Gazing at the Starry Sky

Cang was dead! The fellow who had wished both to leave and to stay, who had schemed to seize control of the River of Time, had perished in the end after all. At this moment, Su Yu's aura reached its peak as he rapidly devoured the power of the entire river—seventy percent of the River's might. Thirty percent had remained under Hei Lin's control all along. Su Yu's strength surged instantly, jumping to forty-six Daos, then forty-seven Daos! Only upon reaching forty-seven Daos of power did Su Yu's advancement halt. Seventy percent of heaven and earth was now under his command! The Great Daos merged and intertwined with one another, forming a new, unified Dao. Yet he had only attained forty-seven Daos, failing to reach forty-nine or even fifty Daos, because thirty percent of the power of heaven and earth remained with Hei Lin! If he seized full control, Su Yu might reach forty-nine Daos of power. Meanwhile, Moyan had fused his two heavens into one, and his aura had reached approximately the same level, matching Su Yu's. At this moment, Moyan glared darkly at Su Yu. Su Yu also stared back at Moyan. Between them stood Hei Lin. A smile lingered in Hei Lin's eyes as he said softly, "Now this is interesting. If Su Yu had reached forty-seven Daos while Moyan fell short, how boring would that be? Moyan, it seems you have a worthy opponent!" Moyan fixed a freezing, sinister gaze on Hei Lin. "Hei Lin, Su Yu merging with the myriad realms was your idea, wasn't it?" Hei Lin! This fellow, who seemed utterly indifferent and currently possessed a strength of merely forty-five Daos, had been directing the entire battlefield all along, never allowing it to veer off course. Even up to this very moment, he had kept both sides evenly matched without letting any major discrepancy arise. Hei Lin, a fellow who appeared careless and carefree, possessed calculations running fathomlessly deep. What was he really after? At forty-five Daos, what could he possibly hope to achieve? At this moment, Su Yu steadied his breath and looked toward Hei Lin. Hei Lin offered a faint, cryptic smile. "Su Yu, aren't you anxious?" Su Yu frowned slightly. Anxious? Of course he was! Yet he said nothing. Hei Lin smiled and said, "Su Yu, you should know that with the myriad realms in nirvanic extinction, their origin sources are dissipating. If you don't revive the living beings of the myriad realms soon... their origin sources will fade completely away!" Su Yu remained silent, his brow knit tight. Looking toward Moyan, he knew that reviving them could only wait until Moyan was slain. Otherwise, reviving the living beings of the myriad realms right now would drain far too much of his power, leaving him unable to contend against Moyan! Hei Lin smiled faintly once more. "Why not give it a try? Su Yu, perhaps... you could extract my thirty percent of power?" Su Yu's expression shifted strangely. Looking at Hei Lin, he said coolly, "What do you want to do?" "What do you think?" Hei Lin smiled. The next instant, Moyan abruptly threw a punch. The void ignited with flames, and Hei Lin vanished on the spot, only to be struck out of concealment by another blow from Moyan. With a tremendous boom, Hei Lin coughed up a mouthful of blood—black blood saturated with dense world-ending might. Hei Lin continued his escape. Su Yu's expression changed. In a flash, he appeared and lunged toward Moyan with his sword! Hei Lin chuckled. "Su Yu, to kill Moyan and revive the myriad realms... your current strength isn't enough!" Su Yu slashed outward with his blade! At this moment, he had faintly guessed Hei Lin's intention. Sure enough, Hei Lin smiled and said, "Su Yu, you know that from start to finish, I've had only one goal... I don't want to be a prisoner... No one can let me go except you... Only you can!" Indeed, Su Yu could! At this moment, Su Yu understood his meaning completely, saying coldly, "I think... I understand!" "You should!" Hei Lin chuckled softly. "You inherited the Dao of Tribulation. Aside from me, you are the only cultivator who cultivates the Dao of Tribulation! And what the River of Time traps is actually the cultivator of the Dao of Tribulation! Of course, you were too weak, your Dao of Tribulation was far inferior to mine, and so the River only traps the strongest one..." Hei Lin drifted alongside the two, letting the shockwaves of their clash sweep across heaven and earth. Now, Hei Lin no longer concealed anything, speaking with a smile, "Su Yu, once your Dao of Tribulation becomes stronger than mine, I will be free to leave!" Su Yu remained silent. Hei Lin continued, "You extract my power of heaven and earth, absorb the power of tribulation, empower yourself, slay Moyan, and revive the myriad realms... all of that is your business. All I want is to leave this cage!" Moyan's expression shifted slightly, and he barked urgently, "Su Yu, don't be a fool! The Dao of Tribulation... The Dao of Tribulation possesses terrifying lethality, and the River's ultimate purpose is likely to forge a spirit weapon of immense slaughter, endowed with the seven emotions, six desires, and the unity of humanity and the Dao! "The moment you accept the Dao of Tribulation, you will become a trapped beast of the myriad realms! You will replace Hei Lin and become the spirit of these myriad realms! Once that happens, you will never have any hope of breaking free or leaving the myriad realms. For the rest of your life, you will be trapped here!" Moyan said urgently, "Su Yu, devouring power is entirely different from becoming a trapped spirit! Right now, you can abandon the myriad realms at will, devour the myriad realms, and do whatever you wish. But once you accept Hei Lin's thirty percent of the River's tribulation power... Su Yu, you will be a prisoner!" He was worried—terribly worried that Su Yu would accept. While unleashing furious attacks, Moyan roared, "If you and I fight, even if one falls, the other will become tremendously powerful. Whether one devours the River or devours the other, one remains free! But once you devour Hei Lin's power, you become a prisoner, a spirit refined by the myriad realms!" Boom! With a tremendous rumble, Su Yu was forced back several steps, his aura churning violently as he shattered the river beneath his feet. Moyan also retreated several paces, sword scars appearing along his arms. Hei Lin, hovering in the distance, said softly, "All I want is freedom. Is that too much to ask? "Su Yu, if you devour the remaining power of the River, your victory is assured. As for whether you can escape this River afterward, or simply resign yourself to serving as the River's spirit for the Lord of Time... that has nothing to do with me!" Hei Lin said calmly, "All I want is to leave this cage! Su Yu, why didn't I look for anyone else—not Cang, not Moyan, not Qiong, not Yin... why only you?" Su Yu looked at him with chilling sharpness. Hei Lin remained candid. "Not only because you are the sole inheritor of the Dao of Tribulation. Perhaps if I waited longer, another might appear, or if you died, the next inheritor would emerge! The reason I chose to help you was, on one hand, to save myself and leave this godforsaken place. On the other hand, it's because in your bones, Su Yu, you still care about the myriad realms, and you still honor your promises... "I have never harmed you!" Hei Lin spoke with utter calmness. "You've seen it yourself: I never harmed you! Even right now, if you are unwilling to accept the power of the Dao of Tribulation, you can refuse. The choice is yours! Since I haven't harmed you and have even helped you... then the freedom I ask for, I believe that if you accept, you will grant it to me!" He wanted Su Yu to inherit this Dao of Tribulation and this power of heaven and earth, allowing him to seize the opportunity to escape this domain. At this moment, the ancient Human Sovereign, whose will permeated heaven and earth, suddenly shouted, "Hei Lin, if he accepts your tribulation power, what will the consequences be?" "Consequences?" Hei Lin laughed. "I don't know. Most likely, he'll be like me, trapped within this River to serve as its spirit, washed day and night by the origin sources of the myriad realms' living beings. Su Yu will grow stronger and stronger... but whether he will still be able to live as himself, I cannot say!" Boom! Without a word, Su Yu moved like lightning, crashing into Moyan once more as heaven and earth shook violently! Hei Lin called out again, "Su Yu, if you keep fighting, the origin sources of the myriad realms will destabilize, and the living beings will inevitably perish! You claim to be a demon... but where is there any strict divide between demon and saint? "A single thought makes a demon; a single thought makes a saint! "Who is to say whether the other side of a demon isn't a saint? "You call others saints... but aren't you one as well, Su Yu?" Hei Lin's voice carried an eerie, echoing weight. "The lives of the myriad realms rest upon a single thought of yours! Whether you become a saint or a demon rests entirely upon your choice!" At this moment, Moyan's expression shifted repeatedly. An instant later, he abruptly roared, "Su Yu, I'll give you time to revive the living beings of the myriad realms!" "..." Hei Lin froze, momentarily dumbfounded. Moyan leaped back instantly, shouting, "Su Yu, I'll give you time to revive the living beings of the myriad realms! Once you finish their revival and your mind is clear, fight me to the death!" Moyan said coldly, "Whether we are humans or beasts, all of us strive to break our cages and pursue greater power! If we must become prisoners... what is the point of fighting? "Hei Lin..." Moyan looked toward Hei Lin with a sneer of mockery. "Hei Lin, you are not a true living being after all! Humans or beasts, we are all living creatures! If you had been continually washed by humanity, perhaps you would understand... but you were not. You think far too simply!" What did he take him for? Did he think Moyan had no choice but to hound Su Yu to his death right now? No! What harm was there in letting Su Yu revive the myriad realms? What could happen? Under such circumstances, would Su Yu still be willing to become a prisoner? As soon as those words were spoken, Su Yu was startled. Looking at Moyan, he had to admit that Moyan's choices had repeatedly exceeded his expectations. Of course, with this choice, Su Yu would most likely not accept Hei Lin's power, which meant Moyan still had a chance. Otherwise, if Su Yu accepted thirty percent of the River's power and reached forty-nine Daos, Moyan wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance! Hei Lin furrowed his brows slightly, murmuring, "Humans or beasts, don't they all pursue power? Even if... it means losing freedom! You, Moyan, stayed here for countless eras—wasn't it all to strengthen yourself?" Moyan replied coldly, "I sought strength, but that never meant I couldn't leave. I sought strength for freedom, not strength to become a prisoner! What do you know!" Su Yu looked at Moyan, who said chillingly, "I know what you're thinking. You're wondering whether I'll seize the opportunity to strike while you're weakened after reviving them..." Before Su Yu could speak, Moyan declared, "I will!" "..." At that moment, Su Yu suddenly laughed! Moyan laughed as well! "Why shouldn't I strike while you're down? Su Yu, at that point, you'll have more choices than you do now!" Moyan said indifferently, "Then, you can still gamble! Right now, your mind is in disarray, and you don't even have the chance to gamble! Why hand Hei Lin an advantage? Hei Lin is no good sort either. If he were a good person, he wouldn't have cooperated with me to weaken the River, releasing the devouring locusts to destroy those tributaries!" Su Yu took a deep breath and suddenly let out a low shout. A tremendous surge of power swept across heaven and earth! He would revive the living beings of the myriad realms first! Even if he ultimately lost and they died anyway, they would die because he fell in battle, not because he stood by and watched them perish! A saint? A demon? Who knew! At this moment, the voice of the Lord of Dead Spirits rang out between heaven and earth, laced with complexity: "You..." Reviving the living beings of the myriad realms right now would cost Su Yu immense energy. Drained so severely, his strength would plummet. How could he possibly contend against Moyan then? Unable to match Moyan, he would either have to accept Hei Lin's terms or be slain by Moyan, and the myriad realms would still be wiped out! If... if Su Yu were a bit more ruthless, ignoring the living beings of the myriad realms for now, he might win. After defeating Moyan, he could continue to seal Hei Lin, and devouring that seventy percent of power would be plenty! Yet Su Yu's voice was exceptionally calm. "It's nothing! I said I would revive them, and since I said it, I will definitely see it done! While I live, they can return to life. As for after I die... once my promise is kept, whether they live or die is none of my concern, nor could I control it!" "You, of all people..." The ancient Human Sovereign let out a sigh. Su Yu talked a harsh game, yet time and again, he compromised for the sake of the myriad realms and the human race. Back then, he had sworn he would never return to the human race, yet soon after, he became the Human Realm's Sovereign, leading humanity to battle across the heavens. When the Hundred Battles King returned, Su Yu believed the Hundred Battles King could lead humanity's rise, stating he would no longer concern himself with humanity. Yet before long, upon realizing the Hundred Battles King was not entirely committed to humanity's resurgence, Su Yu fought his way back to humanity once more! Every time, he declared that if the human race perished, so be it, it had nothing to do with him... Yet every time, he took on the shackles, repeatedly compromising with all sides for the sake of humanity! At this moment, the experts whose wills had not been extinguished felt overwhelmingly complicated. Su Yu was the very definition of a sharp tongue and a soft heart. It was the same every single time! Time and again, he made concessions and steps back for humanity, for people he did not even know. Perhaps... that was precisely why so many were willing to follow him and fight to the death at his side, because they all knew him and understood him. And those shackles had been placed upon him bit by bit by everyone else! Wan Tiansheng, Liu Wenyan, the Great Zhou King, the ancient Human Sovereign... These people had gradually placed the chains upon Su Yu. Yet at this moment, Su Yu said nothing. Shackles? He didn't know! All he knew was that when he told them to die, regardless of their complicated feelings or attachments, so many in the Human Realm had voluntarily embraced death. Treat me with an inch of respect, and I will repay you with a yard! I asked you to die, and you went, resolute and trusting without reservation. Then I, Su Yu... will not swallow my words. A gentleman's word is his bond! Su Yu did not consider himself a gentleman. He simply possessed his own principles of conduct, his own standards, and his own convictions. It had been so since he was a child! Whoever helps me, I help; whoever loves me, I love; whatever is given to me, I repay tenfold! Today, he had said he would revive those people, so he would not go back on his word. As for the exhaustion, as for death... what did it matter? At this moment, torrents of power swept across heaven and earth in all directions. Across the heavens and myriad realms, origin sources materialized one after another, countless powers of origin taking shape. The origin sources that were on the verge of collapsing stabilized one by one. At this moment, both Hei Lin and Moyan looked toward Su Yu. Hei Lin's gaze suddenly became profoundly complex. "Is this what it means to be human?" He had not expected Su Yu to make such a choice at this moment. He had so many options! He could ignore the myriad realms and battle Moyan; he would have an even chance of victory. He could directly devour the seventy percent of the River's power and fly far away. In truth, Moyan might not even dare pursue him, leaving the broken myriad realms behind without a second thought! He could also accept Hei Lin's power directly, become an expert of forty-nine Daos, and slay Moyan! Yet he chose none of those. At this moment, Su Yu still chose to cripple his own cultivation to revive the living beings of the myriad realms. Perhaps calling it crippling his cultivation was an exaggeration, but as his power bled away, his aura visibly began to decline. In the blink of an eye, he fell from forty-seven Daos down to forty-six Daos! Moyan's eyes gleamed slightly! A smile spread across Moyan's face as he let out a soft chuckle. "Ah, humans!" Su Yu, a fellow hailed as an unforgivable fiend, had ultimately made a decision that even Moyan could not fathom. Although he had agreed to give Su Yu time to revive the myriad realms' living beings, Moyan had never said he wouldn't kill him afterward! Right now, he held back and simply waited. The more Su Yu exhausted himself, the better! If Su Yu drained himself to the limit, then even if he integrated Hei Lin's power later, Moyan would have nothing to fear. At this moment, several experts whose wills remained unextinguished watched on. The ancient Human Sovereign looked at Su Yu, his thoughts swirling with deep complexity. Did Su Yu realize that if he lost, these people would still die, with no hope of survival? And at this moment, Su Yu had committed what he himself would call the stupidest act: before the enemy was dead, Su Yu had set down his slaughtering blade. Although he had not completely crippled his cultivation, weakening his own strength at this juncture was exceedingly unwise! "Su Yu..." the ancient Human Sovereign murmured. In everyone's eyes, Su Yu was the most ruthless and most feared sovereign the human race had ever known! He had slaughtered countless foes, mercurial and unpredictable; not only did the myriad races fear him, but the human race feared him as well. He was utterly cold-blooded, constantly stating that if humanity perished, so what? He claimed he detested the human race... Yet in the end, across the vast human race, how many humans had Su Yu truly killed? Aside from the Single Divine Character Faction of the past, and the Hundred Battles King's faction, how many had Su Yu executed? The Great Zhou King had deceived him again and again, yet Su Yu had never killed him. Now, Su Yu was playing the fool. Even the ancient Human Sovereign felt that perhaps he shouldn't save the myriad races' living beings right now—not out of cruelty, but because Su Yu needed that strength more than ever! Of course, if he didn't save them, continuing the battle would mean the Lord of Dead Spirits could no longer stabilize those origins, and the myriad races would likely face total extinction. The ancient Human Sovereign let out an almost imperceptible sigh. Good and evil? Saint and demon? Who could judge Su Yu? No one could! At this moment, Su Yu remained silent. One origin after another was manifested by him! ... The Human Realm. All things were extinct; heaven and earth lay dead. The world was shrouded in darkness. Countless humans—some with shattered physical bodies, some intact—lay across the vast land in vast swathes, like frost-bound relics of a forgotten age. At that very moment, a monstrous surge of power swept across heaven and earth. Vitality suddenly began to stir within the countless corpses. A moment later, a chubby figure materialized in the void. Xia Huyou. He was alive! Xia Huyou was dazed at first, but quickly regained his senses. Alive! Delight instantly broke across his face! A victory? Su Yu had won! "I'm alive!" At that moment, vast swathes of humans began to stir, returning to life! Like waking from a dream, cheers erupted into joyful shouts: "The human race is victorious! Long live Emperor Yu!" They had won! Without a victory, how could they have revived? Evidently, Su Yu had won! All living beings rejoiced! And that power of revival continued to sweep across heaven and earth, expanding beyond the Human Realm to cover the domains of the allied races. ... At this moment, the voice of the Lord of Dead Spirits echoed out: "Su Yu!" Enough! Reviving the human race was enough; stop wasting power! Yet Su Yu remained calm, continuing to stir the River of Time. Was it enough? Were the others to be ignored? The allied races ignored, and the Three Races ignored as well? Leaving aside the allies, the Three Races were still enemies. Yet... I gave my word! I promised Tiangu and the others that if they died, I would spare the Three Races. Just moments ago, I said that if you perish now, I will revive you shortly. Since I, Su Yu, promised... I will naturally see it through! As for whether they live or die afterward... that is beyond my concern! In the distance, Moyan laughed! He laughed brilliantly! Su Yu was truly intriguing. Reviving the human race wasn't enough for him; he had to revive the allied races, and even his enemies among the myriad races. "A gentleman's word?" Moyan chuckled softly with an indescribable tone. Could Su Yu... be considered a gentleman? Of course not! What kind of gentleman was he! Su Yu was riddled with flaws—Moyan knew that all too well. Yet this very individual, subject to mixed praise and blame, cursed secretly even by humans, proved stubbornly, absurdly, terrifyingly foolish at this moment! Su Yu... foolish? Even Moyan would never have associated that word with Su Yu, yet at this moment, he could not help but link the two together. Not far away, Hei Lin's gaze wavered as well. A faint glimmer of bewilderment appeared in his eyes—faint, yet present. At this moment, Hei Lin was curious, puzzled, and contemplating: was this what the human race called... a saint? How jarring! People had only ever called Su Yu a monster; no one had ever called him a saint. With a look of confusion, Hei Lin asked softly, "Su Yu, why?" In all these countless years, this was one of the rare moments he had felt true perplexity. Su Yu opened his eyes and looked at him. At this moment, he was exceptionally calm. Even as his aura continued to decline, he remained tranquil. "Why what? There aren't many whys. I, Su Yu, walk this world owing nothing to anyone! As for saints and demons, they are all a joke to me! My heart answers only to myself!" In my heart, there are only my own principles! All the shackles, all the responsibilities, all the burdens—only when I am willing to let you place them upon me can they be bound to me. If I am unwilling, no one can force me! Su Yu smiled. "I have lived for twenty-four years, soon to be twenty-five, and I have lost nothing! Everyone I owed, I have repaid; everyone who owed me, aside from Moyan whom I have yet to kill, has been slain! As for you, offering me some guidance was merely to escape the myriad realms... Thus, you and I merely used each other. We owe each other nothing!" I came into this world alone, and when I leave, I will leave alone. I will owe no one anything. After I die, let the heavens fall and the earth shatter—I, Su Yu, will owe nothing to anyone! Hei Lin grew pensive, then chuckled softly. "Hearing that... I suddenly feel you are remarkably untrammeled! Clearly you are a prisoner as well, so why... do I feel you live far more freely than I do?" Throughout Su Yu's short life, he had lived constantly in pain and battle. Yet why did it suddenly seem that Su Yu lived with supreme detachment? Outsiders thought him suffering, and he himself claimed he suffered... yet arriving at this moment, one suddenly realized that Su Yu's way of living was boundless ease—absolute freedom! Su Yu smiled without a word. At this moment, the power swept across toward the Three Races. ... Among the Three Races. Moduona was the first to revive, manifesting out of nothingness in an instant! His strength remained, his life remained, his origin remained—everything was unchanged. Behind him, cultivators of the myriad races began to recover one after another. Did we win? He looked toward the distance, gazing far into the horizon. He didn't know! Yet he sensed that... someone powerful was still alive. Was that... Moyan? Towering flames were faintly surging. Not victorious? At that moment, Moduona's expression changed slightly as realization dawned on him. He looked toward that distant battlefield once more, then looked around him. Cultivators were rapidly reviving, experts grinning with joy! Su Yu won? At this moment, even his enemies, even the experts of the Three Races, felt heartfelt joy upon believing Su Yu had triumphed. Because even as Su Yu's enemies, they understood one truth: if Su Yu said he wouldn't kill them, he wouldn't kill them. To have an enemy like Su Yu could, at times, bring peace of mind! If he wanted to kill you, you could never escape! If he promised to protect you, unless he died, he would protect you to the end! "Su Yu won..." "Peace at last!" "Thank goodness he was the one who won. If someone else had won, we'd be finished!" At this moment, behind Moduona, the cultivators who had hated Su Yu began to smile, their spirits brightening completely. Their hatred was for Su Yu's slaying of the myriad races' titans. Their hatred was for losing the war between the races to Su Yu! In their eyes, Su Yu was a true demon, yet even as a demon, all the realms knew that whatever he promised, he would fulfill! If not for that, even under the influence of the Human Sovereign's Dao, how could a single command have made the myriad races embrace nirvanic extinction? With countless living beings across the myriad realms, upon Su Yu's command, nearly all had perished, save for a scarce few who were unwilling. That was the prestige Su Yu had forged across the realms over these past years! ... Everyone believed Su Yu had won and peace had returned to the world! Yet a select few knew... he had not! At this moment, Su Yu waved his hand. The River veiled the sky, and the gates shut tight. The next instant, the myriad realms below vanished, covered as if by a thick blanket of clouds obscuring heaven and earth. Su Yu and the others hovered high above, suspended amidst the river of stars! Su Yu let out a soft laugh. "Let those fellows below enjoy themselves for a bit... lest they revive only to tremble in fear. Moyan, if you win... devour them in a single instant. Don't do it piecemeal; there's no need to manufacture terror!" Moyan laughed. "I will! Su Yu, just for the fact that you even revived the Three Races, if I win, I will grant you that much courtesy!" "Moyan, you actually have some bearing of an expert!" Su Yu laughed. "Do you mind if I revive a few more people?" Moyan smiled. "Not at all, not in the least! Do as you please!" "Much obliged!" Su Yu laughed. In an instant, Lan Tian and the others materialized, their auras restored to their original states. Before they could speak, Su Yu waved his hand, casting them down below! "Good disciple..." Bai Feng called out. Su Yu laughed. "So sentimental, it's sickening!" "..." Bai Feng stared at him, then roared at the top of his lungs, "Smash him, you can win! If you win, I'll give you every bit of savings I've hoarded over the years..." Su Yu smiled and waved his hand, vanishing Bai Feng and the others. A moment later, his father, Chen Hao, and the others appeared in sequence. Su Yu looked at his father. Su Long looked back at his son with complicated eyes. After a long while, he said bitterly, "I'll... go back and make a bowl of braised pork... and wait for you to come home and eat!" "Okay!" Su Yu nodded, waving his hand to send them tumbling through the gate down into the myriad realms! Expert after expert appeared, sent away by Su Yu one by one. A moment later, the ancient Human Sovereign and his companions emerged, though their strength had fallen significantly. The strongest among them, the Lord of Dead Spirits, was barely maintaining thirty-two Daos. Su Yu smiled. "You all are too strong; I won't restore you fully. If I restore you completely... I'll drop below forty-two Daos!" As the ancient Human Sovereign and the others appeared, King Wu gritted his teeth. "We can just fight!" "Fight or not, wait until I lose to talk about that!" Su Yu chuckled and waved his hand, sending everyone away. Xingyue's voice faintly drifted up: "Su Yu... you promised..." "I promised nothing!" Su Yu laughed. After another moment, even Qiong was forcefully materialized by him. Su Yu looked at Qiong, then glanced at Hei Lin, smiling. "Merge your power into me, and you can get lost too! You wanted freedom, right? Considering how you helped me merge the heavens and earth earlier, I'll grant your wish!" Hei Lin's expression was conflicted. "You're... letting me go?" Su Yu laughed. "Why wouldn't I? Get lost! If I win, I will naturally oversee the myriad realms. If I lose... then the myriad realms will be gone anyway! Brother Moyan, you don't mind if this fellow leaves, do you?" Moyan beamed, nodding. "Not at all. Hei Lin can leave whenever he likes. Since you're willing to let him go, I have no objections!" Su Yu smiled again. "If I merge with the Dao of Tribulation, will you be trapped as well if you devour me?" "No, I won't!" Moyan smiled. "You are merging; I am devouring. It's different! If you devour Hei Lin, it would also be different. You could just kill him and eat him directly..." "Forget it, I have no taste for eating this sort of spirit!" Su Yu reached out with his hand, and the battered Book of the River instantly flew before him. Su Yu looked at Hei Lin. "Well? Still refusing to yield it?" Hei Lin looked at him, and after a long time, let out a sigh. "I am not human; perhaps I truly don't understand you! Still... what I pursued was freedom. Perhaps even I don't understand why I pursued this freedom... Su Yu, I will leave this place. If I can escape this domain, I will remember you, and I will remember these myriad realms!" Power drained away bit by bit as the tribulation might was integrated into Su Yu's civilization chronicle. As Qiong was about to speak, Su Yu smiled and said, "You can leave as well, Qiong. Forging you a new sword body... isn't possible right now. If I live, I'll forge it for you; if I die, you won't be far behind anyway. There's no rush!" With a wave of his hand, Qiong tumbled downward. Qiong couldn't help shouting, "You're casting aside even your weapon?" "At my level, you're still too weak!" Su Yu, who had just dropped to forty-five Daos, absorbed that tribulation power and gradually climbed back to forty-six Daos. Moyan had wanted to strike, but ultimately held back! Attacking now would shake the River and prevent the power from unifying, potentially causing the River's might to scatter, ruining all his calculations! And this, evidently, was done deliberately by Su Yu! Rumble! With a tremendous roar, the Human Gate blanketed heaven and earth, and the opened rift sealed shut completely! At this moment, within the entire River, only three beings remained. Su Yu, Moyan, and Hei Lin. Hei Lin's aura steadily diminished until only thirty-six Daos of power remained. With the tribulation power largely extracted by Su Yu, Su Yu raised his hand, opening a rift in the void, and looked toward Hei Lin. Hei Lin looked back at Su Yu, cupped his hands, sighed, and stepped into the void! He could leave! To depart this cage... yet at this moment, an unexpected sense of loss washed over him. He looked down toward Su Yu. Would he ever see Su Yu again in this life? At this moment, even after absorbing his power, Su Yu had merely reached the peak of forty-six Daos, still inferior to Moyan. And Su Yu had sent everyone away, clearly intending to face Moyan alone. Victory went without saying. If he lost, the myriad realms would be gone as well. Yet even in victory, Su Yu... would become a prisoner, a captive of the River of Time. Was it worth it? Su Yu could have left, departing on his own, yet he chose not to. Hei Lin, already standing by the opened rift, suddenly said, "Su Yu, if you hadn't let me go, I wouldn't have been able to leave, even if your Dao of Tribulation became immensely powerful... Do you know why the Lord of Time chose me to become his new sword spirit?" "I don't know, nor do I care to!" Su Yu smiled. With a rumble, the rift began to close. "Get lost. Anyone or any spirit who doesn't want to stay has no need to linger. Hei Lin, while Moyan hasn't won yet, you can run a little farther!" Hei Lin looked down at Su Yu and cupped his hands once more. "I hate this place, but... I don't hate you. I hope... we will meet again!" Buzz! With a faint tremble, Hei Lin vanished into the rift, which closed completely. At that moment, within the dark chaos, Hei Lin looked down. The myriad realms had now turned into a portal, sealed by Su Yu so that none could enter or leave. Free! At this moment, Hei Lin felt it—he was free. Freedom had come so easily that Hei Lin zoned out for a moment. He had not expected Su Yu to let him go so easily. He had wagered Su Yu might release him, which was why he had offered pointers at the final hour and repeatedly intervened to block powerful foes for Su Yu. Yet he never imagined Su Yu would agree so readily, making his decision with such absolute resolve! "Su Yu..." Murmuring the name, Hei Lin took a deep breath. At this moment, he felt as though he had comprehended something, yet also nothing at all. Hei Lin looked toward the distance, into the depths of the chaos, then tore through the void and departed! Su Yu, I am leaving! I never want to return to this place, never want to see it again. I hope... to see you beyond the chaos, rather than Moyan! ... Above the River. Su Yu and Moyan faced each other. Su Yu suddenly chuckled. "Strange, where was a little fellow like you hiding just now?" "In the gate!" A childish voice sounded atop his head as a little white fur ball popped out. Before Su Yu could speak, it squeaked urgently, "I'm not leaving, don't teleport me! Fragrant one, I want to eat his fire... You always say how good Feiqiu is, but I'm not worse than Feiqiu!" Su Yu broke into a laugh. The little fur ball bounced on his head, clutching Su Yu's hair, and shouted eagerly, "Hit him, beat him to death! I'll cheer for you! Fragrant one, back when you went to the All-Heavens Battlefield, I helped you too... Just us, you and me..." Opposite them, Moyan laughed, and Su Yu laughed as well. Moyan chuckled softly. "Fascinating! Reaching this step is something I never anticipated. Su Yu, I never imagined that in the final moment, standing here, my last opponent would be you. I thought it might be Cang, Hei Lin, Xingyu, Yin, Ji Tian, or even the Lord of Time... but never did I imagine it would be you!" Su Yu smiled. "I never imagined it would be you either!" At this moment, Su Yu's myriad Daos converged. The River transformed into a longsword, and an instant later, the longsword turned into a saber. "A sword... isn't quite as handy. The saber is the courage of all weapons!" With saber in hand, Su Yu laughed. "Fur ball, if you're not leaving, then stay. Get inside, don't bounce around out here!" "Okay!" The fur ball cheered and vanished instantly! Two towering auras clashed, instantly rocking the entire expanse of heaven and earth! ... At this moment, within the myriad realms. Experts emerged one after another, all staring up at the sky. They could see nothing, save for that cloud-like portal veiling everything from sight! All around, joyous cheers rang out. Countless voices cried out, "Total victory!" "Long live!" They believed the war had ended. They believed Su Yu had won. Even Su Yu's enemies were cheering for him—what an irony. At this moment, the ancient Human Sovereign looked in all directions—looking at the crowd, at the myriad races, at humanity—and suddenly let out a sorrowful smile. "How... ironic!" A peaceful myriad realms! A cheering myriad realms! Su Yu, branded a fiend, stood like a savior at this very moment beyond the heavens, waging a bloody battle against the nemesis of the myriad realms! "That is why he is the Emperor of the Myriad Realms, while you... are merely the Human Sovereign!" A soft murmur sounded as the Lord of Dead Spirits stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the starry sky. Above the starry sky, there were no brilliant constellations or seas of clouds—only Su Yu, who had chosen in the final hour to fight Moyan alone. Boom! A rumble like thunder resonated as stars flashed above. Those were no stars, but the clash between Su Yu and Moyan. The Human Gate blocked every shockwave; in a place where none could see, the two were locked in combat.