Chapter 957: The More Painful, The More Real

No one wanted such an outcome.

In that moment, Jitian let out a piercing, anguished roar.

“Su Yu... even if you merge with me... are you still yourself? You’ll become me, live as the next Jitian...”

Su Yu’s voice drifted, ethereal: “You’re just an emotion—anger, excitement, joy, despair... what does it matter?”

The Human Gate trembled violently!

Jitian howled in madness, his eyes shifting constantly—now calm, now furious, now hopeless.

...

Outside.

The Earth Gate’s face also twisted in shock. These lunatics never stopped to consider whether they would still be themselves afterward. That was a concern for the strong; the weak, in their desperation, cared nothing for such consequences.

The Human Sovereign’s Great Path of Heaven and Earth surged endlessly into the Heavenly Gate. At this rate, the Heavenly Gate would surely be influenced!

Ancestor Zhou of humanity was unconcerned about the influence of the Human Sovereign’s path.

After all, he was human himself. As for protecting humanity, Zhou was indifferent—he would protect if he could, fulfill his duty if he must. He was not entirely opposed to humanity, nor did he need to be.

He still needed humanity’s faith!

But aside from Zhou, everyone else viewed the Human Sovereign’s path as a flood of beasts. Even King Wen and Qiong dared not approach it.

Now, several thirty-six-path powerhouses were steadily strengthening the Human Sovereign’s heaven and earth, amplifying his path.

If this continued, the Heavenly Gate would truly be converted!

Hearing Jitian’s chilling roars and laughter, the Earth Gate’s face shifted again, and he couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

What to do?

At this moment, it was difficult.

He and the Heavenly Gate were both compressing the long river, while the Lord of the Dead still blocked their efforts. All had merged into the river. As things stood, he couldn’t move—at least not until the compression succeeded, unless he abandoned the compression and fused with his avatars.

Otherwise... he could do nothing to stop it!

Using the compression of the long river to block Su Yu and the others from attacking—once they attacked, they would suffer the river’s backlash. Now, it seemed he had trapped himself!

Countless thoughts swirled in the Earth Gate’s mind.

Then, his voice rang out, trembling the heavens and earth, low and reluctant: “You two, will you still stand by? Human Gate, you should show yourself! Will you keep watching?”

The Human Gate and the Spirit of the Long River!

Both were also within the long river.

At that moment, a voice cold as machinery echoed across the world: “Demon Flame, you are too useless!”

Useless?

The Earth Gate’s face turned cold. Demon Flame—that was what they called him.

His true form was a demon flame beast, a primordial ancient beast of chaos, once immensely powerful. In this chaotic region, Blood Ancestor had been the strongest, and he had ranked second.

But when the Lord of Time arrived, Blood Ancestor, accustomed to tyranny, clashed with him and was gravely wounded, eventually perishing. That left Demon Flame as the strongest here.

Unfortunately, the Lord of Time was human, and the heaven and earth he left behind could only be entered by humans.

After scheming for so many years, waiting for so long, constantly weakening the long river’s power, now that hope was finally in sight—compressing the river, watching it shrink until it could be devoured—this had to happen.

The Earth Gate was utterly frustrated!

In terms of strength, how could these thirty-six-path beings compare to him!

The Earth Gate said grimly, “If you don’t intervene, I lose nothing. If I am truly influenced by the Star Universe Path, I might as well guard humanity, guard this world... But you, you are the seal of this world. Then, I would have to deal with you!”

The Earth Gate was ready to gamble.

If you don’t step in, don’t blame me.

Though he truly feared being influenced by the Human Sovereign’s path, when it came down to it, who would care about consequences?

He might as well become humanity’s guardian beast.

Then everyone’s target would be you, the Human Gate!

“It’s not easy to stop!”

A faint voice drifted through the heavens. Still, despite saying that, a colossal locust suddenly emerged from the long river. Other things could not enter the river, but this enormous locust moved unimpeded, flying straight toward the Heavenly Gate!

The Human Sovereign’s face changed slightly!

That locust was immensely powerful. With both the Heavenly Gate and Earth Gate compressing the river and unable to counterattack, this locust possessed a force of thirty-nine paths, formidable indeed!

Now, the locust flew toward the Heavenly Gate. Once it entered, it would cause tremendous harm to the Human Sovereign and his allies.

Seeing this colossal locust appear, the Earth Gate felt somewhat relieved.

The one Su Yu called Human Gate Old Seven still had some fear—fear that the Earth Gate might truly become the guardian of the long river, which would be a great trouble.

And at that moment, a voice, ancient and weathered, resounded through the world: “Qiong, merge into the long river and slay this demon!”

Qiong was below, waiting for the opportunity the Human Sovereign had spoken of.

Hearing this, his face darkened, and he said coldly, “Are you Cang?”

The Spirit of the Long River?

He couldn’t see where they were, but he vaguely sensed that both were within the river—perhaps both inside the Book of Time, either vying for control or locked in endless struggle.

The locust was merely a destructive construct conjured by Human Gate Old Seven.

The Spirit of the Long River, however, had not manifested any powerful being to oppose it. Perhaps it was too depleted—after all, merely creating a future self for Su Yu had cost it dearly.

Now, the Spirit of the Long River thought of Qiong!

Let Qiong join the battle!

Merge into the long river!

The Spirit’s voice rose again, still carrying that ancient tone: “As the Sword of Heaven’s Opening, you have the duty and obligation to destroy these locusts that ravage the long river! Know this: the essence of the Sky Sword is to convert and seal this demon! This demon has the power to destroy the world... Qiong, merge quickly!”

Qiong frowned and said coldly, “I tried. The long river rejects me!”

He had struck once before, but now the river rejected all who had not merged into it. Su Yu and the Human Sovereign had merged with themselves, but Qiong had not.

“Merge as a sword... it will not reject you now!”

Qiong pondered. Should he act?

The locust was going after the Human Sovereign and the others. He was on their side, so logically he should help. But why should he listen to this voice?

He asked again, “Are you Cang?”

“Yes! And no!”

The Spirit’s voice rose once more, steeped in ancient resonance: “The Sky Sword has shattered. The River of Time can also be called the River of the Sky. I have separated from the Sky Sword... merged into the river. You are still the Sky Sword, but I... am no longer the Sky Sword!”

Qiong felt a bit frustrated and suddenly shouted, “Xingyu, should I go deal with that locust?”

At that moment, the enormous locust had already darted forward, about to enter the Heavenly Gate and attack the Human Sovereign. If Qiong did not act, the Human Sovereign would either have to fight the locust or be destroyed by it.

Either way, they could no longer prevent the Heavenly Gate and Earth Gate from merging.

At this critical moment, a locust with 39 Dao power emerged, truly terrifying.

Just then, the Human Gate trembled violently, and Jitian roared madly, his face shifting constantly—now Su Yu, now Jitian—clearly indicating that the will struggle there had reached a pivotal point!

At that moment, the sealed gate quaked fiercely!

The Human Emperor's face darkened.

Now that Qiong had arrived, they could better block the merging of the Heavenly and Earthly Gates, but... Su Yu's side might need help more urgently.

The Human Emperor barked sharply: "Go to the sealed gate, sever Jitian's connection to the Long River, quickly!"

Qiong hesitated no longer, instantly merging into the Long River and striking toward the sealed gate with his sword!

The spirit of the Long River, tinged with anger and helplessness, muttered: "Nonsense!"

Meanwhile, the Human Emperor suddenly rose and shouted: "Join forces, kill this locust!"

He abandoned the attempt to merge his Dao into the Heavenly Gate.

They had to slay this locust now, while everyone else was powerless to interfere; otherwise, they might lose the chance later. An extra locust with 39 Dao power would be a great nuisance.

Rising, the Human Emperor commanded again: "Lord of the Dead, stop blocking the merging of the Heavenly and Earthly Gates... kill this locust!"

A 39-Dao locust was too strong.

Even though the four of them, including the Human Emperor, were at 36 Dao, they could hold it off, but killing it... might prove difficult!

Whether the Lord of the Dead would choose to continue blocking the merging or heed his call to help slay the locust, the Human Emperor did not know.

The Lord of the Dead snorted coldly, and deathly energy swept across the world.

Now, instead of blocking the two gates, he suddenly directed his deathly aura toward the locust, speaking with icy indifference: "Very well, then I shall wait for the Heavenly and Earthly Gates to merge, compress the Long River, and under the triple gate union, draw forth the true Book of the Long River and its spirit, forcing those two to show themselves!"

At this moment, the spirit of the Long River and the others had not appeared, and the Lord of the Dead knew why.

Those two were probably not so easy to summon.

But when the three gates fully merged, compressing all realms into a sphere, they would surely appear!

"Deadly Hell!"

With a low cry, a hell manifested, and the locust was instantly swept into his domain. Within the Long River, the Lord of the Dead stood atop a dark river, where a colossal locust furiously attacked the dark currents.

The Human Emperor and the others no longer hesitated, vanishing in an instant and reappearing near the Lord of the Dead.

"Together, kill!"

The five mighty warriors joined forces, unleashing an overwhelming burst of combat power.

They paid no heed to the Heavenly and Earthly Gates!

He had to take advantage of this moment when these people were powerless to interfere, to quickly merge the Heavenly Gate. Once merged, he would no longer fear their meddling; his power would skyrocket, possibly reaching 44 Dao!

At that point, he might be second only to the Blood Ancestor of old!

With the Time Lord absent, neither the spirit of the Long River nor the seventh of the Human Gate could necessarily match him.

He was not entirely sure of their exact strength, but he had some inkling—they were probably on par with the Blood Ancestor. After his own merging, even if he fell short, the gap would not be too great.

If he lacked such confidence, he would not have allied with these beings.

He cared little whether the locust lived or died; if it died, it would only weaken the seventh of the Human Gate, which was a good thing.

Such was the nature of their alliances—cooperate when necessary, but also weaken each other when possible.

"Converge! Compress!"

The Earthly Gate roared madly, seizing the moment to compress and merge quickly. If he delayed further, and Su Yu actually managed to kill Jitian... that would be a real disaster!

Jitian was no weakling, and within the sealed gate lay countless origins. If Jitian were slain and those origins absorbed, Su Yu might become terrifyingly powerful.

If Jitian devoured Su Yu, the result would be the same.

Neither outcome was favorable to him.

Earlier, they had cooperated against Su Yu's faction; now, if Su Yu's side fell, they would have to turn on each other.

...

Rumble!

Within the sealed gate, chaos erupted as vast amounts of origin power were absorbed by either Jitian or Su Yu. Jitian's body radiated a jumble of different auras, some mixed, some chaotic.

Like a beast in despair, Jitian's eyes were bloodshot, and he howled in anguish!

"Su Yu... you won't beat me..."

His voice echoed. In a place unseen by others, within the ocean of will, countless phantom images appeared—Su Yu, Lantian, Jitian, and innumerable other figures.

This was the realm of will!

They were not locked in a brutal battle; rather, Jitian sought to kill and tear them apart, but Su Yu did the opposite. Even in this ocean of will, he forcibly merged with Jitian!

Every time Jitian tore Su Yu apart, he tore himself, suffering excruciating pain.

Repeated agony drove Jitian nearly mad.

Yet the Su Yu before him, each time he was torn, let out a joyful laugh.

"Old classmate... go on, keep tearing! Tear me apart! You don't know, but I actually enjoy this feeling... For me, it's too comfortable, too familiar..."

For his younger, weaker self, every tear had been this painful.

Now, though Jitian was immensely powerful, the degree of pain was the same. Each tearing did not break Su Yu.

Yes, his will remained as stubborn and firm as ever, showing no sign of collapse.

Amid the chaotic multitude of wills, Su Yu's will shone the brightest!

Unchanged!

Unwavering!

Around him, the wills of Lantian, Wan Tiansheng, and others grew feeble, on the verge of extinction, but Su Yu's will blazed like a sun, never dying!

Jitian's will was also strong, but each tearing was a mutual wounding.

The radiance of Jitian's will began to dim, tinged with despair and reluctance. He looked at Su Yu, almost pleading: "Su Yu, withdraw... Whatever you want, I can help you... We are not enemies. Our enemy is the one you call the seventh of the Human Gate..."

He grew frantic: "That seventh of the Human Gate you speak of is the true terror! He is the incarnation of calamity, the source of all evil in heaven and earth... Do you know what your so-called seventh of the Human Gate really is?"

"Not interested!"

"No, no, Su Yu, you will be interested!"

Jitian suddenly screamed in agony, for Su Yu, seeing him stop attacking, tore himself apart. Since they were now merged, Su Yu's self-tearing also wounded Jitian.

Jitian wailed in pain, then quickly continued: "Su Yu... think about it! The Time Lord, such a mighty figure, opened the heavens here... But no matter how powerful, he paid the price of his sword! Do you understand? For top-tier beings, a supreme divine weapon is not optional—it is a treasure... This place is not as simple as it seems..."

"I don't know why the Time Lord never returned—perhaps dead, perhaps trapped, perhaps unable to come back. Regardless, this place is crucial. He paid the price of a sword, yet instead of killing the seventh of the Human Gate, he chose to seal and transform him... Don't you see the significance of the seventh of the Human Gate?"

Su Yu said flatly: "Significance? What significance? A divine rune nurtured by the Time Lord? His evil spirit? Or something else?"

What the seventh of the Human Gate truly was—did it matter?

Su Yu had never cared about these things.

"Very important..."

Ji Tian knew that if he didn't say something crucial soon, Su Yu, that madman, might truly tear him apart. He hurriedly said, "The meaning of the Long River and the Sealed Gate is to bestow emotions upon the Seventh of the Human Gate! The entire Long River, the entire world—their ultimate purpose is to transform the Seventh of the Human Gate into a being with feelings... not an emotionless existence!"

"I vaguely know some things, I've guessed at others. The Seventh of the Human Gate, in the end, is meant to become a spirit, a spirit with feelings..."

Su Yu continued to tear himself apart. And then?

None of them were good things, whether spirit or not!

Better to kill them all; if he couldn't, then let everything be destroyed together.

Ji Tian grew frantic, speaking quickly: "This should be the work of the Lord of Time, to forge a more powerful existence, or to open up a stronger world... or perhaps it's a nurturing for his future path. In essence, the Seventh of the Human Gate is also a spirit... but one that may surpass all spirits..."

"So we must take him down; otherwise, given time, the myriad realms will still be destroyed by him... Not only that, if we fail to take him and he succeeds in his transformation, the myriad realms might also face certain death..."

"Or he might escape. Su Yu, if he escapes, it could draw the attention of the Lord of Time, who might descend upon the myriad realms and destroy them, for they would no longer serve any purpose..."

Su Yu laughed: "Enough talk?"

Ji Tian was desperate: "No, there's more... I... I think the Seventh of the Human Gate might just be a supreme weapon, or a part of a supreme world, not a complete entity! Su Yu, if the Lord of Time is dead, then taking the Seventh of the Human Gate could allow us to transcend, no longer confined to this world. No matter how strong this world is, it's only a realm opened by the Lord of Time. The vast universe surely holds more than just our world... Su Yu, don't you want to see a broader sky?"

"Su Yu, stop attacking... If this continues, we'll both be destroyed!"

Su Yu smiled: "No, only you will be destroyed, not me. Haven't you seen through it yet?"

Seen through it?

Ji Tian looked at Su Yu in agony. At this moment, Su Yu still maintained a radiant demeanor. Su Yu chuckled: "I've found that no matter how many times I tear myself apart, I am still me. Even if I've grown a bit weaker, I realize I've become clearer, calmer!"

At this moment, Su Yu suddenly felt a touch of emotion, a hint of nostalgia: "Ji Tian, haven't you noticed yet? I should have always been in this pain to stay clear-headed. Without the pain, I was actually the one who was unclear!"

Su Yu spoke earnestly: "The more pain I feel, the clearer I am, the more I know that I am Su Yu! I am no one else, and I am not mad! Never have I been more real than at this moment! The real Su Yu, the real me! On ordinary days, without this pain, I was somewhat muddled. At this very moment, do you still think you can beat me?"

"To you, this is torment; to me... it's a return!"

Su Yu smiled: "Just returning to normal! It's not an unimaginable agony, nor has it broken me. Truly, never have I been more clear-headed than now."

At this moment, Su Yu seemed normal!

Completely normal!

Ji Tian, with a look of painful despair, gazed at Su Yu, at his eyes—those eyes were clear!

Not a trace of the earlier madness!

He suddenly felt a collapse, a desire to cry, "So that's how it is..."

The more pain Su Yu endured, the clearer he became. Those clear eyes held none of the earlier frenzy, only calm and tranquility.

Even the chaotic influences of wills that had been affecting him were suppressed.

The presence of the Great Zhou King and others, including Lan Tian and Wan Tian Sheng, had previously interfered with Su Yu, or rather, they had been on equal footing, all part of one whole!

But now, they were all suppressed by Su Yu, and the entire will was now completely dominated by Su Yu!

Time Master... Wen Yu!

Ji Tian wanted to curse wildly. Wen Yu, what kind of monster did your copy of the Time Book create?

In such an environment, Su Yu was even stronger than before.

And Su Yu, at this moment, let out a sigh, tinged with helplessness and dejection: "Humans are truly pathetic! Usually, I always think, let it all be destroyed, let everyone die together, death is fine! But now... I don't want to die. I don't want my father to die, my teacher to die, my friends to die, my comrades to die... I suddenly feel that living is so good—eating, drinking, and occasionally pretending to be a scholar... it's too comfortable!"

Su Yu looked wistful: "Tell me, is it actually bad to be clear-headed? Ji Tian, I don't want to destroy things anymore!"

Ji Tian didn't know what to say. The next moment, with a loud bang, Su Yu tore himself apart again. Ji Tian groaned in pain: "Su Yu, since you're clear-headed and don't want to die, there's no need for us to keep hurting each other... If you keep this up, you might collapse yourself... I'll withdraw, all the origin here is yours. I'll cooperate with you—no, I'll obey you!"

Now that Su Yu had come to his senses, Ji Tian thought perhaps they could negotiate!

How ironic!

Earlier, Su Yu had been bent on destruction, annihilation, mutual ruin.

Now that Ji Tian couldn't take it anymore, Su Yu had suddenly become clear-headed, saying he didn't want to die. How utterly ironic.

The intense pain hadn't broken Su Yu—where was the justice in that?

Su Yu laughed, his tone now much gentler: "Don't be like that. I'm afraid of death, not stupid! You're a sly one. If I let you out, you'll betray me. Mutual ruin? As long as I don't collapse, I'll devour everything you leave behind after death—how is that mutual ruin? I'm especially clear-headed now!"

Su Yu smiled: "Ji Tian, old classmate, will you give up on your own, or will you force me to torment you again and again? Maybe in the end, you'll be reborn through pain like me! Of course, if you give up on your own, I can promise you one request—except sparing your life!"

Ji Tian roared in fury: "Su Yu, if I die, what need do I have for your promises? Don't think it's so simple. If you want to kill me... who will last to the end is still uncertain!"

Boom!

At that moment, a flash of sword light appeared, this time directly striking into the Sealed Gate!

With the help of the Long River Spirit, Qiong's sword actually broke through!

One sword strike completely shattered Su Yu and Ji Tian!

In truth, if the two had joined forces, Qiong would have been no match. But Su Yu didn't resist, just kept suppressing Ji Tian, and that powerful sword light shattered them both!

The next moment, origin rippled within the Sealed Gate, and instantly, Su Yu and Ji Tian were reborn.

Ji Tian was in agony, and Su Yu also had a headache. He called out helplessly: "Qiong, why are you killing me?"

"..."

Outside the Sealed Gate, Qiong was startled. Who killed you?

He shouted: "I'm cutting the connection between the origin and you..."

Su Yu's eyes flickered. He sensed something and suddenly laughed: "The Sword Light of Creation! Unmatched in sharpness! If Su Yu and Ji Tian had to tear themselves apart, who knows how long it would take to wear us down! Qiong, keep going, use the Sword Light of Creation to grind us away!"

Seeking death?

Then I won't hold back. Qiong could tell that Su Yu sounded full of energy, as if nothing was wrong, even more approachable than before... What the hell?

So, this guy had been messing with Ji Tian all this time and was fine?

As for Ji Tian, his pained groans had grown weaker.

In that case, Qiong wouldn't be polite. With a deafening roar, another sword light struck into the Human Gate, and with a crash, a vast amount of origin was extinguished. Su Yu kept entangling Ji Tian, and both were ground away by the sword light again!

Repeated destruction, repeated rebirth!

Reborn from the origin!

With each cycle, Su Yu grew more radiant, as if polished, brighter and brighter. He even sheltered other wills within his heart, within the shadow of light, containing many chaotic wills.

Those belonged to others.

Not only did Su Yu withstand it himself, but he also had the mind to protect others, which further broke Ji Tian.

After another cycle of destruction and rebirth, Ji Tian's eyes had grown dim, filled with despair. He looked at the clear-eyed Su Yu and murmured: "Is the gap... so vast? Su Yu... I want to know... back then... how did you endure?"

Su Yu smiled: "Back then, I was different from you. I faced it once a day, not continuously. Sometimes I stayed awake for days without sleep, so this situation wouldn't occur. I call it gradual progress. You, on the other hand, have been ground down hundreds of times in one go, each time a real death, falling into nothingness, over and over. Of course you can't hold on. Learn from me, take it slowly, don't try to become a fat man in one bite!"

He encouraged: "Keep going! You can do it! If you hold on, you'll become like me. After this, no one can ever harm you again! Old classmate, you can do it!"

Ji Tian was on the verge of complete collapse, his eyes dull and turbid.

Can do it?

Like hell he could!

Endless obliteration, collapse of will, collapse of spirit—each time a torment. Can you just say it's okay and it will be?

Ji Tian was frail and weak, suddenly feeling a sense of utter despair. The more despair he felt, the more he crumbled, speaking feebly: "Su Yu... old classmate... I can't outmatch you... It seems I've lost this time!"

He had lost!

He knew he couldn't defeat Su Yu; after seven or eight more rounds, he might completely break down, while Su Yu seemed to be honed to perfection, his will shining brilliantly!

At this rate, Su Yu's will could even directly transform into spirit!

So, Su Yu's greatest strength was not his physical body, not the heavens and earth, not his battle techniques, but his will.

A powerful will, an unyielding spirit—these are invincible!

Su Yu had endured too much suffering and torment; by not being knocked down, he had already won. Choosing to clash wills with him here, in this place, at this moment, was actually the worst decision!

If he hadn't been greedy, hadn't come in to absorb Wan Tiansheng's power of the Dao, he wouldn't have been so easily defeated by Su Yu.

Regret was already too late.

Ji Tian was bitterly pained, sighing: "I thought... I could be the winner... could snatch the chestnuts from the fire, replace everyone, become the ultimate victor of this world! But I realize I was wrong... I thought it too easy..."

"I knew you were troublesome, knew you were hard to defeat, but I never imagined that one day I would fall to you like this. Not a defeat in strength, but in will, in spirit..."

Su Yu smiled: "You've lived longer than me; you could have tried self-obliteration a few thousand times earlier, like me, and I definitely wouldn't have been able to beat you!"

Ji Tian gave a bitter laugh: "As a relatively normal origin spirit, I think... no one would do such a thing! Who would idle away and obliterate themselves a few thousand times for fun? Would anyone do that?"

True!

Su Yu nodded: "Exactly, I didn't want to either; wasn't I forced?"

Su Yu chuckled: "If I hadn't merged the Time Book into my body back then, I wouldn't have been so foolish, obliterating myself day after day for fun!"

Now, saying all this is useless.

It's too late!

The sword light appeared again!

With a bang, the two exploded once more, then recovered again. Ji Tian had reached the point of numbness from pain, on the verge of collapse, barely holding on.

He stopped talking about those things, stopped regretting anything.

At this point, he knew he had lost, utterly defeated. He said quickly: "Su Yu... you know? When I absorbed that memory of Wan Mingze, I suddenly realized... being human... is truly wonderful!"

"Even if it's a false life... but when I absorbed Wan Mingze's memories, I felt it was truly beautiful! A group of young talents, for Wan Mingze's dream, disregarding worldly opposition and factional strife, followed him across the land, fighting for a belief... it was truly beautiful!"

"They were weak, Wan Mingze was weak too... In your dazzling, sun-like brilliance, those people still followed Wan Mingze... Everyone says you, Su Yu, with your talent and strength, are nothing but a selfish and petty man, while my Wan Mingze is the saint!"

Ji Tian laughed: "That feeling was too wonderful! At that time, there was faith in the heart, persistence. Su Yu... Wan Mingze was born from my divine text, but I had long given up control, so everything was his true heart. He wanted to be a saint... a saint guarding world peace! Perhaps foolish, seemingly hypocritical, but some believed in him, trusted him, followed him. I might understand your feelings now—that sense of being trusted, followed, fighting with faith in your heart... no matter strong or weak, it's enviable!"

With a bang, he exploded again, quickly recovering. His eyes dimmed, and he looked at Su Yu once more: "Su Yu... you said you could agree to one condition of mine..."

Su Yu, now radiant and brilliant to the extreme, looked at him and nodded: "Speak!"

"I want to be a human..."

Ji Tian smiled: "I want to be a true human! Su Yu... if... there's still a chance, let me be human! In this myriad realms, this world, humans are the most beautiful existence! With flesh and blood, thoughts, ideals, faith, and persistence!"

"Not just having a human shell—that's meaningless. The Zhou Ji body Zhou forged for me is already a true human, perfectly suited to my flesh, but my thoughts, my faith... are all empty!"

"To be strong for the sake of strength, but why be strong... I don't know, I'm utterly lost!"

At this moment, Ji Tian, though on the verge of collapse, had his will flickering with some radiance. Su Yu gasped: "Old classmate, hold on a moment! If you keep this up, you might just revive from the brink of death... Logically, since you've turned back from the wrong path, I should give you a chance... but... forget it! Will you kill yourself? If not, I'll keep killing you. You're having some insights; if this continues, you'll drag me down to death with you!"

Was this an epiphany?

Terrifying!

A hero cherishing a hero... no such thing.

Damn it, if you don't die now, you might come back to life! This guy was actually having some insights, even feeling like a phoenix reborn from the ashes. Su Yu was startled. No, don't! If you're reborn, then we'll be stuck in an endless cycle!

Ji Tian instantly showed a bitter smile. This...

"Su Yu, you really are still so... realistic and shameless!"

Su Yu was too realistic!

He had been listening seriously before, but now he was in a hurry, frantically tearing himself apart. This guy, when he's clear-headed, is truly a dog!

But Su Yu said urgently: "Nonsense! You're my enemy; can I let you revive? I've finally pushed you to the brink of death; if I let you be reborn, wouldn't I be a fool?"

Ji Tian said helplessly: "Stop tearing... I said, I want to be a human..."

"No problem!"

Su Yu nodded quickly: "If you still have some spirit left, and if this world can truly establish a system of reincarnation, I'll let you be reborn as a human, alright? Old classmate, don't linger; it's time to go!"

Su Yu urged: "Really, rest assured! If I don't die and I win, you can be at ease. I already have some plans. You know I'm the fourth gate; I've realized that to maintain balance in the myriad realms, establishing reincarnation might be the best choice!"

"This gate of mine... might be the gate that separates life and death! The system of the myriad realms is imperfect; the strong are immortal and undying, with too many ideas. I'll kill them all... give newcomers a chance... then perhaps the myriad realms will know peace!"

"The gate that separates life and death..."

Ji Tian was slightly stunned. Establish reincarnation?

He looked at Su Yu—was this Su Yu's plan?

Su Yu nodded frantically: "Believe me! Yu said to rule by law, the Lord of the Dead said to establish two realms of life and death, you say being human is beautiful, the myriad realms need peace... then reincarnation might be a good choice!"

"Old classmate, hurry on your way, or soon I won't even give you the chance to be human..."

Su Yu frantically tore at Ji Tian and himself!

Don't linger anymore!

This guy was truly terrifying; if he kept going and had another insight, he might get used to this torment like Su Yu, and then it would be troublesome.

Then they'd just keep tearing at each other!

Tearing until the end of time, perhaps without any result.

"Hmph..."

A muffled grunt sounded. Ji Tian was torn apart by him repeatedly, interrupting his train of thought, breaking his emotional buildup. He was helpless. Su Yu really gave no chance at all!

"Su Yu... you..."

Ji Tian let out a long sigh, sighed again, was torn apart by Su Yu once more, and recovered, but had lost much of his luster, interrupted!

He began to head toward annihilation. Ji Tian sighed again; in truth... there were still some regrets.

If Su Yu had been shaken even a little just now, giving him some opportunity, he might not have died.

"I hope... there will be a day we meet again, a chance to become a true human!"

With some bitterness, his will officially headed toward annihilation, beginning to rapidly collapse!

The origin power within the entire sealing gate surged continuously, trying to revive him. Here, with origin power present, Ji Tian was hard to destroy.

But when his will to survive was completely abandoned, even the origin could not save him.

Ji Tian had no choice but to make this choice!

Su Yu's heart was too ruthless.

Rumble!

A series of thunderous roars shook heaven and earth. Ji Tian, with a trace of regret, his figure completely dissipated, and deep within his will, the faint glimmer that had been born also scattered into the origin, flowing away with the power of the long river.

Su Yu glanced at it but paid no heed.

This fellow—perhaps there truly was hope for him to exist within heaven and earth, not to be utterly annihilated.

At the final moment, aided by some of Wan Mingze's insights into life, or rather the radiance of the sacred path, this fellow had managed to preserve a sliver of spiritual existence.

Su Yu had no time to attend to it. The next moment, he roared, "Qiong, still fighting? Fight my ass! Hurry up and kill the Locust Eater..."

Still fighting?

Killing whom?

He rapidly absorbed vast amounts of origin power, while Wan Tiansheng frantically drew upon the power of the seven emotions and six desires, devouring everything to strengthen himself!

In the distance, a tremendous crash resounded!

The 39th-tier Locust Eater, the moment Qiong joined, was utterly shattered by the Lord of the Dead, Qiong, and the Human Emperor among others. The colossal Locust Eater instantly crumbled!

And at that moment, a fierce roar echoed across heaven and earth!

The two gates of heaven and earth instantly compressed and merged, the entire long river halved in size. The merging of the two gates also meant that the Earth Gate was about to return to its peak combat power!