Chapter 1719: Boundlessly Domineering (1)
An ancient great dao with a remnant will left on it had forcefully fused with a descendant of the remnant will, pushing that descendant into a ninth-degree Eternal. That was akin to reaching the heavens in a single bound.
Of course, not everyone was capable of removing the seal of Control King. Not even June could do it. It was likely that the white dog was the sole being in the Myriad Realms capable of doing so right now.
Even the so-called strongest expert in existence, the old turtle, might not be able to do it due to his lack of understanding of the various great daos. With a drop of blood essence from the white dog as the price, Su Yu had gained the support of an expert on the verge of becoming a Daofuse. This trip to the Iron Devourer Realm had been a lot more bountiful than imagined.
Su Yu was in a great mood. Yes, the blood essence could help him kill another Daofuse. But most Daofuses had grown incredibly wary of him. It was unlikely that they would even give him the opportunity to do so. Thus, the difficulty of killing another Daofuse had increased significantly.
He was much better off winning the loyalty of the iron devourers with that drop of blood essence.
After escaping his furious father, September flew over in excitement and said, "Human Lord, no, Emperor Yu, do you have more ways of helping someone advance directly like this?"
Su Yu beamed and said, "Yes. There might be two more daos like this in your Iron Devourer Realm." This update ıs available on NoveI~Fire.net
September was overjoyed to hear that.
Su Yu said, "But your first Pseudo Emperor might not be dead. Even if he's dead, too many people might be sharing this dao and there won't be a remnant will behind to help someone fuse with it. You can perhaps try killing all your people to monopolize the two remaining daos yourself."
Instantly, September shut his mouth.
Su Yu said, "You are loved by luck."
At this point, Su Yu had regained his calm. He said, "You have a brighter future than the Pseudo Emperor. Or to be precise, you are the person with the highest chance of becoming a Master of Law in the entire Myriad Realms currently. I call that the Great Dao Realm."
Beside them, June remained silent with a pensive look. Top experts of powerful races like him still knew a little about the laws.
Su Yu might be right. September could very well be the person currently closest to that level since he was enjoying the monopoly of an entire dao.
September was both surprised and nervous to hear that. He said, "Shall I..."
"Don't overthink it." Su Yu smiled and said, "Just cultivate hard and try to achieve Daofuse as soon as possible. For now, that will make you among the strongest in existence. You might not be a match for the older Daofuses, but you only need to be strong enough to keep even one of them busy. I might restart the war between the various realms soon."
Hearing that, September's expression turned solemn. But for some reason, he still looked silly and adorable with a solemn expression.
June said, "Emperor Yu, you mean..."
Su Yu said, "I am not the type to stay passive and wait for things to happen. When I gain enough strength, I will strike. The myriad races are waiting for the experts from the Upper Realm to descend. That's not my plan. No. I will kill my way up there instead."
June shook.
Su Yu said, "Yes, you're not hearing things. I won't wait for them to come. I'll go after them. If I have enough strength, I will lead a team into the Upper Realm. I reckon there are no experts at the level of the ancient human kings left up there. Am I right?"
"No. We haven't seen any for a few epochs."
June said, "There are many Daofuses up there, but even in the Upper Realm, Daofuses are among the ruling class. A lot of the experts up there are still Eternals and those born up there. Thus, many are probably below the Eternal Realm as well. There is no one beyond the Daofuse Realm up there."
Su Yu laughed and said, "In that case, why can't we go up? Why must we wait for them to descend?"
June inhaled deeply to calm himself and said, "It's too hard. To put things into perspective, each epochal war will be a period where numerous geniuses can rise rapidly. New Daofuses will emerge from almost every major race during that period. The various great daos will become extremely active, making it easier for new experts to emerge.
"Furthermore, there are some unrestricted daos in the Upper Realm. These daos will also make it easier for new experts to emerge. Due to the long accumulation over nine epochs, the number of Daofuses in the Upper Realm is probably comparable to the number of Daofuses during the ancient past."
"What's the rough number of Daofuses up there?"
June thought about it and said, "I'm unsure. But my race has three Daofuses up there. April, May, and Giant Bamboo Marquis. The marquis is our surviving expert from the ancient past while April and May are both experts from my line."
"Your father and grandpa?"
June shook his head and said, "May is my uncle. April is my granduncle. During the third epoch, May's son died in battle. I advanced into a Daofuse after that and became the new Pseudo Emperor."
Nevertheless, they were still from the same family.
Su Yu was quite surprised. What a powerful family. A single family had produced multiple Pseudo Emperors and Daofuses. The power of bloodlines was indeed something one shouldn't underestimate.
So there were three iron devourer Daofuses in the Upper Realm.
At that thought, Su Yu asked, "So there are still quite a lot of ancient past survivors around. But why do people say that no corpse from the ancient past has ever been found?"
"That's the truth."
June explained, "After the collapse of the ancient past, the death phenomena of many experts appeared. But not a single corpse was found. Some speculated that the death of a Master of Law might result in the collapse of the dao and the destruction of the body.
"Some claimed that these ancient experts had entered the Death Realm with their subordinates to hide from the final war of the ancient past. For various reasons, not a single corpse of the supposedly dead ancient experts has ever been found."
That was why it was widely claimed that ancient corpses did not exist.
From the popularity of the fake ancient corpse Su Yu had produced previously, he had misunderstood that Tiangu and the others were cut off from the Upper Realm. But that wasn't the case. Instead, the truth was simple. There were indeed no ancient corpses around.
Did they all enter the Death Realm? Or somewhere else? Now that Su Yu had learned more about the Myriad Realms, he had his own guesses as well. Most of the surviving ancient experts must have fused with daos where their original masters had died before the ancient past collapsed. Some of these ancient experts might still be alive, but they were simply fighting somewhere unknown. Some might have opened their own daos.
As for the experts who had died during the collapse of the ancient past, their daos might have collapsed. This was why none of their corpses had been left behind.
Death Realm.
Celestial River of Death.
The world was a lot more complicated than he had expected. But that also made things interesting. He smiled and said, "Pseudo Emperor, what is the difference between the Upper Realm and the Myriad Realms? The number of experts?"
June shook his head and said, "No. The Upper and Lower Realms have their own advantages and disadvantages. As for the Upper Realm, firstly, there is no need for one to enter deep slumber during the period between epochs. Secondly, that is a far easier place for one to comprehend the power of laws as the Upper Realm seems to be the origin of many laws. Thirdly, in many epochs, the wars in the Myriad Realms are a lot more intense than the wars in the Upper Realm. It is much easier for one to die down here. Fourthly, some masterless daos are still available in the Upper Realm."
He looked at September before looking at Su Yu again. "Perhaps those daos are similar to the dao earlier."
Su Yu nodded. In that case, there were indeed many advantages to staying in the Upper Realm.
But he was still feeling doubtful. He asked, "Why don't more people go up there, then? People like Tiangu and Heavenly Overseer Marquis could have ascended long ago, right?"
Why did they refuse to leave despite the many advantages? Tiangu had been ruling the Immortal Realm since the first epoch. Even his juniors had ascended to the Upper Realm, but not him
June smiled and said, "There are also advantages to staying down here. We can go up at any time, but those above can't come down freely. Those from the Upper Realm must leave at the end of each epoch if they don't want to be suppressed or killed by the laws. Some say that the Upper Realm is the origin of the various laws, but some also say that the Lower Realm is the origin of the various laws.
"After all, the many experts of the ancient past had risen in the Lower Realm. The Upper Realm is merely a realm opened after the rise of the various ancient experts. The Lower Realm is where one can truly advance to a higher realm. I have never heard of someone advancing beyond the Daofuse Realm in the Upper Realm..."
Advancement.
Su Yu sank into contemplation. Tiangu, the old turtle, and Heavenly Overseer Marquis were people who had nearly gained control over an entire dao. Perhaps there were no Masters of Law even in the Upper Realm.
It was likely that advancement was likelier in the Lower Realm, while it was far more unlikely in the Upper Realm.
June continued, "Additionally, there are numerous ancient ruins in the Lower Realm. The Luminous Domain Mansion, the other ancient human ruins, all of them are in the Lower Realm. The Upper Realm is too young. Most of the things available up there were actually migrated from the Lower Realm."
Su Yu nodded. That was true.
June added, "And finally, the Death Realm. The Lower Realm is connected to the Death Realm, but not the Upper Realm."
Su Yu frowned and asked, "You mean..."
"The Death Realm has collected quite a lot of dead Lower Realm experts, but not a single dead Upper Realm expert has been found in the Death Realm."
June explained, "In other words, one will not return after dying in the Upper Realm. But that's not the case for those in the Lower Realm. Some speculated that this is likely because the power of the Celestial River of Death only reaches the Lower Realm, but not the Upper Realm.
"A terrifyingly powerful individual is required to link the Celestial River of Death all the way to the Upper Realm for the dead of the Upper Realm to enter the Death Realm as well. Otherwise, they won't have a second chance upon dying. For people like us, we can still bet on the possibility of returning as a death spirit."
So that was why. Understanding dawned on Su Yu. No wonder he had never heard of any Upper Realm experts in the Death Realm. So that was why.
Su Yu did not stay in the Iron Devourer Realm for long. After a short conversation with June, he said, "Everyone, prepare for war. I will restart the war sooner or later. This war will engulf the entire Myriad Realms. And if we have enough strength after that war, I will fight my way up."
Su Yu looked up and said, "I want to see for myself. Just how high is this sky? Just how strong are those experts? Why can they be the ones to attack from above but not the other way around?"
He wanted to kill his way up. That was his plan. Since there were no experts at the level of ancient human kings up there, what was there for him to fear? June looked at Su Yu with his trademark silly expression, but he was greatly shocked inwardly.
This was the first ever human lord to have said something like this. Yes. Not a single human lord of the previous epochs had dared to attack the Upper Realm. In fact, such a thought never even crossed their mind. Instead, all of them were busy hoping that the Upper Realm would ignore them for as long as possible.
Even the Hundred Battle King, at his peak, had not planned to do so. Meanwhile, Su Yu was already talking about such a daring plan even before he was too strong.
"We will prepare," June answered.
Su Yu smiled, "Good. I shall gift your race ten carrier treasures. May your race produce more Eternals with these treasures."
"Thank you, Emperor Yu."
With a smile, Su Yu spoke again, his voice reaching the entire Iron Devourer Realm, "The iron devourer race shall be an eternal ally of the human race. I hereby promise that as long as the human race stands, the iron devourer race shall stand as well."
"The Emperor is wise!"
Cheers rang out throughout the realm.
After making that last declaration, Su Yu left.
With Su Yu gone, the silly expression on September's face vanished. He looked at June solemnly and said, "Sixth Ancestor, do we really...stand with the human until the end?"
June said, "The time has arrived for us to pick a side. Su Yu is too domineering. And he is also too talented. He is more domineering than Hundred Battle King. He is a lot more murderous. With his reign, even staying neutral might invite disaster. September, between Su Yu, Tiangu, Jiwu, and Mo Yue, who will you choose?"
Chapter 1720: Boundlessly Domineering (2)
September answered after a short contemplation, "Su Yu."
"Why?"
September said, "He's terrifying. And the human race was too powerful back then. Even now, they might still have some of their ancient accumulation remaining. The legacies of people like Culture King and Martial King have yet to appear. Su Yu seems to have inherited the legacy of Culture King. The legacy of Culture King alone is already comparable to the total human legacies that had appeared in the previous nine epochs. Also, Su Yu is a very suspicious person. He only trusts himself. If we don't give him our support now, he might come after us when he has the luxury to do so in the future."
June nodded. September continued, "Also, he has more trump cards. I saw what he did in the Luminous Domain Mansion with my own eyes."
September paused, inhaled deeply, and said, "That was an extremely terrifying existence. Just a remnant will. A face. And it easily destroyed dozens of Eternals. I'm worried about that. I don't even know if that is also a trump card left behind by the ancient humans."
June smiled and said, "Exactly. Therefore, I decided to fight. If humans win, good. If humans lose, well, there are still many major races left. Divines, devils, immortals, dragons, nethers...we can still pick one to support."
September said, "You mean..."
June nodded his large head with his trademark silly and innocent expression.
Even at the event of humanity's defeat, if the iron devourers remained strong enough, they could still make another choice. In the war between the myriad races, eliminating humanity was merely the first step.
After eliminating humanity, the various major races would scramble for power. At that time, the various surviving races could make a choice yet again. Supporting humanity now would grant them the chance to make a second choice when humanity was defeated. But going against humanity now would rob them of a second chance in the event of a human victory.
One choice and two choices.
It was clear which was better.
Of course, the premise for this to work was their survival even after humanity's defeat.
The two bears flashed each other a silly smile. At that moment, August walked over, slammed his bamboo down on September's head, and said regretfully, "Grandpa, am I not going to be the Pseudo Emperor anymore?"
It felt as though...he no longer had a chance. The Second Ancestor had picked his son over him. How regretful. He had been skipped over. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
June looked at him and said, "You...affirmed your dao too early. I sensed it. Initially, the Second Ancestor considered you. But you have already affirmed your dao. With you, there is a need to worry about the clash of daos. You're also stronger, so the tribulations for you would have been much stronger. The Second Ancestor's remnant will was probably aware that the tribulations might be too strong for you to handle."
Since September had yet to affirm his dao, his tribulations would be much weaker.
Meanwhile, August was already a seventh-degree Eternal. His tribulations might be strong enough to kill even Daofuses. The remnant will wasn't confident it could handle tribulations of such level.
August looked regretful to hear that. As for the rest of the perfectly identical iron devourers apart from their size, they all nodded pensively.
Fortunately, Su Yu wasn't around. Otherwise, he would have forced them to line up according to their size before nodding their heads. Currently, September had grown larger than August, ruining the balance. Someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder would most likely find this an uncomfortable scene to behold.
***
Su Yu had a rough idea of what the iron devourers were thinking.
He did not spend too much time there. His second stop was the Hou Realm.
The hous were the last to show their support toward humanity. He understood that they were still wary of this choice. They would have appeared much earlier otherwise.
Nope.
Instead, they had waited until the last moment before appearing. Su Yu was certain that even then, they still found that a difficult decision to make.
The Hou Pseudo Emperor was the son of Martial King's mount. And being a mount was not something to be proud of. The Hou Pseudo Emperor had not complained about that, but that did not mean that he was happy about that.
Furthermore, the Hou Pseudo Emperor was the sole hou to have participated in the recent battle. None of their Invincibles had participated. That made things clear. They had finally made a choice, but they were still unwilling to go all out with their support.
Their full support wouldn't be as easy to win.
***
Su Yu's thoughts were correct.
Hou Realm.
A dusky sky and a desolate landscape.
When Su Yu arrived, two experts emerged to welcome him. One was the hou he encountered outside the Clearbright Bird Realm previously, and the other was Skyeater, seventh on the Dao Affirmation Ranking.
The hou he had encountered outside the Clearbright Bird Realm was extremely powerful. He had treated the entire realm as his personal farm. That was also Skyeater's father. This wasn't a big race. In fact, their numbers were even lower than those of the iron devourers. The moment Su Yu stepped into their realm, he saw the desolate environment.
There, the hou sighed and said, "How surprising that you're now the human lord. Mayor Su, I did not expect you to grow this fast during our previous meeting."
"That day, when you answered Great Zhou King what you would do as king, I thought you would never return."
Su Yu laughed and said, "I'm surprised as well."
Skyeater, the smaller hou, said, "Mayor Su, there aren't a lot of us around. In this whole realm, there are fewer than a thousand of us. We were all very surprised when our Emperor joined the fight previously."
There was indeed too little of them around. With fewer than a thousand of them around, one could say that they were at risk of extinction. Thus, they were very surprised to see their Pseudo Emperor joining the battle.
Su Yu nodded and said, "I was surprised as well. At the time, I did not expect anyone else to appear. I was planning to have the book spirit and tea plant fight while dealing with a Daofuse personally. We should still be able to kill a Daofuse or two, but the result wouldn't have been as impressive without the Hou Pseudo Emperor's participation."
Without the Hou Pseudo Emperor around, Su Yu would still be able to kill the golden peng. But he would probably not have the chance to kill the Dragon Pseudo Emperor and Spirit Pseudo Emperor. He also probably would be able to get the Soldier King killed.
The Hou Pseudo Emperor had kept the Ape Pseudo Emperor occupied for the entire battle. The two hous felt rather uncomfortable hearing this from Su Yu.
He was talking about killing Daofuses like it was a walk in the park. The entire hou race had only one Daofuse. Thus, they were very wary of joining a major war like that. The death of their sole Pseudo Emperor would instantly cause their extinction.
Before long, they arrived before an ancient palace. The architectural style of the palace was rather wild, and it looked more like something carved out of a large piece of rock.
The moment Su Yu arrived, a voice rang out from inside, "Forgive me for not welcoming you personally, Human Lord. I am still recuperating from my injuries."
"Don't worry about it." Su Yu smiled and said, "It is no big deal. Earlier, the entire iron devourer race welcomed me. I was quite embarrassed, so I had to gift them ten carrier treasures and the Dragon Pseudo Emperor's tail to thank them. In public, I care a lot about appearances. But in truth, my heart was hurting when I gave them those gifts. I even helped September reach the ninth-degree Eternal Realm. I reckon he will achieve Daofuse in a few days or months. Sigh. My heart is bleeding."
"..."
Silence descended.
Nobody said anything.
After a while, Skyeater asked, "September...ninth-degree Eternal?"
He couldn't believe this. How was this possible? Was this nonsense? Did Su Yu remember things wrongly?
Su Yu smiled and said, "Yes. September is now a ninth-degree Eternal. Brother Skyeater, both of you are from the Dao Affirmation Ranking. You need to work hard. Of the people on the ranking, Principal Wan and Lan Tian are both walking their own daos. Heavencurse has been killed by me. Hollow has affirmed his dao. The rest will die sooner or later if they remain my enemies. Brother Skyeater, you need to affirm your dao as soon as possible."
Hearing those words, Skyeater had a surprised look on his face. But he said nothing.
A gigantic hou appeared outside the ancient palace. Looking at Su Yu with a surprised expression, he asked, "How did you do that, Human Lord?"
Su Yu explained with a smile, "The iron devourers have a sealed dao. I removed the dao and handed it to September. Through that dao, he instantly became a ninth-degree Eternal. I believe as a Daofuse, he will be stronger than the average Daofuse as long as he's not dumb."
Because he enjoyed the monopoly of an entire dao.
"A sealed dao..."
The Hou Pseudo Emperor stared at Su Yu for a long while before asking, "Human Lord, is there a sealed dao here as well?"
"I don't know." Su Yu said, "I have never killed a single hou before. And it's hard for me to know without killing some."
The Hou Pseudo Emperor stared at him silently, unamused.
Su Yu chuckled and said, "Don't misunderstand me. I don't hold any hostility toward the races friendly to me. But do you know what the myriad races fear most?"
The Hou Pseudo Emperor said, "Please enlighten me."
Su Yu grinned and said, "Someone who will go whichever way the wind blows. Today, they help you. Tomorrow, they will help me. The day after, they will help someone else. Everyone is wary of such people. It's better to be firm with whatever decision you make or you might easily invite the annoyance of both sides. Or you can learn from the fate race and remain neutral no matter what and save the trouble for when someone finally wins."
The Hou Pseudo Emperor was no fool. He understood what Su Yu was trying to say. He sighed and said, "You are right, Human Lord. I do not intend to play both sides. I wouldn't have participated in the previous battle otherwise."
Su Yu said, "But why do you look a lot colder toward me than before?"
The Hou Pseudo Emperor looked around and said, "Human Lord, please come in."
"Thank you."
Su Yu did not hesitate to step into the large palace. Inside his sea of willpower, his Dragon Pseudo Emperor blood essence was on standby. He was wary due to the cold attitude of the hou race. One could never be too careful.
The palace was rather empty. There wasn't even a seat. Su Yu did not mind. He pulled a chair out and sat down before looking at the Hou Pseudo Emperor.
The Hou Pseudo Emperor did not have a seat either. Staying in his original form, he stepped onto the platform before sitting down. Skyeater and his father sat down on both sides of the Pseudo Emperor.
After a short silence, the Hou Pseudo Emperor said, "I shouldn't have been so reluctant. Since I have joined the battle previously, I should have been more straightforward about my choice. But a Daofuse of my race in the Upper Realm might have died. Previously, we had two Daofuses up there. But not long ago, I sensed the great dao of my race shaking. One must have died. I don't know if that's related to my participation in the previous battle, but my support toward you is no longer as firm. I don't know if this is the right choice."
With both helplessness and pain in his eyes, he said, "We only have one Daofus left up there. If he dies as well...my race might cease to exist in the coming battle. Originally, I joined the battle thinking that my race would endure even if everyone down here dies. After all, we still have some people up there. But things have changed..."
Understanding dawned on Su Yu.
So that was why.
No wonder the Hou Pseudo Emperor looked so bleak this time. Previously, he had two Daofuses to entrust his race to. But now, one had died. He didn't know if that was related to his choice. Thus, he wavered.
Su Yu thought about it and asked, "What do you have in mind now, Hou Pseudo Emperor?"
The Hou Pseudo Emperor said, "I don't intend to renege on my word. I already fought once. There is no return from that. But I hope that I'm the only hou fighting in your war. The others should hide somewhere instead. If you can provide a safe shelter for us, I will keep fighting for the human race."
"No, not the human race." Su Yu said, "If you fight, you fight for me alone. I hope you understand what I'm saying."
The Hou Pseudo Emperor's eyes flickered as he said, "I understand. I am willing to fight for Emperor Yu."
The premise of that was the safety of his race. Su Yu sank into thought. A safe shelter? What could serve as this safe shelter? The Culture King's Residence or Luminous Domain Mansion?
"I have a safe place, but I still can't take anyone in there yet. Also, that isn't a place I want too many people to enter. You can pick three to five hous to act as the seeds of your race. But make sure they can behave themselves when they are there. I can understand your desire to protect your race. But gaining strength through the participation of one or two hous is quite unrealistic. What do you think?"
The Hou Pseudo Emperor nodded and said, "Yes, I'm asking for too much. But I have witnessed the extinction of too many races. Over a hundred ancient races have perished while fighting for humanity during the past nine epochs. Meanwhile, the human race is still around. I...am worried."
Chapter 1721: Boundlessly Domineering (3)
Su Yu said, "I can't make any promises for the human race as a whole, but I can promise that your race will stand as long as I stand. As for the matters after my death, well, there's nothing I can do about them. The Iron Devourer Pseudo Emperor said that all the past human lords had been biased toward the human race. Thus, their myriad race allies would always suffer heavy casualties. Comparatively, I am fairer. Do you agree with that?"
The Hou Pseudo Emperor thought about it and nodded, "He might be right."
Su Yu said, "Therefore, be at ease if you trust me. If not, you are allowed to end the alliance right now. But allow me to remind you that it might already be too late for that. This is not a threat. You know full well yourself that you have offended many of the major races with your previous action."
"Yes." The Hou Pseudo Emperor sighed and said, "Since you managed to help the iron devourers produce a new Daofuse, does my race have the honor of receiving the same benefit? If that's possible, I'll be a lot more at ease with my support. With two additional Daofuses, I don't have to worry that much about the fate of my race anymore."
Su Yu sank into thought. After a long while, he looked at Skyeater and smiled, "That's not impossible, even if your race doesn't have a sealed dao."
He took an item out and asked, "Do you recognize this item, Hou Pseudo Emperor?"
The look in the Hou Pseudo Emperor's eyes changed. After a long while, he said, "The legendary...Heavenearth Inkstone?"
Su Yu said, "Yes."
Seemingly having sensed something, the Hou Pseudo Emperor asked, "Refined from...the remains of the ancient heavenly desolate beast...there are records about this among my race. Culture King's Heavenearth Inkstone might...be an invaluable treasure."
He looked at Su Yu with hesitation. He even had the urge to snatch the inkstone from Su Yu. That was how valuable it was.
Su Yu nodded, "Yes. This isn't a gift. I'm just saying that the dao within this inkstone might have a high compatibility with your race. If you have a suitable genius, such as Skyeater, when I, or someone else, gains control over this dao, Skyeater will be allowed to achieve Daofuse through this dao." "Of course, his talent will still be very important. If he's more compatible with the dao than me or the person I find to control this dao, he will be able to monopolize this dao. I doubt the dao of an ancient scaled beast will be suitable for a human."
"A great dao..." The Hou Pseudo Emperor's eyes lit up as he asked, "Does this thing really contain the power of a great dao?"
Su Yu nodded, "Of course. It was stored inside by Culture King. I received it from an expert under Culture King. That was the same expert who had given me his blood essence previously. Do you know him?"
Hou Pseudo Emperor's heart shook.
"Emperor Yu...are you saying that...the owner of that blood essence is still alive?"
Su Yu said in astonishment, "Of course. Why not?"
The Hou Pseudo Emperor was greatly shocked. He said, "I...I thought..."
He thought that the owner of that blood essence was already dead. He was not alone. Many believed the same.
Su Yu chuckled and said, "He's still alive. The book spirit and tea plant were sent by him to assist me. I wouldn't have been able to gain the support of two natural spirits so easily otherwise."
The Hou Pseudo Emperor inhaled deeply and said, "That being...is very strong. I was able to sense the powerful suppression and pressure when you killed the Dragon Pseudo Emperor. And that was only the power of his blood essence. If he's fighting personally...Emperor Yu...why didn't he fight personally?"
Su Yu said, "He doesn't wish to leave Culture King's former residence. There are too many things to protect there."
Su Yu laughed and added, "But he will leave when he's really needed. For the previous battle, the book spirit and tea plant were enough. Even if the two weren't enough, there were more spirits in there to help..."
"More?" The Hou Pseudo Emperor asked with shock, "There are more such experts in there?"
"Yes." Su Yu said, "I didn't go too deeply into that place, but I know that there is an ancient tree spirit there as well. I don't know its strength, but it was planted in Culture King's courtyard. I suppose that's only a regular spirit."
"..."
Would a regular spirit in Culture King's courtyard be a weakling? Not at all!
The Hou Pseudo Emperor asked, "Emperor Yu...did you receive...this Heavenearth Inkstone from...that supreme expert?"
"Yes!" Su Yu said, "He wanted me to either comprehend this inkstone myself or find a successor for it. But I have too many of such things. I'm too busy to comprehend this inkstone myself."
Su Yu grinned and said, "I am comprehending quite a lot of great daos. I have a lot of similar inheritances on me. A single non-human dao like this is honestly not something I care too much about."
"..."
Yes. He was bragging.
And the Hou Pseudo Emperor felt like hitting someone upon hearing those words. The urge to rob the inkstone grew stronger and stronger. But he didn't dare. Even if he was a Daofuse and Su Yu was only a Sunmoon.
Su Yu said, "Pseudo Emperor, I can't guarantee a new Daofuse for your race. But if Skyeater is really compatible with this dao, I can give him a push. I can even help him affirm his dao without being bothered by any heavenly tribulation. Is this promise enough for you?"
After a short silence, the Hou Pseudo Emperor nodded, "I am willing to fight for you."
"No." Su Yu countered, "I need at least half the Eternals of the hou race to be on standby."
It did not take the Hou Pseudo Emperor long to reach a decision. "That is acceptable."
Su Yu smiled, "Thank you."
The Hou Pseudo Emperor exhaled and said, "I'm doing what's right. What about Skyeater?"
"That will need to wait until I become a Daomeld." Su Yu explained, "Before I become a Daomeld, I can't take any outsiders into the place I have in mind. I also need to become a Daomeld to deepen my understanding of the laws to help Skyeater with this new dao."
The Hou Pseudo Emperor nodded and said, "You sure trust us a lot. I was really tempted to rob the inkstone from you..."
Su Yu laughed, "That's normal. But a smart person always knows the right thing to do. Since I dare to show it, I naturally have something I can rely upon. Consider that a test. It's fine to be greedy, but it's scary to not have the ability befitting of one's greed and lose judgment in the face of greed. I won't work with a fool like that, even if that fool is a Daofuse."
Su Yu said, "Of course, I am willing to tolerate obedient fools. But disobedient fools deserve death. Such teammates must not be allowed to exist as they will cause more trouble than help.
"I am willing to be honest here. I understand your hesitation and worry. If you're unwilling to keep working with me, I am willing to end our alliance in a genial manner. But I won't tolerate a supposed ally dragging me down. In that case, I won't hesitate to kill even an ally of mine."
The Hou Pseudo Emperor gave Su Yu a deep gaze. After a long while, he nodded, "I understand. This won't happen with my race. Emperor Yu, have you visited he spatial beasts and primordial giants yet?"
"Nope."
After a short contemplation, the Hou Pseudo Emperor said, "You can visit the spatial beasts. As for the primordial giants, I suggest you think more about it. I am actually quite doubtful of their choice. Why did they participate in the previous battle? Visiting them now might not bring you the result you want. Why don't you wait until you're done with dao affirmation and September is a Daofuse? At the time, all of us might be able to accompany you as well."
With a pensive look, Su Yu asked, "Are you saying that...they might not be an ally even if they have helped us once?"
"Yes. All of us sensed it. The Primordial Giant King had been holding back in his battle with the Phoenix Pseudo Emperor. In my battle, I managed to greatly injure the Ape Pseudo Emperor. But both him and the Phoenix Pseudo Emperor had survived the battle completely unscathed. As for that spatial beast, he is weaker than Jiwu. Thus, he did well just keeping Jiwu busy. As for the Primordial Giant King, he is stronger than the Phoenix Pseudo Emperor yet their battle told an entirely different story."
Su Yu nodded, "I understand. Great Zhou King was the one who had contacted them before. I'll ask more at a later date, but not now. Great Zhou King is the first human Daofuse. Before I grow stronger than him, I won't do anything. Please be assured. I'm not stupid enough to trigger an internal war. I only don't want to become anyone's puppet. I want to control everything myself."
"I'm glad to hear that."
The Hou Pseudo Emperor exhaled in relief. He was quite worried that a conflict would arise between Su Yu and Great Zhou King. That wouldn't be a good thing for human allies like them.
"In that case, I'll be visiting the spatial beasts now. Pseudo Emperor, you may start preparing for battle now. I'll be calling for your help soon."
"Don't worry." Su Yu smiled and tossed a carrier treasure out. "I have some treasures here. You are free to split them among your people. Consider this my show of gratitude for your previous help. I'll visit again when I have the time."
Then, Su Yu vanished with a flicker.
After Su Yu left, the Hou Pseudo Emperor checked the storage ring and found that there were ten carrier treasures inside.
He tossed it at Skyeater and said, "Split it among the Sunmoons."
He looked at Skyeater and continued, "As for you, don't be in a rush to affirm your dao. Wait for a better opportunity. How surprising. September is actually near Daofuse..."
He sighed and said, "This Emperor Yu is a lot more domineering than expected. But he's also a lot more generous. However, he's very strict as well. Skyeater, kill Gudang and deliver his corpse back to the immortals. Tell them that...we won't change our mind."
"Yes!"
Skyeater vanished.
Not long after Su Yu left, a massive battle erupted near the Hou Realm.
One of the combatants was Skyeater, previously ranked seventh on the Dao Affirmation Ranking. The other was Gudang, an immortal previously ranked eighth on the Dao Affirmation Ranking.
An intense battle erupted between the two.
The battle ended shortly after. With injuries all over his body, Skyeater crawled out of a tear in space with Gudang's damaged corpse in his mouth. He shot toward the Immortal Realm and tossed the corpse over. Then, his voice rang out, "Skyeater of the hou race has killed Gudang. Be informed that the hou race is firm in our choice. Immortals, any envoy you send after this will be killed as well."
Right after saying that, Skyeater fled. Shortly after, a furious roar rang out from the Immortal Realm.
Before the owner of the furious voice could leave the Immortal Realm, Su Yu's voice rang out, "All below the Eternal Realm are free to fight out here. Anyone at the Eternal Realm and above will be killed the moment they step into the Allheaven Battlefield. If you disagree with my policy, you are free to start another war with us."
His voice spread everywhere.
He continued overbearingly, "I hope everyone will abide by this order. Tiangu, Jiwu, and Mo Ji. Keep a close eye on your people. You are free to come after me when you're ready. I'm here. If you wish to go against my order, you'd better be ready to start another war between Daofuses."
Silence engulfed the world.
The various minor races trembled in fear.
Su Yu of the human race. He was growing more and more domineering.
He was actually forcing all Eternals to stay inside their realms, including the major races.
Nobody answered.
However, the furious immortal answered with his action. He did not step out of his realm.
Were they ready to kill Su Yu?
Nope.
As such, they could only swallow this anger.
***
Immortal Realm.
Tiangu shut his eyes and remained silent.
***
Devil Realm.
Mo Ji pretended like he heard nothing. When his son, the Devil Pseudo Emperor, frowned, he said, "Let him be for now. He enjoys an advantage in the number of Daofuses down here for now. It won't benefit us to do anything right now."
Mo Yue nodded, "I understand."
***
Divine Realm.
The Divine Pseudo Emperor chuckled and said, "What a domineering fellow. So be it. All Eternals are to remain inside the realm. It's not worth dying to him right now. We wait."
"Yes!"
The various divine Invincibles answered in unison. Some were indignant. Some were relieved. They reacted differently. As for Jiwu, the Divine Pseudo Emperor, he looked up at the sky silently. That wasn't a fellow they should provoke right now.
***
"Human Lord. You are overbearing indeed."
Outside the Spatial Beast Realm, the Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor sighed and said, "Welcome. We are honored by your presence here, Human Lord."
Su Yu smiled, "It is only natural that I visit this place. I am here to thank Hollow for having acted as my scapegoat for so long." Latest content publıshed on N0veI.Fiɾe.net
Behind the Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor, Hollow stepped out in his humanoid form, followed by Yellow Nine. Yellow Nine was staring at Su Yu curiously. As of this moment, Su Yu looked incomparably carefree and domineering.
At his age, he had silenced the various Invincibles and Pseudo Emperors with mere words. He was too remarkable. He was too outstanding. Anyone would feel inferior standing before him.
The Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor said, "It's...almost as though I'm looking at Culture King himself..."
Su Yu asked, "Have you seen Culture King before, Senior?"
"I am very old. So yes, I saw him once from afar." The Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor said, "Culture King is akin to a sun. A moon. While the rest of us are akin to candles. We are nothing before him."
Su Yu chuckled and said, "Be more confident. Our predecessors might be powerful, but those in the future can only grow stronger. Unfortunately, the current world forbids us from going further. No matter. Just shatter the world and we will naturally go further."
"Too hard." The Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor said, "It's really too hard."
Su Yu asked, "Do you think I won't be able to do it?"
Before the Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor could say anything, Su Yu continued, "Just watch. I only hope that you won't make your choice in a rush. The Upper Realm is still separated from our world. Making the wrong choice now can easily lose you everything."
The Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor asked, "Who leads the current humanity? You or Great Zhou King?"
"Me." Su Yu answered, "Only one voice is allowed among humanity."
"I understand." The Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor said, "Allow me to ask one more question. Hundred Battle King might not be dead. What if he returns? Who shall lead then?"
"Me." Su Yu replied indifferently, "His status does not matter. I will continue doing well away from humanity. The same can't be said for him."
"I see." The Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor said, "As long as humanity remains united and you remain in power, the spatial beasts will stand by your side."
Su Yu smiled and tossed a storage ring over. "Thank you. This is your share of the spoils from the previous battle. I won't say more. You will see for yourself in the future."
"I'll be looking forward to it. I believe that will be a shocking day."
Su Yu smiled, "Definitely."
Then, Su Yu vanished. He had not bothered to enter the Spatial Beast Realm.
When Su Yu left, Hollow inhaled deeply and asked, "Ancestor, he..."
The Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor said, "There's no need to say too much. We will see what happens in the future. As for Great Zhou King, he is only a Daofuse. That might not be as important as you think."
"I understand."
Hollow looked at Yellow Nine and asked, "Do you want to return to the Liu Family?"
Yellow Nine shook her head and said, "I'll stay here. Liu Family...they are strangers to me."
Hollow nodded, "In that case, just stay here. Also, stop looking. Su Yu is too monstrous. Someone like him is destined for a life of conflict. He is not someone to be conquered so easily."
Hollow sighed and said, "Only an extremely outstanding woman can hope to conquer his heart. Unfortunately, even among the heroines of the various epochs, there aren't many that are truly capable of conquering the heart of someone like Su Yu."
Hearing that, the Spatial Beast Pseudo Emperor laughed and said, "You are too ignorant. During the ancient past, women stood side by side with men. The women of the ancient past were monstrously powerful as well."
Chapter 1722: I Rule The Living And The Dead (1)
Su Yu was done visiting the spatial beasts, hous, and iron devourers. He did not intend to visit the soul devourers again so soon. As for the primordial giants, he did not bother to visit them either. Since the situation involving them was a lot more complicated, he did not intend to visit before he was strong enough.
He might be brave, but bravery would work better when it was backed by actual strength. The primordial giant race was a powerful race as well. Apart from its king, a Daofuse, it also had more than ten Invincibles. Even Su Yu would find it hard to escape the Primordial Giant Realm once he was trapped inside.
His focus was now on the Luminous Domain Mansion. That was what he should be focusing on right now. To fulfill his dream of attacking the Upper Realm, he had to strengthen himself and his companions, including Heavendoom and the others.
Pacifying the Death Realm was the best way of freeing Heavendoom and the others before replacing them with some weaker Invincibles. These guardians could then attempt to achieve Daofuse.
If he could help Heavendoom and the others achieve Daofuse, they would form an extremely powerful fighting force. That would instantly gain him thirty-six super experts.
***
Grand Dream City.
The city was as empty as ever.
The only difference was the addition of an innocent demonic beast. The same demonic beast was still cultivating in front of the city. It did not dare to enter the city, but it would cultivate in front of the city anytime the city was around.
Su Yu's arrival alarmed the young demonic beast. That was a super expert!
Su Yu glanced at the young demonic beast and smiled. This was his second time seeing this demonic beast. Thus, he tossed a chunk of dragon flesh over. Then, he stepped into the city.
The young demonic beast was fearful, but it couldn't suppress its curiosity. Carefully, it swam toward the chunk of flesh. At the moment, that chunk of flesh was emitting the aura of a powerful expert, and its fragrance was spreading everywhere.
When the young demonic beast approached the chunk of flesh, its entire body started hurting. The power emitted by the chunk of flesh was a tad bit too strong.
Inside the city, the old turtle laughed and said, "Don't randomly toss Eternal flesh around. This is nothing for you, but it's powerful enough to kill the tiny demonic beast."
Su Yu said, "It's not that bad. Also, this is a good opportunity for the little fellow to learn how to avoid a crisis. I don't pity anyone stupid enough to be killed by their greed."
"How cold-blooded."
Su Yu laughed and said, "You misunderstand me, Lord. This is my second meeting with it. Since fate has allowed us to meet twice, I naturally have to grant it something. How is this being cold-blooded?"
The old turtle chuckled and said nothing else. In the rear court of the mayor's residence, a tea table appeared.
The old turtle said, "I can already smell the fragrance of a good tea."
"You have a good nose, Lord."
Several tea leaves floated out of Su Yu before landing inside the transparent cups in front of the old turtle. With a wave of the old turtle's hand, drop after drop of water essence appeared before dropping into the cups.
A refreshing fragrance started spreading.
The old turtle sniffed the tea and said, "Excellent flavor. I can smell the power of dao in this tea. Are these the tea leaves from that tea spirit? I am truly honored. Not everyone can have the opportunity to taste the tea leaves from a Daofuse tea spirit. I reckon an experience like this is rare for even Great Dao experts."
That was true. The tea plant's tea leaves were not something just anyone could enjoy.
Su Yu sat down opposite the old turtle and said, "You jest, Lord. The tea plant is kind. She gave me a few tea leaves as a gift. Since you love tea so much, I decided to come here with some."
"You..." The old turtle said, "You are already the human lord. In the ancient past, you would be the Human Emperor. There is no need for you to address me as lord anymore."
"You jest, Lord." Su Yu said, "The wise are always worthy of respect. I am only where I am today because of the holy cities. Without being the leader of the holy cities, the human race would never have picked me as the leader."
The old turtle laughed and said, "You would have still risen in power without us. It's only a matter of time."
"That's what you say, but you never know."
Su Yu sat down and waited for the tea to finish brewing. When the old turtle was done, he lifted the cup and took a sip. After a short pause, he smiled and said, "A good tea will always remain a good tea even after drinking it many times."
The old turtle took a sip as well. After a short pause, he sighed.
"What is it, Lord?"
"This is a good tea. Unfortunately, no tea will taste good anymore after this. Not even Heavenly Overseer Marquis' Profound Heaven Tea can compare."
Su Yu asked, "Previously, you mentioned that the Profound Heaven Tea came from the eighth level. Is that the case?"
"Yes."
Su Yu continued, "Lord, is the guard on the eighth level a living being or a manifestation of law?"
"What difference does it make?" The old turtle asked, "What do you think?"
Su Yu thought about it and said, "That might be...the Gatewatcher Marquis?"
"..."
The old turtle chuckled and said, "Why are you naming people randomly? There was no such title in the ancient past. If I'm not wrong, the person guarding the gate is the Heavenbridge Marquis."
"So that's really a living being?"
"Not really." The old turtle explained, "The eighth level leads to the Myriad Race Assembly. In the ancient past, there was a gate there. The gate was known as the Heavenbridge Gate. If someone is really still on the eighth level, it can only be the spirit of that gate. The Heavenbridge Gate. The Heavenbridge Marquis affirmed his dao during the ancient past before achieving Daofuse. Eventually, he was appointed a marquis. He is the only person who can remain in the mansion until now, guarding the gate to the ninth level."
The old turtle had never mentioned this before. Clearly, he had changed his mind alongside Su Yu's change of status. After all, some information would be pointless before one was strong enough.
Su Yu asked, "Lord, are there any other living beings on the eighth level?"
"Nobody knows." The old turtle asked, "Are you thinking of entering the Luminous Domain Mansion again?"
"Yes." Su Yu said, "If possible, I hope you can come with me as well."
"Not me." The old turtle shook his head and said, "The East Heavenly King might cause trouble when I'm gone. But you can take Heavendoom and a few others with you. I can help suppress their tunnels in the meantime."
Su Yu nodded and said, "Lord, if I find a few Eternals to suppress these tunnels on their behalf, will it work?"
"They need to be at least high-degree Eternals." The old turtle said, "Anyone weaker will have an extremely hard time completing this task. Also, the petrification method is lost. That was Devote King's method, and nobody below the Great Dao Realm can use it. Back then, the guardians could use the petrification method to withstand the death qi. Without such a method, any replacement you find won't last for more than thirty or perhaps fifty years."
Su Yu nodded and asked, "What if we pacify the Death Realm?"
"Impossible!" The old turtle shook his head and said, "That is an impossible task. Even if you kill all thirty-six of the death sovereigns down there, the power of laws will transfer new death sovereigns over."
Su Yu asked again, "What if we suppress them? Suppress all thirty-six death sovereigns instead of killing them. The laws won't be able to replace them that way, right?"
The old turtle sank into thought.
Su Yu added, "I need the various lords to leave seclusion and help me. I need them to be at their full strength."
The stone statues still couldn't fight at their full strength right now.
The old turtle said, "That won't be easy. Without the ancient cities, the tunnels will be even harder to suppress. For now, Heavendoom and the others are still strong enough to suppress the tunnels. But without their weapons, nobody below the ninth-degree Eternal Realm stands a chance."
Su Yu gave it some thought and said, "Lord, I believe we need to do something about the Death Realm. We can't keep them stuck with the tunnels forever. It has been a hundred thousand years. How much longer can they stand this?"
Su Yu said, "I refuse to believe that there are endless death sovereigns down there. We can try suppressing the thirty-six death sovereigns first. If that doesn't work, we kill. When the laws transfer new sovereigns over, we continue killing. We kill until there is no sovereign left. If not even that works, we build our own force of death spirits down there. We will build our own death kingdom."
He looked at the old turtle and asked, "After a hundred thousand years here, have you not established your own force down there?"
"..."
The old turtle looked around before answering without meeting Su Yu's eyes, "That's pointless."
Su Yu sighed and said, "I understand now. For the past hundred thousand years, you were too busy. Too busy sleeping. You didn't have the time to do so. Am I right?"
"..."
At times, honesty was a form of rudeness.
The old turtle coughed and said, "That's not all. Let me put it this way. Before reaching the Daofuse Realm, it's very hard for a death sovereign to have a stable mental state. Without a stable mental state, a death sovereign can submit to you today only to rebel tomorrow. I tried back then, but the results were...sigh. The death sovereigns I subdued forgot me soon after before doing as they wished. What am I to do about that?"
For the old turtle, this wasn't possible.
He continued, "I even supported He Tu. He did recruit a decent number of death sovereigns, but it did nothing. Only the East Heavenly King can control these death spirits with his Heavenly King Seal. With that seal, he has the authority over the laws in the region. And through the laws, he can forcefully control these death spirits. That is why he has the ability to rule a region in the Death Realm but not me. I am only a Spirit Suppression General. I can suppress the death spirits, but not rule them."
"East Heavenly King..." Su Yu raised his brow and said, "Lord, can you tell me more about the East Heavenly King?"
The old turtle paused slightly to organize his thoughts before explaining, "In the Death Realm, there are four heavenly kings. Each of them is a peak Daofuse. A true peak Daofuse. Back then, no living being was willing to be stationed in the Death Realm. Thus, the Human Emperor recruited four Daofuse death spirits to assist him in ruling the Death Realm."
"Recruited?"
"Subdued through beating. The old turtle laughed and said, "Back then, several human kings were involved in the conquest of the Death Realm. Radiant King, Battle King, and Martial King had all fought in the Death Realm. They beat everyone up, subduing all the death spirits before laying down their own laws to put the Death Realm under imperial rule. Four heavenly kings were installed in the four cardinal directions. Several exits were left behind as well. These exits are the current thirty-six tunnels. The exits were left in accordance to the way of nature. A way out must always be provided in all circumstances. No truly hopeless situation must exist.
"The territory under my suppression includes the area under the Luminous Domain Mansion. But this whole territory is located within the region under the East Heavenly King's rule. Or to be precise, this territory is a neutral zone within his territory. The Celestial River of Death acts as the border between our respective territories. Our territory is special in the sense that the river forms a loop around it. On our side of the river, Devote King and I held supremacy. On the other side, they ruled. That was how things were. They are the legitimate rulers of these territories."
"..."
The old turtle was taking the initiative to tell Su Yu more about the Death Realm. This wasn't something he would do before.
According to the old turtle, the territory jointly managed by him and Devote King was basically surrounded by a circle formed by the Celestial River of Death. Their authority only covered the inside of the circle.
Outside the circle, the four peak Daofuses ruled. Each of them was incomparably powerful. Even someone as strong as the old turtle wasn't a match for the East Heavenly King. The East Heavenly King's territory was the nearest to the old turtle's territory.
As for the area under the mansion, which was supposed to be under the Devote King's jurisdiction, it was nearer to the West Heavenly King.
Chapter 1723: I Rule The Living And The Dead (2)
"The heavenly king regions used to have numerous Daofuses back then. A lot of the dead Daofuses had awakened in these four regions before being recruited under the banner of the four heavenly kings."
The old turtle smiled bitterly and continued, "At times, it feels as though destiny is toying with us. In the ancient past, the various races lost more experts than the humans. Thus, the Daofuses in the four territories were mainly from the non-human races. A lot of them were killed by the humans during the conquest. Human Daofuses were greatly outnumbered there. After nine epochs, the number of human Daofuses in the four territories has dropped even further."
The old turtle sighed and continued, "Based on what I know, there are twelve marquises serving in the East Heavenly Court. Among them, there is only one human marquis. The rest are from the other races. Excluding the two we killed not long ago, there are still nine of them versus only one human. We also have to take the East Heavenly King himself into the equation. He is an incredibly powerful expert that you can't neglect.
"As for the number of the death sovereigns under their rule, it is even higher. The East Heavenly King is the most active heavenly king in our immediate surroundings as he is the nearest to us. He enjoys the authority from the ancient past, and he would even cross the border every now and then to arrest the newly awakened death spirits."
"Arrest?" Su Yu frowned and asked, "Why?"
"According to the ancient laws, any death spirit at the seventh-degree Eternal Realm and above awakening within the Spirit Suppression Domain shall report to the four heavenly kings.
"During the ancient past, the imperial court did not intend for there to be too many experts in our territory. As we controlled the connections between the living and the dead, they placed this restriction to limit the ability of the dead to threaten the living.
"Thus, this became their reason to arrest He Tu. Naturally, He Tu would never cooperate. Even Xia Chen falls under their jurisdiction. Unless a death spirit awakens below the seventh degree before growing to that level, nobody can stay here. I kept He Tu here out of my own selfish desires. Thus, the East Heavenly King demanded that I release He Tu several times in the past. I never agreed."
He Tu shouldn't have awakened in their territory. Then again, he had awakened directly in the world of the living after dying.
Even so, he still fell under the East Heavenly Domain's jurisdiction. But the old turtle had broken the rules for his sake and kept him behind. The old turtle said, "I went against the laws first. Thus, my authority to suppress death spirits won't work if they come to carry out their official duty as stipulated by the laws. The laws will side with them instead. They wouldn't have been able to cross into my territory so easily otherwise."
Understanding dawned on Su Yu.
He said matter-of-factly, "Lord, just send He Tu and Senior Xia Chen away. That will directly give you the ability to suppress those people."
"..."
The old turtle protested adamantly, "No! How can I do that?"
Was that a joke?
"I killed He Tu with my own hands back then. If I allow them to take him away, one death will be all it takes to fully sever Devote King's line! I owe Devote King a lot! Even killing He Tu is not something I wanted to do! Alas, I was left with no choice."
Su Yu asked, "With so many dead human kings, why aren't any of them around in the Death Realm?"
The old turtle said, "I'm unsure. Either they are still sleeping in the Celestial River of Death or they have awakened beyond the territories of the four heavenly kings. In any case, I have never seen any death spirits above the Daofuse Realm in this area."
After a short pause, he continued, "Perhaps none of them were brought into the Death Realm after dying. I don't know. Maybe you can try opening a death tunnel in the Human Realm to check what it's like down there..."
The old turtle explained, "For the most part, the death tunnel opened in each realm will lead toward the dead experts of that race. Perhaps you can find some dead human kings through a death tunnel in the Human Realm."
Su Yu laughed and said, "Forget it. I'm not interested in doing that for now."
Su Yu continued, "Lord, forget everything else, but we must pacify the Spirit Suppression Domain and its immediate surroundings. Can you defeat the East Heavenly King? From what I understand, he is the one the myriad races are most connected to."
The old turtle frowned as he considered the matter and said, "That won't be easy. They have over ten Daofuses, and I'm not even a match for the East Heavenly King. Perhaps you are the only person in the current Myriad Realms with the potential to grow strong enough to match him.
"I would need the help of another Daofuse to suppress him. Excluding the sole human marquis, there are nine hostile Daofuses there as well. We will need eleven Daofuses to barely match them. With Lanshan's help, we will need ten Daofuses.
"They also have a large number of death sovereigns. Without at least five Daofuses, forget about pacifying the East Heavenly Domain. You also need to be wary of the other three heavenly king domains. You have to win the battle before they can interfere. And to do so, you need at least twenty Daofuses."
Su Yu grimaced, "Twenty Daofuses?"
"Yes!"
Su Yu said, "That is probably the grand total of all Daofuses currently in the Myriad Realms, including our enemies. If I could gather many Daofuses, I would have conquered the Myriad Realms first."
He stopped slightly and asked, "Lord, is there really no other method?"
The old turtle sank into thought. After a while, he said, "What is your main goal for pacifying the Death Realm?"
"Liberating the guardians." Su Yu said, "I also want to make the Death Realm my final trump card. Just imagine it. In a desperate battle, I will open a death tunnel to release a bunch of allies instead of enemies. I don't want a marquis to appear out of nowhere to challenge me at the most inconvenient times."
"It's too hard." The old turtle repeated himself solemnly, "Su Yu, this really isn't an easy task."
Su Yu nodded. His expression turned solemn as well. "I know. For now, I plan to first pacify the Death Realm and put it under my control. Then, I will attack the myriad races and kill all their Daofuses. And finally, I will gather my forces and attack the Upper Realm."
"What?" The old turtle exclaimed in alarm, "Are you sure?"
"Of course." Su Yu answered with the same solemn expression, "I'm not joking around. Why must we wait around to be attacked? No. I will be the attacker. Seizing the initiative is far better than staying passive.
"I will catch them by surprise and kill ten or so Daofuses before anyone can react. I will terrorize them enough that some will give up on becoming my enemy. That will break their current unofficial alliance against humanity. Without the support of the other races, what can the divines, devils, and immortals do? They might be strong, but as long as I can remove them, the other races will fall in line.
"If I do wait around, the three races might be able to muster thirty Daofuses while the remaining races might be able to muster the same number as well. I will have to face sixty or even seventy of them at once. But by being the attacker, I can pick my targets and greatly reduce the number of Daofuses I face at any given time. First, I'll wipe out a few races and teach them to fear me."
"..."
The old turtle inhaled deeply and said, "You are truly ruthless."
"Not at all." Su Yu said, "This is an act of self-defense. Those above and down here all want me dead. In that case, I shall survive. I shall terrorize them so much that they shake at the mere mention of my name. Since I can't win their respect, I shall earn their fear."
The old turtle sank into thought.
After a long time, he muttered, "Attacking the Death Realm, liberating Heavendoom and the others, helping them achieve Daofuse, defeating the Myriad Realms, before taking the war to the Upper Realm..."
Su Yu nodded. Yes. That would be his best course of action. And first, he must liberate the strength of the ancient guardians. Without them, he wouldn't be able to proceed with the other parts of his plan.
Allow the current deadlock to continue? Was this a joke? If he waited long enough, the thousand-year limit would arrive. Those from the Upper and Lower Realms would join hands against him. At the same time, those in the Death Realm would start causing trouble again. That would spell his defeat.
The old turtle sank into contemplation again. After a long silence, he said the same words as before, "Hard. That's too hard. However, it's not completely impossible to pacify the Spirit Suppression Domain and its immediate surroundings."
That caught Su Yu's attention. The old turtle said, "We can send He Tu and Xia Chen away first. With them gone, those fellows will no longer have the authority to freely cross into my territory. But that will put the two in great danger."
He did not want to let He Tu leave his supervision as something unexpected could happen way too easily.
Su Yu tapped at the table lightly and said with a smile, "Lord, is it possible to lure those fellows in the East Heavenly Domain, including the heavenly king himself, into the Luminous Domain Mansion? Perhaps I can get them all killed there. Then, we can rule the East Heavenly Domain through his Heavenly King Seal."
The old turtle exclaimed in shock, "Are you really trying to kill him?"
"Of course." Su Yu asked, "Is he not capable of dying?"
"Luminous Domain Mansion...Luminous Domain Mansion..." The old turtle's eyes widened as he said, "You are truly brazen! To be honest, I have never even thought of killing the East Heavenly King in all my years here! Because I know that I am not his match!"
Su Yu grinned and said, "The ancient humans managed to subdue the Death Realm. Why can't we repeat the same feat? Yes, we are weak. But that guy in the mansion is by no means weak. As long as we can lure them in, getting them killed will stop being such an impossible task."
Su Yu asked, "Lord, what if I enter the mansion with He Tu and Xia Chen? Will that be tempting enough to lure them all in?"
"It's too hard."
The old turtle said, "There's no way the East Heavenly King will enter the Luminous Domain Mansion personally just to capture He Tu. He's not stupid. Also, he has been in contact with those outside, including the immortals, divines, and devils. He's not completely clueless about the events of the outside world."
Hearing that, Su Yu frowned and asked, "How are they staying in contact? The thirty-six tunnels are under our control. Celestial Chasm Realm has been sealed by Great Zhou King. How else are they staying in contact?" ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ ⓝovelFire.net
The old turtle asked, "How do you open new death tunnels?"
"With enough death qi..."
"There you have it." The old turtle asked, "Do you think that these old fellows have lived for so long without gathering even a tiny bit of death qi? Death qi is annoying to handle, but they are strong enough to do so. With enough death qi, they only need to open a small death tunnel and keep it under control. In such a situation, not even the laws will punish them."
Understanding dawned on Su Yu. So that was the case.
The old turtle continued, "Of course, they won't dare to do so lightly. This is something to be done when truly necessary. After all, the risk of losing control is always present..."
The old turtle laughed and said, "Losing control will invite the punishment of the laws. Of course, we, as the guardians, will naturally be punished alongside them. Therefore, they are not that helpless against us. If they are desperate enough, they can open death tunnels everywhere and get everyone to die together.
"Then again, I doubt anyone below the Daofuse Realm can actually open a death tunnel. Anyone weaker won't be able to handle that much death qi. They can simply open seven or eight death tunnels and let them run wild to keep us busy with the heavenly tribulations. Naturally, they will have to sacrifice seven or eight Daofuses to achieve such an effect so it's a mutually-assured destruction.
"Therefore, we're not too worried that they will do this as long as we don't push things too far. At worst, we will sacrifice our lives to drag seven or eight Daofuses down with us."
Su Yu said, "That won't do. That won't be a worthy trade at all. How can seven or eight Daofuses be more important than you and the others?"
The old turtle smiled. Flattery was something everyone would love.
Su Yu said, "In that case, the death spirits are probably aware of the danger in the Luminous Domain Mansion. But do you think they know about the mansion entrances?"
The old turtle asked, "You mean..."
"The death spirits won't knowingly enter the death tunnel leading into the Luminous Domain Mansion. But what about the other entrances? Nobody in the Myriad Realms knows about these alternative entrances. Not even Tiangu. They know that Tiangu had previously started climbing from the first level, but they had no idea how he entered. They even suspected that He Tu's presence was a trap by me. Lord, what if I take them to the entrances before activating these entrances suddenly? Can they escape the entrances in time?"
The old turtle's eyes flickered.
"But the entrances are located within the Spirit Suppression Domain. I doubt the East Heavenly King and his people have the courage to enter my territory rashly."
Su Yu laughed and said, "Are you sure about that? Weren't they here not long ago?"
"That's different. The East Heavenly King was still furious over Marquis Qishan's death. Even so, he did not cross the border personally. By the way, that Marquis Lanshan of your race participated in the previous battle as well. She returned to the East Heavenly Domain after the battle."
Su Yu frowned and asked, "Will the East Heavenly King make things hard for her?"
Chapter 1724: I Rule The Living And The Dead (3)
"I'm unsure..." The old turtle said, "The best way to lure the East Heavenly King over is by contacting Marquis Lanshan and get her help. She's still staying there. Previously, she only acted to prevent the two marquises from crossing the border. That might not be a strong enough reason for the East Heavenly King to act against her. He has to stay wary of the other human marquises in the other three heavenly king domains.
"Of the four heavenly kings, some might even be friendly toward the human race. He has to be wary since his authority came from the ancient imperial court. However, a betrayal by Marquis Lanshan will give him a good reason to act personally. After all, he is the only person in his territory strong enough to guarantee a victory against Marquis Lanshan.
"This...might really work! Of course, the premise for that is your ability to get them killed in the Luminous Domain Mansion or this will backfire against us greatly. You might even die in the mansion and the mansion will fall under the East Heavenly King's control. Any mistake could ruin everything. You have to think this through."
Su Yu nodded as he thought deeply. Marquis Lanshan...betrayal...
Getting her to betray the East Heavenly King before running into the entrance, where he was waiting in hiding. Then, he could transport the East Heavenly King into the mansion before killing the heavenly king through the hands of Martial Emperor.
Then, he could take over the East Heavenly Domain and turn it into his rear base. Or he could even use it as the springboard to conquer the entire Death Realm.
This was a good plan, but its fault tolerance was too low. Any tiny mistake could mess everything up for them. He could die. Or Martial Emperor might refuse to kill them. Any single deviation could ruin the plan.
The old turtle said, "Also, I can't leave with you. The moment I leave, the East Heavenly King might see that as a chance to charge out of the Death Realm. That would be disastrous. You can only take three to five guardians with you for this mission."
The guardians were still Eternals, not Daofuses. The old turtle was strong enough to fight three Daofuses while the East Heavenly King was stronger than the old turtle. Thus, fighting the guardians would probably feel like fighting children for him.
The old turtle said, "Also, you should avoid taking any living beings with you on this mission. You have the ability to reverse death qi while the guardians have their stone skin. After years of being guardians, they have plenty of death qi in their bodies. People like you and them can enter the Death Realm relatively undetected, but a normal living being will be extremely conspicious in the Death Realm. That is especially true for an expert at East Heavenly King's level. He is extremely sensitive to living beings."
Su Yu rubbed his chin and said, "Luring the East Heavenly King into the mansion is not the only way to go about this. He has nine other Daofuse subordinates, right? We can also try to lure these subordinates into the mansion instead. That will weaken the East Heavenly King and increase our probability of victory in a direct clash with him."
The old turtle nodded, "Yes, that's true. But you will need to lure at least five Daofuses away for this plan to work."
True.
"How many marquises do you think will be deployed for Marquis Lanshan's betrayal?"
"No more than three."
Su Yu smiled and asked, "What if I show up as Marquis Lanshan's helper? I can show up halfway to escort her to safety. Will that cause them to deploy more marquises?"
"Definitely. Your presence is enough to bait even the East Heavenly King himself. But are you sure you want to reveal yourself so early?"
Su Yu narrowed his eyes and said, "Maybe. Of course, this will be our backup plan. Firstly, it depends on how many enemies Marquis Lanshan can bait. Secondly, those fellows might give up on the pursuit halfway. There is no promise that they will keep chasing until the entrances. I am the only bait attractive enough for them to go that far. With me around, they might charge right into an activated entrance without care. After all, death spirits are known for their terrible temper.
"Hmm, for this, I will take Heavendoom, Empyrean Cloud, and Grandstar with me. I want to see if there's any way for me to push them to the Daofuse Realm. As guardians, they will be rewarded for killing death spirits, right? After all, that counts as weakening the Death Realm. Furthermore, they will be killing death spirits invading the Luminous Domain Mansion, the territory of the Human Emperor. Don't they deserve rewards for eliminating death spirits there?"
"That..." The old turtle said, "I truly don't know."
Su Yu said, "Maybe they will really be rewarded. With heavenly rewards, Heavendoom can definitely advance. But I can't guarantee anything for the others."
"True." The old turtle nodded, "It won't be hard for him to achieve Daofuse. Even Bountiful Treasure has achieved Daofuse. Heavendoom would have achieved Daofuse long ago if it weren't for the petrification method used on him."
"Old Zhou will play a crucial role here."
Su Yu muttered solemnly.
"Old Zhou?"
"The Martial Emperor." Su Yu said, "He is mad. We can't predict what he will do. I have a question. How do I communicate with him? Were the Martial King, Human Emperor, and the others really not aware that he was not really dead?"
"Impossible!"
Others might remain clueless, but not the likes of Human Emperors and his closest companions. The old turtle had no doubt of that.
Su Yu asked, "In that case, why did they spare him? Why did they turn him into a mansion instead of killing him?"
"That..."
The old turtle shook his head. This was too complicated for him to understand. Updates are released by NoveI-Fire.ɴet
"Therefore, they might have left a method behind to restrain or communicate with the Martial Emperor. The ninth level might be it. Or perhaps something can be found in the Martial King's Residence or the Culture King's Residence on the eighth level."
The old turtle had no idea. His rank was too low during the ancient past to know such secrets. Yes, he was comparable to an ancient marquis. But this was something not even all human kings knew.
Su Yu sank into thought.
After a while, he said, "Lord, when I activate the entrances in the Death Realm, the entrances in the Sea of Stars might open as well. Try to prevent anyone from entering through those entrances and causing trouble for me."
"That won't be a problem." The old turtle nodded, "I'll do that. In any case, I doubt the myriad races have the courage to enter the mansion rashly right now."
Su Yu said, "By the way, if something happens to me and I don't come back, please think of a way to enter the Human Realm once. Go to the Starfall Mountain and look for Fat Ball in Culture King's Residence. He might be able to save me. If not...I'll try to awaken as a death spirit."
At that, the old turtle turned solemn. He asked, "At this point, you can actually afford to wait longer. Why are you risking your life yet again?"
Su Yu said, "Lord, you are too optimistic. The connection to the Upper Realm will open soon. What will my chances of victory be when that happens?"
The old turtle thought about it and said, "It will be far more likely for you to fail."
"In that case, isn't waiting around just as risky?"
"It's hard to say."
Su Yu smiled and said, "It is risky either way. I might as well do it now. I'm mainly doing this to get a cultivation method from Martial Emperor. And if I fail to communicate with him now, it won't change even if I wait a little longer. It will be a waste of time to wait. If I enter with the death spirits and there is a way to communicate with Martial Emperor, I can get those death spirits killed. If I can't communicate with Martial Emperor, I will still be risking death. It's going to get dangerous regardless of my choice, so I might as well take some death spirits with me and maximize the potential gains instead."
The old turtle couldn't argue against that. True. No matter what, Su Yu would still attempt to communicate with Martial Emperor. He might as well try to get rid of some death spirits while doing so.
Su Yu continued with a grin, "By entering with the death spirits, I can even drag some of my enemies down with me before dying. Either way, this won't be a loss for me!
"With the deaths of those death spirits, you can try to pacify the East Heavenly Domain and reduce the burden of the other guardians. Consider that my final repayment for your help all this time. Perhaps with me gone, the guardians will be able to stay alive for much longer. Who knows?"
The old turtle inhaled deeply and said, "Su Yu, you're putting me in a hard spot. I really want to advise you against taking this risk, but I can't find a proper reason to do that. You either take the risk now or face a much greater risk in about ten years."
Su Yu laughed and said, "I'm used to taking risks. But I won't be doing this without any preparation. I guess I'll be thick-faced and take a trip back to the Human Realm and beg for another drop of blood essence. Coupled with the other Daofuse blood essence I have, I should be able to display the combat strength of a Daofuse for a bit.
"This will be the plan, then. Get one drop of blood essence from Fat Ball before getting those death spirits killed. I need to further change the balance, gaining an absolute superiority over the myriad races in the Myriad Realms."
The old turtle said heavily, "Take...care."
Su Yu stood up, drained his cup of tea, and smiled, "In my current situation, taking risks is necessary if I wish to succeed. Don't worry, Lord. If everything goes smoothly, the second war between the myriad realms will start. Please get ready for the next war."
"I'll do my best." The old turtle said, "With the Spirit Suppression Domain pacified, I'll be able to put more effort into the war in the Myriad Realms."
Su Yu laughed heartily and said, "In that case, allow me to thank you in advance. I'll try my best to resurrect He Tu if I do succeed in this."
"Thank you."
This was the very first time the old turtle had thanked Su Yu with such sincerity. In the past, Su Yu had always been the one needing favors from him. But when the situation involved He Tu, the old turtle could not stay calm. He said, "As long as you can liberate the other guardians and resurrect He Tu, I will do everything you ask for! Everything!"
The old turtle's voice turned incomparably solemn as he said, "Even my life can be sacrificed for you!"
He had been feeling guilty toward two groups of people for a very long time. Firstly, he felt guilty toward the other guardians for bringing them into this job that had lasted a hundred thousand years when it was supposed to last only a thousand years.
Secondly, he felt guilty toward He Tu, a descendant of Devote King, who was his great benefactor. Back when He Tu encountered danger, the old turtle was the one who had turned He Tu into the mayor. He even allowed He Tu to make use of the death spirits in the many wars of the first epoch. But eventually, the old turtle was forced to kill He Tu with his own hands.
These were the two greatest regrets in his life. And now, Su Yu was showing him the possibility of making up for both regrets. For that, he was willing to give even his life to Su Yu.
Su Yu grinned and said, "You are too polite, Lord. Don't worry. I will do my best. After winning the second war, we will attack the Upper Realm. That day won't be too far away."
Having said that, Su Yu left. He knew that contributing another blood essence would exhaust the white dog, but he needed to be alive for the hope of a better future to stay alive, right? He knew that the white dog wouldn't refuse him.
"This is the final time I'm asking for your blood. After dealing with the myriad races, I will repay you."
That was the promise Su Yu made. Before long, he was back at the Starfall Mountain. He stepped through the time waterfall. Shortly after, he walked out of it. Then, he vanished from the Human Realm. All that happened under Great Zhou King's astonished gaze.
He would be very busy next. He had to get his cultivation method, convert more techniques and abilities into characters, comprehend the great dao, kill the East Heavenly King, and conquer the Death Realm.
Thinking of the list of tasks ahead of him, Su Yu grew excited. If he could pull this off, he would be able to finally dominate the Myriad Realms.
"I'm coming, Old Zhou."
Inwardly, he was praying that the Martial Emperor would cooperate. After all, Martial Emperor's cooperation was imperative for many of his future plans.