on. Their rate of growth was terrifying! Su Yu ignored him, turning his gaze toward the Prison King instead. This was the first time Su Yu had seen the Prison King so clearly and at such close range. Cold! Or rather, utterly detached! She matched the image Su Yu had envisioned. As for her looks, Su Yu cared little. The Prison King was exceedingly gorgeous, yet in Su Yu’s eyes, no matter how beautiful she was, she was merely a skeleton cloaked in flesh. At his level, such trivialities meant nothing. Su Yu then observed her world: dark, frigid, and exuding an unbending rigidity of law. Su Yu was in no rush to attack. He simply looked at the Prison King and asked, “Was establishing the Sacred Race your true intention, or did Yue Hao and the others act on their own?” The Prison King answered with complete calm: “It was my true intention. The human race is rife with infighting, riddled with conflicting desires, and values sentiment over law. I sought to establish a race governed by strict law, severed from the human race…” Su Yu laughed and pointed at Zhou. “That philosophy of yours… shattered days ago!” The Prison King remained silent. It had indeed shattered! To save Zhou and Tian, she had broken her own creed of placing law above sentiment. “So it’s all utter nonsense!” Su Yu shook his head. “To kill someone, one must first shatter their convictions. I must tell you that your realm of law, your race of law, is pure bullshit! At your core, you are just as selfish! No one can be completely selfless! Saving Zhou and Tian made you a normal person; refusing to save them would have made you a monster!” Smiling, Su Yu continued, “The Human Sovereign and the others may not want to kill you, but I do! Though you and I have never crossed paths before, the enmity between your Sacred Race and me runs as deep as the sea! Countless members of my Poly-Character lineage died because of your descendants! Slaying you today is also in the name of the very ‘law’ you preach!” Zhou snorted coldly. “Su Yu, such grand words!” Su Yu glanced at Zhou. “You’re just an afterthought.” Su Yu smiled. “Zhou, you escaped once, but you won't escape a second time!” Boom! A deafening explosion rang out as the Lord of Dead Spirits roared in the distance: “Su Yu, what the hell are you blabbering about?!” Damn it all! Did he think he and Qiong could hold out forever? In the distance, three worlds and a radiant sword lit up the sky, shattering the firmament, tearing through the void, and sending spatial shockwaves sweeping in all directions. What was Su Yu doing wasting his breath over there?! Su Yu smiled faintly. His aura gradually expanded, steadily erupting! Thirty-seven Daos, thirty-eight Daos, all the way to thirty-nine Daos! A tremendous aura shook the surroundings! Only now did Jitian and the others realize the full extent of Su Yu’s strength. The Earth Gate sneered, “Fusing with your future self? Playing with fire! Su Yu, you are truly courting death!” Su Yu’s power had surged to its peak in an instant, and veterans like the Earth Gate could tell at a glance how he had achieved it. He had fused with his future self! That being the case, his ascension to thirty-nine Daos was not surprising. Fortunately, the Prison King and the Human Ancestor were formidable in their own right, one possessing thirty-eight Daos and the other thirty-six. Even at thirty-nine Daos, bringing them down would be no simple feat for Su Yu! Meanwhile, the gates of Heaven and Earth were both unleashing power at thirty-nine Daos, bordering on forty! The Lord of Dead Spirits held his ground relatively well, but Qiong’s sword intent was clearly being suppressed. ... Ignoring everyone else, Su Yu kept his eyes fixed on the two before him. In the next moment, the power of myriad Daos coalesced. Internalizing the strength of the Great Daos, Su Yu transformed into a towering giant, all 720 of his acupoints blazing with brilliant light! He threw a punch! Boom! The moment Su Yu moved, the Prison King struck as well. A chain shot toward him—and not just one. That single chain split into tens of millions, seeking to bind every single Dao within Su Yu! Each chain aimed straight for an acupoint! Locking down the world, capturing the Daos of the acupoints! A targeted assault! Meanwhile, the Human Ancestor’s golden body erupted with peerless might. Had he merged completely with his own world, he would have reached at least thirty-eight Daos. Unfortunately, after Su Yu’s recent disruption, his strength remained at thirty-six Daos, though he was far stronger than an ordinary expert of that rank! Facing the combined assault of two powerhouses, even with thirty-nine Daos, Su Yu could not seize the upper hand! Su Yu’s punch shattered countless chains, yet the moment they broke, countless more materialized. At the same time, the Prison King’s world suddenly transformed into a disciplinary ruler! Holding a chain in her left hand and a ruler in her right! Capture and punish! Such was the Prison King’s Dao! Sweeping the ruler toward Su Yu, she declared in a chilling voice, “The law is merciless. I punish you for insubordination!” “...Hilarious!” Su Yu sneered. “You claim the law is merciless, yet you preach hierarchy and deference? Your Dao is riddled with flaws! God knows how your father taught you—no wonder that useless father of yours is still stuck at thirty-six Daos!” With a single insult, he managed to berate multiple people at once! With a resounding boom, Su Yu threw a punch that shattered the disciplinary ruler. Spinning around, he threw another punch. Zhou had already struck with his bamboo stalk. Su Yu’s fist collided with it, causing the stalk to bow backward, only for the bent bamboo to whip forward with a sharp crack, striking Su Yu across the face! A bloody welt instantly formed on his cheek! Zhou looked detached. Did Su Yu truly think himself invincible? Feeling the burning sting on his face, Su Yu grinned. “Feels great!” Zhou frowned slightly but remained silent. He and the Prison King coordinated seamlessly, pincering Su Yu from front and back. Powerful though Su Yu was, he failed to gain any advantage. Yet Su Yu was in no hurry! The clash continued! Su Yu’s approach seemed simple. He possessed countless techniques, yet he fought with straightforward punches and kicks, battling the two in the most rudimentary fashion! Every punch he threw carried the force of myriad Daos! At the same time, a massive seal materialized above Su Yu’s head, radiating brilliant light. The image of the Warden of Heaven emerged, bathed in radiance as fortune coalesced around it! This fortune gathered into a protective barrier! Su Yu sneered, “I carry the fortune of the myriad realms. I am immortal and indestructible! So long as the myriad realms stand, I shall never fall! Fighting me will only lead to your deaths!” Fortune gathered above his head! Vast power of fortune formed a golden dome, enveloping Su Yu. The Human Ancestor’s gaze shifted slightly. Striking again with the bamboo stalk, his blow was stripped of thirty percent of its power—if not more—by that golden dome of fortune! Su Yu deflected it with ease! Su Yu burst into hearty laughter and charged straight at the Human Ancestor! With a deafening crash, the Human Ancestor was forced back several steps. The Prison King swiftly intervened, halting Su Yu’s pursuit! Stabilizing his foundation, the Human Ancestor’s expression turned icy. “Su Yu, fortune… is not omnipotent! You must understand that this era was forged by me! I am the Ancestor of the Human Race!” “You should also understand… back then, the immense fortune carried by the Human Sovereign and his peers was merely bestowed upon them by me!” His voice dripped with cold disdain. Su Yu seemed to have forgotten that he, too, belonged to this era! Moreover, there were many things Su Yu did not understand in the slightest! The Human Ancestor was not merely a hollow title! He was no relic of a bygone era. He existed within this era, and this era had been inaugurated by his very hands. Though the Lord of Dead Spirits was a remnant of the past, he had never led the humans to rise! Zhou was the lord who had opened this era! “Fortune, return to me!” With a low roar, the Warden of Heaven began to shudder violently. Streams of golden fortune rapidly leaked out, flying toward the Human Ancestor. That was the fortune Zhou Ji had fused into his world back then! It also included the fortune of the Giant Race! Su Yu’s expression changed. “Jitian?!” He whipped his head toward the distance. Far away, Jitian and Jingtian were locked in fierce combat against the Human Sovereign’s group. Sensing the shift, Jitian knew what had transpired and smiled faintly. “Old classmate, fortune is not omnipotent; I told you that long ago! You rise by fortune and fall by fortune. It seems you still haven’t learned from the Human Sovereign’s mistake!” Boom! A massive tremor shook Su Yu’s fortune. Immense waves of fortune dispersed, absorbed by the Human Ancestor and drawn into his own body! Zhou laughed. “Su Yu, did you truly believe you were the child of destiny for this era?” “I led the human race to rise! The power of fortune, half the fortune of this era, belongs to me!” With a cold snort, the Warden of Heaven contorted in agony! Vast amounts of fortune were forcefully stripped away! Cracks appeared across Su Yu’s Human Lord Seal, and fortune leaked out in torrents! Su Yu seemed struck by atrocious luck. As his fortune dissipated, mistakes that should never have happened suddenly occurred. He had been pressing the Human Ancestor hard, but with his fortune stripped away, someone inside one of Su Yu’s acupoints seemed to commit a blunder, severing the flow of power through the aperture! Boom! The Prison King’s ruler shattered his defense, leaving a bone-deep wound across Su Yu’s body in an instant! Both the Human Ancestor and the Prison King showed hints of delight. The backlash of fortune had begun! Su Yu’s fortune was being drained by them. The young man who had always enjoyed miraculous luck was about to suffer a terrible reversal today. Just like the Human Sovereign back then! When the Human Sovereign’s fortune fluctuated, catastrophe had quickly followed. Evidently, that historical fluctuation had been tied to the Human Ancestor, for he was the progenitor of this era! The fortune of this era could never bypass the Human Ancestor! Su Yu’s face turned grim and frigid. Gritting his teeth with a roar, he launched a frantic assault against the Human Ancestor, while the Prison King continuously blocked his path. Meanwhile, the Human Ancestor relentlessly siphoned away Su Yu’s fortune! The Warden of Heaven wailed in agony, guarding the Human Lord Seal, yet it continued to fracture! Unable to bear it any longer, the Warden of Heaven roared, “Your Majesty, stabilize your fortune!” The fortune was draining far too quickly! At this rate, once his fortune completely collapsed, Su Yu would meet a disastrous end! Far away, the Human Sovereign also shouted in alarm: “Su Yu, stabilize your fortune! Hurry!” He had suffered from this exact trick! A catastrophic loss! The same thing had happened back then. His fortune had unraveled, and though his fortune back then had not been as vast as Su Yu’s, its collapse had brought about sheer misfortune. Before long, he had been ambushed and nearly perished! At that time, he was already a pinnacle expert of thirty-five Daos. Yet he had still been powerless to stop it! At that very moment, an even more unfortunate turn of events occurred. From the distance came a soft sigh, and a figure suddenly materialized, wearing a look of regret. The newcomer was not exceptionally strong—thirty-one Daos. Dressed in long robes, the figure hovered between heaven and earth. With a sigh of pity, his vital energy surged. Streaks of blood appeared before him, one seemingly connecting to Su Yu, while two others linked to King Wen and Wen Yu. Wen! King Wen sensed it immediately. His expression changed drastically, and he roared in fury, “Wen! You are our ancestral progenitor! Are you going to aid the wicked?!” Wen sighed once more. “Standing together against the Human Gate is what we must do. Wen Dao, it is not that I wish to kill Su Yu, but… he has long fallen into madness, hellbent on destroying the alliance meant to resist the Human Gate… Obstinate and unyielding, repeatedly slaughtering the powerhouses who could fight the Human Gate… If this continues, the world will know no peace!” King Wen roared, “Bastard! You people changed long ago! How dare you?!” Wen was not particularly strong, but at this moment, with Su Yu’s fortune unraveling, Wen could play a devastating role. Sure enough, Wen coughed up blood continuously, his fingers rapidly weaving seals. A streak of blood extended across the heavens, snaking toward Su Yu. Atop the blood streak lay an ominous shade of black. The black aura of destruction! Within Su Yu’s body, a faint resonance of bloodline stirred. Under normal circumstances, such a faint bloodline fluctuation would hardly affect him; countless years and generations separated him from Wen! The influence of that bloodline was practically negligible. Yet right now, Su Yu was locked in an intense battle, and his fortune was collapsing. Any minor flaw would escalate into a catastrophe! Sure enough, with a muffled boom, Su Yu’s physical body violently convulsed. The rule power he unleashed suddenly dissipated, accompanied by chunks of flesh. Flesh and blood flew everywhere as the Prison King’s ruler shattered his arm, blowing the flesh apart! Su Yu let out a stifled grunt! It seemed as though all the misfortune in the world had converged upon Su Yu at once. In the distance, Wen coughed up blood relentlessly. Su Yu was simply too powerful, making it extraordinarily difficult to affect him! Yet he had managed it. “Su Yu… everyone guessed you would come. Today, it seemed as though you launched an offensive, but in truth, everyone was merely waiting for you to walk into the trap!” Wen sighed again. “Among my bloodline descendants, the emergence of the three of you was truly breathtaking… Yet why must you be so stubborn, so mad?” King Wen and Wen Yu roared in furious outrage! Using bloodline ties to hinder Su Yu at this juncture was kicking a man while he was down. Wen could not influence King Wen or Wen Yu because the bloodline itself was not the deciding factor; the crux was that Su Yu’s fortune was disintegrating, making everything go wrong for him! Wen had become the final straw that broke the camel’s back! Su Yu’s face was pale. The Warden of Heaven continued to scream, and the Human Ancestor kept siphoning Su Yu’s fortune with a cold, detached gaze. Su Yu wanted them dead, and they wanted Su Yu dead just as badly. Su Yu was the core of this entire alliance! To kill Su Yu, they had schemed for a long time. Had Qiong left earlier, it would have been even better, as the Heavenly Gate would have joined the hunt against Su Yu. Although Qiong had stayed, it still fell within their contingencies; the plan had not been ruined. It was only that Su Yu had grown so much stronger than anticipated. Otherwise, a thirty-six-Dao Su Yu would likely have been slain already! Having absorbed vast amounts of fortune, Zhou’s fortune was now blazing like a rainbow. At that moment, Su Yu suddenly appeared to descend into frenzy. Filled with rage and despair, he roared, “Wen! I didn't care to waste time on you, yet you court death! A mere thirty-one Daos—did you truly think you could take me on?!” Su Yu’s vital energy erupted violently, and droplets of blood essence manifested! A few of those droplets radiated an aura remarkably similar to Wen’s! Su Yu roared savagely, “You think you're worthy of influencing me?! Take your damn bloodline back!” Boom! Those droplets of blood essence suddenly turned pitch-black. The black blood vanished in an instant, reversing along the exact path Wen had used to influence Su Yu, shooting straight toward Wen! Wen’s face tightened slightly! Yet in the next moment, his composure returned. “Su Yu, you still do not understand. Slaying you is for the greater good. Slaying me… will only ensure your demise arrives all the sooner!” The words had barely left his mouth when the wave of black blood struck! Boom! Wen’s physical body corroded and ruptured as he vomited blood continuously! How terrifying was Su Yu’s blood essence?! Wen was no transcendent expert, merely at thirty-one Daos. In the blink of an eye, his flesh and blood disintegrated! His bones snapped to pieces! Having expended his blood essence, Su Yu’s aura plummeted further, creating an opening that the Prison King seized instantly. One of her chains pierced straight through Su Yu’s shoulder blades, rattling fiercely as it locked his bones in place! Excruciating agony caused Su Yu to roar, yet his frenzy only deepened as his bloodline continued to surge. Boom! Another cataclysmic detonation occurred! Wen was blown completely to pieces! Blown to smithereens! The black blood surged along his Great Dao, instantly corroding and snapping it in two! The Human Ancestor and the Prison King were visibly shaken. This madman was truly ruthless! Trapped in a life-or-death pincer attack, he had disregarded his falling strength and accepted their lethal assault just to retaliate through his bloodline and obliterate Wen with absolute power! Indeed, a thirty-one-Dao cultivator using bloodline resonance to interfere with Su Yu would have been laughable under normal circumstances. Even now, had Su Yu prioritized survival, he would have had no room to strike back. Yet Su Yu had paid no heed to his own safety, enduring the combined assault of two experts just to execute Wen on the spot! Such sheer ruthlessness sent a chill through Zhou and his allies! Su Yu was far too vicious! A thirty-one-Dao cultivator was someone Su Yu could have killed at any time. Had he won today, he could have eliminated Wen later. If he lost, everything would be over anyway, making Wen's life or death inconsequential. Yet right at this critical moment, he had chosen to kill Wen regardless of the cost! This was something none of them had anticipated! Even Wen Yu and King Wen were shaken to the core! Su Yu was truly terrifying! At such a juncture, he had still chosen to strike back and slaughter Wen! As for people like Wen and Xing, their deaths meant nothing to King Wen. The Human Sovereign had said long ago that they belonged to different eras and walked different paths. People like Xing and Wen had followed the Heavenly Gate, and that allegiance was ingrained in their very bones! With that, among the leaders of the Eight Departments, Chen was long dead, his reviving essence now following Su Yu. Wen had been executed on the spot! Whether Xing was dead or sealed by the Human Sovereign, Su Yu had never asked, nor did he care. Zhou and Tian were fused as one, Ri and Yue were locked in battle with King Wu, and as for Ming, Su Yu had never seen him and paid him no mind. Having slain Wen, Su Yu was grievously wounded! By now, at least seventy percent of his fortune had been absorbed by Zhou. Zhou’s fortune burned like a rainbow, as if every circumstance were bending to his favor. His physical body resonated, showing signs of an impending breakthrough! Advancing naturally to thirty-seven Daos would still be manageable for Zhou; it would only make him stronger. However, skipping thirty-seven Daos to leap directly into thirty-eight Daos would be an overwhelming jump that could cause complications. Still, the likelihood of that was minuscule; nobody broke through to thirty-eight Daos out of thin air! Meanwhile, Su Yu, seemingly rabid, was actually cold and calculating to the extreme! His fortune had been siphoned away! Nonsense—if he hadn't deliberately brought out the Human Lord Seal and manifested the Warden of Heaven, Zhou might not have even thought of draining his fortune! Since Su Yu had brought it out, he had been waiting for Zhou to take the bait! Fortune like a rainbow! Everything going your way! Let me fan the flames a bit more, and things will go even smoother for you—so smooth that your strength will leap by a massive margin in an instant! Su Yu had learned this trick from the Nether Emperor. The Nether Emperor was one of the very few—or perhaps the only—individual who had escaped alive from a fatal siege laid by Su Yu! Among the myriad races, some might seem unimpressive now, yet their methods, ideas, and experiences were well worth learning from. If I can't beat you, or if beating you is too troublesome, then I'll empower you—drastically empower you—until you pass out from the overdose! The Human Ancestor… Ancestor of the Human Race! Or rather, the Human Ancestor of this era. His ability to drain Su Yu’s fortune meant he had never truly severed ties with the human race, unlike the Heavenly Gate, who had long since disconnected after the turn of an era! The Human Ancestor could have severed it, but in order to control the human race and manipulate the fortune of the Human Sovereign and Su Yu, he had chosen not to. Otherwise, he would never have been able to siphon their fortune! Their schemes against Su Yu had likely been laid long ago! Back then, the fortune of the Giant Race had been fused into Su Yu’s world by Zhou Ji’s own doing. Yet Su Yu had never placed much stock in fortune, splitting it multiple times. Otherwise, this drain would have brought him far worse catastrophe! The greater the fortune, the more terrifying the backlash! Had Su Yu never divided his fortune, this sudden backlash might have caused him to blow himself apart! Sometimes, such things were hardly blessings. With these thoughts running through his mind, Su Yu’s Great Dao rippled faintly. ... At the same time. Inside the Human Realm. Billions of humans had assembled. The Human Realm had long been completely sealed off by Su Yu and his allies. All thirty-six manor lords were present. Xia Huyou hovered high in the sky. At the center of the vast gathering of humans stood a statue bearing the exact likeness of the Human Ancestor. A faint glow began to emanate from the statue. Xia Huyou’s eyes narrowed, and he bellowed, “Clear your minds! Show your absolute piety!” Having fought wars for countless years, the human race possessed countless soldiers whose discipline was second to none. They closed their eyes, clearing their thoughts. Xia Huyou roared, “Everyone, recite with me in your hearts: Our gratitude to the Human Ancestor, who hacked through briars and thorns to help our human race reign supreme over the myriad realms!” Silent recitations echoed through the hearts of the multitude as streams of fortune and faith surged into the statue. Xia Huyou roared again: “In gratitude to the Human Ancestor, who opened the world and the era, who strengthened the human race and sacrificed for our people, earning the eternal veneration of humanity…” The crowd recited fervently. Vast rivers of fortune surged like majestic dragons, sweeping forward and plunging into the statue. In that instant, the statue seemed to come alive! Xia Huyou kept bellowing, waiting for the statue to establish a direct link with the Human Ancestor. ... Meanwhile. The Human Ancestor’s fortune grew stronger and stronger! Terrifyingly immense! It felt as though the fortune of the entire era was converging upon him. His aura began to fluctuate slightly, having drained over eighty percent of Su Yu’s fortune! Just as he was reveling in excitement, an overwhelming torrent of fortune suddenly descended like a gift from heaven! Not only that, it carried the collective will and faith of billions of living souls, rushing into him in an instant without giving him any chance to resist! This power of faith, of sentient beings, of fortune, poured into his body in the span of a breath! The prayers of billions of mortals detonated within his mind, countless voices resounding at once. “Gratitude to the Human Ancestor, venerated by all…” The Human Ancestor became momentarily dazed. These were billions of mortals chanting his deeds, praying for him, blessing him, believing in him, worshiping him! However… His thoughts fell into disarray. While his aura skyrocketed, his consciousness was battered into scattered chaos! Under normal circumstances, he would have been ecstatic! The benefits he had received were so colossal that once he regained his senses and digested the power, he could easily reach thirty-eight Daos, perhaps even pushing toward higher realms! However… he was currently in the middle of a life-and-death battle! His opponent was Su Yu, a powerhouse of thirty-nine Daos! At that moment, the Prison King noticed his abnormality, and her expression changed drastically! The Human Ancestor’s world was expanding rapidly. His fortune formed a colossal dragon, so immense that even Tian, the spirit of his world, seemed completely gorged! Tian’s eyes turned glazed and vacant! Zhou had his eyes closed, savoring the sensation. The feeling of universal worship and the intoxicating rush of explosive growth held him captive, making it impossible to break free in that split second! The Prison King’s face warped in horror! She snapped her gaze toward Su Yu, her earlier composure gone, and screamed, “Father!” “Wake up!” Falling into such a state at the height of a life-and-death clash was suicide! No matter how unfortunate Su Yu had been, he was still a pinnacle powerhouse of thirty-nine Daos! She charged frantically toward Su Yu, but having waited so long for this very opening, how could Su Yu give her the chance? He had been preparing his strike all along, and the Prison King was still some distance away, dragging her chains. Zhou, however, stood right before him! Su Yu sighed softly. “Fortune… is not omnipotent!” I’ve said it so many times, yet why does no one believe me? You siphoned so much fortune—enjoying yourself now? In that split second, Su Yu, who had appeared weakened moments earlier, unleashed his full, terrifying might. Thirty-nine Daos was thirty-nine Daos! Stronger than both of them! I could defeat you even if I were weaker, let alone when I am stronger! Zhou’s aura was swelling rapidly. A good thing; perhaps Su Yu could claim a thirty-eight-Dao world for himself! With a thunderous roar, the Human Lord Seal erupted, crashing down and obliterating Tian, who was still dazed from overfeeding, smashing the world spirit into dust! Boom! The world went into violent upheaval! Zhou’s eyes snapped open, filled with sudden horror and panic! Yet at that very instant, a magnificent chorus echoed through heaven and earth! “We beseech the Human Ancestor to descend!” It was the unified roar from the Human Realm! The Human Ancestor felt a tremendous pull dragging his power toward the Human Realm! He had risen by the human race, and now he would fall by the human race! At this critical juncture, the human race was collectively summoning him to descend into the Human Realm! What an absurd joke—there was no way he could descend right now! His power erupted into violent turbulence! A schism formed! His already fluctuating strength plummeted to an absolute nadir in an instant! Meanwhile, a long saber materialized in Su Yu’s grip. Coldly, he declared, “Let us send the Human Ancestor off to Heaven!” Boom! A single slash tore through heaven and earth, cleaved the firmament, and obliterated the surrounding space! The strike sliced the Human Ancestor clean in two! His world was instantly bifurcated. His sea of will emerged, howling in madness, only to have its life force snuffed out by the saber light! The aura of death swept through the void! Rumble! The world collapsed, the Great Daos shattered, and the projection of the Longevity Bamboo crumbled away! In practically the blink of an eye, the Human Ancestor and the Prison King, who had held the upper hand moments ago, saw the Human Ancestor’s world fall to ruin. With that single slash, Su Yu had executed the Human Ancestor on the spot! The body fell in two lifeless halves, stripped of every trace of vitality! As the world shattered and the Daos descended into chaos, the Human Lord Seal swept forward, engulfing the broken world and extinguishing the remnants of the sea of will! A spectral image of the Human Ancestor materialized, looking bewildered as he turned back toward the Human Realm. “Water can carry a boat, yet it can also overturn it!” A murmured lament slipped from his lips, laden with unspeakable helplessness and sorrow! He had risen by the human race, and he had fallen by the human race! At this moment… he, the Ancestor of the Human Race, had truly been undone and slain by those weak, mortal beings! “No!” The Prison King’s anguished shriek tore through the heavens! The other battlefields fell deathly silent for a fleeting moment. Zhou… had been slain! Beyond anyone’s expectations!