Chapter 961: Ever-Changing

The battle had reached this point, and Su Yu had no other options left.

The Nether Lord’s annihilation might be the last chance!

He wondered if he could kill the Demon Flame just once.

As long as the Demon Flame was slain once, seizing some of Cang’s power and no longer being restricted by him, there would still be hope. And with the Demon Flame dead once, Su Yu might even be able to devour him and strengthen himself!

Su Yu’s calculations were loud and clear!

At this moment, the Nether Lord was also preparing to self-destruct, fighting with extraordinary ferocity!

With 41 paths, he fought even more savagely than Su Yu!

He didn’t care about getting hurt!

After all, he was ready to annihilate himself!

Su Yu was silently waiting for the opportunity.

Just as the moment seemed to arrive, suddenly, the Demon Flame’s voice echoed in Su Yu’s ear.

“Don’t let Yin self-destruct!”

“…”

Su Yu remained expressionless, but his heart trembled violently—the Demon Flame… knew after all!

“Su Yu, are we going to fight until both sides are crippled… just to let them pick up the scraps?”

The Demon Flame’s voice rang out quickly: “Su Yu, even if one of us truly dies, the end will be brutal beyond measure—we’ll probably both be annihilated! Aren’t you the one who loves to kill those bystanders? Why are you so set against me this time?”

Su Yu had no time to think further and instantly shouted, “Old Dead, step back—I’ll handle this!”

Boom!

He immediately blocked the Nether Lord, who nearly choked in frustration. Damn it!

I was about to self-destruct—what are you doing?

On the opposite side, the Demon Flame’s fire blazed skyward, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly transmitted to Su Yu: “Su Yu, all my cards are on the table now. Cang is clearly using you to wear me down, even to kill me once, stripping me of my trump cards to give him an opening!”

Su Yu said nothing and continued his assault!

His long sword swept across heaven and earth!

He exchanged blows with the Demon Flame in a fierce back-and-forth. The Nether Lord held his breath—was the timing not right yet?

He could only hold it in for now!

At this moment,

alongside the Human Emperor, he assisted Su Yu, fighting together against the Demon Flame.

The Demon Flame continued his transmission: “I know you want Yin to annihilate himself, Su Yu. I also know you’ve been annihilated twice! Of course, Cang doesn’t know—because he can’t sense or see the annihilation within the Heavenly Gate!”

“Now, all the cultivators of the Heavenly Gate are dead, and only I remain alive… If I don’t speak, no one will know any of this!”

“Su Yu, are you willing to fight me until we’re both battered and bleeding, only to let Cang and Black Scale pick up the spoils?”

Of course, he wasn’t willing!

But Su Yu couldn’t find a better way, and at this moment, there was no solution to the problem.

Cang and Black Scale were unreachable now!

They didn’t exist in this space at all—they were deep in the core of heaven and earth. Unless the River of Time was completely compressed and the Three Gates were fully merged, they wouldn’t come out, but you couldn’t strike them either!

Such was the mystery of the River of Time!

Su Yu also transmitted: “So what if I know? Will you give up this chance? Are you willing not to devour me? Since that’s impossible… what can be done?”

“Have you forgotten? I can rise from the ashes!”

The Demon Flame transmitted: “I can die once! If you kill me, devour my corpse, and completely compress the river, they will naturally appear!”

Su Yu’s heart shook!

This was completely beyond his expectations!

Su Yu truly hadn’t expected—hadn’t even imagined—that the Demon Flame would say such a thing. The Demon Flame knew Su Yu wouldn’t willingly be devoured by him, but he could die once, so he said he could let Su Yu devour him!

How could that be!

A trap!

That was Su Yu’s first thought—was the Demon Flame trying to seize the chance to devour him instead?

It wasn’t that Su Yu was being paranoid; it was simply too incredible.

The Demon Flame had actually volunteered to let Su Yu devour him once… what a joke!

Ignoring Su Yu’s doubts, the Demon Flame quickly transmitted: “After you devour me, once the river is fully compressed, Cang and Black Scale will both fully manifest in the real world—no longer in the future, no longer in the past, but in the present! Right now, they are in a special state, very special—it’s the Time Lord’s ability, and we cannot attack them…”

“After you devour me, you might be able to rise to the power of 44 paths, or even 45… though it’s unlikely! 44 paths might be the limit for you and me! And after I rise from the ashes, I might enter the 45-path realm!”

Su Yu listened silently, still unable to believe it.

Would you die for nothing?

If you self-destructed, you might kill us and still come out ahead—why let me devour you for free?

Were you, Demon Flame, really that benevolent?

“Su Yu, it’s only devouring me, not the river—because if we don’t deal with Cang, neither of us may ever get the chance to devour the river! So, unless we kill Cang, you and I might both die in the end!”

The Demon Flame transmitted again: “Of course, I’m not without desires! If I truly had no wants, why would I have lingered in the myriad realms for so many years?”

“What do you want?”

Su Yu transmitted back quickly!

What did the Demon Flame want?

He was willing to die for nothing and let Su Yu devour him—what was he after?

Of course, such a devouring might hide some traps, but for now, Su Yu didn’t need to consider that; he would naturally be cautious.

“I will be killed by you, annihilated, and you will devour me. The Three Gates will fully merge, the River Book will emerge, and the entire River of Time will be compressed… All of this is my sacrifice! So, I have only one request!”

“Speak!”

“I want you to trade me the Path of Life and Death!”

Su Yu was stunned!

The Path of Life and Death—trade it?

Could it be traded?

How?

“What do you mean?”

“Xingyue! Give me Xingyue, and strip your Path of Life and Death for me… Su Yu, I mean what I say. As long as you trade Xingyue, I guarantee that killing me will be very easy… And you yourself will become a powerhouse matching us!”

Su Yu transmitted directly: “Get lost!”

Mo Yan was nearly furious enough to burst a lung, transmitting angrily: "Su Yu, are you an idiot? You've become a 44-path or even 45-path powerhouse—you can no longer undergo nirvana! Nirvana has limits; it's not infinite! If you just strip away your life-and-death path and give it to me... that would fulfill yourself! And for you, it won't have much impact!"

"And you?"

Su Yu suddenly transmitted: "If you get the life-and-death path, could it be... that you can still undergo nirvana? Can you take it for your own use?"

If that were possible... then it would be terrifying!

But the Heavenly Gate had opened heaven and earth, and Mo Yan's true self seemed to have done the same.

If he got the life-and-death path, could this guy really undergo nirvana?

Damn, if he could also undergo nirvana, that would be terrifying.

Die once, then revive; die once, then revive again... killing Mo Yan would be truly too difficult!

And the reality might be that it was indeed possible.

Otherwise, would Mo Yan be foolish enough to offer himself up for Su Yu to kill?

Without losing the chance for nirvana, he could also bring Cang and the others out, not letting them watch the show, and create an opponent like Su Yu for Cang and Black Scale—for Mo Yan, perhaps this was the best choice!

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, Su Yu flew back, and the next moment, he charged forward again!

"No, change the condition..."

Su Yu still refused. No matter what, he couldn't hand over Xingyue.

There were many reasons.

Besides, if he handed over Xingyue, the Human Emperor would fight him to the death.

Then what was the point of Su Yu's battle so far?

Mo Yan was somewhat annoyed, somewhat frantic—this was the best plan he could think of: just hand over Xingyue, and Su Yu could gain one of his bodies for free and complete the devouring!

Su Yu, this guy, was sometimes utterly unreasonable!

"Su Yu, this is my only condition... If you agree to anything else, you can't give it to me! If you won't give me your life-and-death path, then let Yin give it to me... But think carefully: first, Yin might not be willing; second, he can't undergo nirvana, and the Cang force on both you and him can't be removed, so you'll still be under Cang's control!"

As for the River of Time or the Book of the River, those were things Su Yu couldn't promise or achieve.

Mo Yan wasn't stupid; he had no use for those.

He only wanted Su Yu's life-and-death path!

"Su Yu, this is the best outcome, the best chance. Do you insist on fighting to the death with me, making a spectacle for others?"

"Su Yu!"

Mo Yan was furious, his flames growing fiercer: "Or do you think that you, Su Yu, can really take me down?"

At this moment, he was somewhat savage!

An ancient beast, after all, was still an ancient beast!

Su Yu's hesitation had already made him extremely impatient. If Su Yu insisted on fighting to the death, he wasn't afraid either. Who would live and who would die was hard to say. Besides, he knew that the Lord of the Dead could undergo nirvana.

Knowing that, Su Yu's sudden plan to use the Lord of the Dead's self-destruction to wound him was utterly impossible.

As if something occurred to him, Mo Yan suddenly transmitted: "Not Xingyue—just the life-and-death path!"

"Hmm?"

Su Yu's heart stirred.

Mo Yan cursed inwardly: Damn, so that's what it's about.

He quickly transmitted: "No need for Xingyue—it's just that Xingyue controls your life-and-death path... but it can be stripped away! You can give her another path to connect to, or just let her sleep for a while—either works! I don't want the person; I only need the power of the path!"

Su Yu grew interested: "Think it through. Without Xingyue controlling it, the life-and-death path can't actually be fused!"

The reason he hadn't mentioned this was that a separate life-and-death path couldn't fuse. The cycle of life and death would be incomplete!

"Hmph!"

Mo Yan transmitted with a sneer: "Do you think that only you in this world can fuse life and death? I've observed the myriad realms for years, including Yin's nirvana—I've seen it all! I only need your already-fused path!"

Then that could be negotiated!

Su Yu quickly said: "How do we trade?"

"You agree?"

Mo Yan was a bit surprised, then quickly found it normal. He said swiftly: "Simple. Start stripping the path now, and trade at the last moment... You can still use Yin's nirvana to severely wound me... I'll pretend not to know and let you wound me... At the moment you devour me, you'll hand over the life-and-death path, and I'll transfer it away. That way, we both achieve our goals!"

"Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word?"

Su Yu transmitted: "After the Lord of the Dead wounds you, if I don't give it to you... what can you do?"

Mo Yan said with a hint of mockery: "In this world, you're not the only one who can fight to the death... If you don't give it to me, I'm prepared. At the moment you devour me, I'll naturally self-destruct! Then you'll get nothing. And if you think a 44-path powerhouse's self-destruction won't harm you at all, you can try! Of course, I might also go back on my word then... But we can both cut off our connection to the path and ourselves at the last moment, making it safer!"

Both sides wanted to cooperate but feared each other's schemes.

Su Yu even worried that Mo Yan might set traps on himself, while Mo Yan feared Su Yu might set traps on the life-and-death path.

Cooperating with such clever people was often extremely troublesome!

If it were with Qiong and the like, they'd just trade directly!

Mo Yan transmitted again: "We need to be quick, or if someone sees through it, it'll be bad for both of us! Su Yu... between us, the enmity may never be resolved, and I won't give up devouring the myriad realms or the river. But right now, neither of us wants to be used as a pawn or a monkey to be watched... So bringing them out is a must!"

That was true!

Su Yu said no more and quickly replied: "Fine. I'll start stripping the path now. Whether you can fuse it or not, I won't interfere. Whether you use this path to undergo nirvana once or twice, I won't care. But... there's one more thing: after I devour you and you revive... how do we deal with Black Scale and Cang?"

At that point, would it be a chaotic battle, or would they join forces against one?

Or something else?

"Black Scale's target is also Cang. Cang must die. If he doesn't, devouring the river is almost hopeless... Let's join forces to kill Cang! After killing him, when the Book of the River merges into the river, then the River of Time and the myriad realms can be devoured!"

"At that moment, whether you devour the river, or I do, or Black Scale directly destroys it... it's every man for himself!"

That would be the time for a three-way melee.

And Cang, that schemer, should just die!

What kind of person was Su Yu?

What kind was Mo Yan?

None of them were willing to be anyone's pawn. Now, Cang was using them to fight each other—neither would accept that, nor would they be willing!

At this moment, Su Yu and Mo Yan quickly reached an agreement.

Cang, a sword spirit, wanted to dominate the entire myriad realms' situation—a pipe dream!

Su Yu began to strip his life-and-death path, very subtly. With each collision with Mo Yan, he stripped a little. The two fought fiercely, causing the river to tremble constantly!

But the Lord of the Dead held his breath—wasn't it time yet?

Not yet!

Su Yu had to wait, wait for his path to be stripped, so that he could have the chance to trade.

And Demon Flame was also waiting for Su Yu to succeed in his separation.

At this moment, the loss of the life and death paths had little effect on Su Yu; it was merely that heaven and earth were not as perfect as before.

“Wait a little longer!”

Boom!

A thunderous sound rang out, and Su Yu was sent flying once more. The power of his Great Dao scattered, his will wavered, and the energies of life and death swirled around him, as if he were badly wounded and healing.

Demon Flame’s eyes flickered.

This meant Su Yu had successfully separated his Great Dao!

Now, it was time for the trade.

And the Lord of the Dead’s opportunity was at hand.

Su Yu had not told anyone else. Knowing would be pointless and might arouse suspicion. If Cang sensed it in advance and stripped Su Yu and the Lord of the Dead of their power, it would be a massive disaster!

At that moment, Su Yu suddenly transmitted his voice: “Explode!”

The Lord of the Dead cursed inwardly. Was this the right moment?

He didn’t think so!

It felt worse than before!

Earlier, Su Yu’s injuries were lighter, and he thought the opportunity was better.

But since he trusted Su Yu, he had to listen and gamble once!

Whether he could seize the chance and win was entirely up to him!

Though a self-destruction by a 41-path powerhouse like himself might not kill Demon Flame, it was still better than waiting to die!

At this moment, the Lord of the Dead, reckless and resolute, cared not whether he could revive a second time—what did it matter!

“Explode!”

Boom!

In that instant, a deafening roar erupted!

A colossal boom shook the entire river violently!

And Demon Flame, as if caught off guard, seemed not to have anticipated it. Demon Flame was no slouch at acting; if he weren’t skilled, his avatar could not have posed as the Heavenly Gate for so many years. Now, as if unable to dodge in time, he let out a scream!

Boom!

The thunderous sounds rolled on, and Demon Flame roared: “Su Yu!”

At that moment, Su Yu seized the chance and struck at him with his sword, bellowing: “Kill!”

The Human Emperor’s heart trembled. Had the Lord of the Dead self-destructed?

No time to think!

Now was the opportunity!

Demon Flame was gravely wounded by the Lord of the Dead’s self-destruction!

Meanwhile, Cang’s heart also jolted. He quickly looked toward Su Yu and the others, then at the direction of the Lord of the Dead’s explosion, and then at Su Yu furiously hammering the wounded Demon Flame.

His eyes flickered.

Self-destructed?

Yin had chosen to self-destruct at this moment?

Could he revive?

Or was there something else?

Should he drain Su Yu’s future power? The power transmitted to the Lord of the Dead seemed sealed, dissipated, unrecoverable!

Should he drain Su Yu’s power now?

But the opportunity was rare—Demon Flame was badly hurt. Draining Su Yu’s power now would instantly tip the balance, letting Demon Flame win…

Cang hesitated for an instant.

Yet in that instant, Su Yu and Demon Flame clashed—fist and sword, trading blows!

A thunderous crash rang out!

Su Yu transformed into the Human Gate, roaring as it sealed heaven and earth, sealing Demon Flame, and bellowed: “You may rise from the flames, but today you die!”

Demon Flame staggered, also turning into a gate, and began to ram violently within the Human Gate!

Amid the collision, Su Yu’s life and death Great Dao fell into Demon Flame’s gate.

Demon Flame’s voice echoed in Su Yu’s mind: “Sever the connection together—you cut your control over the life and death path, and I cut my control over the two gates… Su Yu, no tricks!”

“You’d better not try anything either!”

Su Yu didn’t trust him either; how dare this fellow not trust him!

“We’ll sever together. I’ll count to three…”

Before Su Yu finished, Demon Flame’s voice came quickly: “To hell with counting… Don’t count. Let’s both erupt with full force, to the extreme, until we have no mind for anything else—that’s your chance to kill me… Otherwise, how could you kill me so easily?”

True!

The next moment, both of their auras surged to the peak!

A sword beam blazed in all directions as Su Yu struck down!

And Demon Flame, with a roar, raised a flame that soared, fierce and boundless. Even wounded, he still maintained a combat power above 40 paths.

Boom!

Another crash, so violent that the 39-path Human Emperor was sent flying back, spitting blood from all seven orifices!

The Qiong Sword in Su Yu’s hand let out a mournful cry!

The blade was slightly cracked!

The Heaven-Opening Sword was mighty, but now it was no longer the Sky-Spanning Sword of old. Qiong, with 39-path power, struck the gate, which shattered with a boom, but also sent back a terrifying counterforce!

In that moment, Demon Flame collapsed instantly, but Su Yu could sense that his will had vanished into thin air, and along with it, his own life and death Great Dao.

And Su Yu, in that same instant, forcibly ripped out a surge of power!

That mighty power flew straight toward where the Lord of the Dead had just self-destructed.

Only then did Cang’s expression change.

Dead?

So fast?

He hadn’t expected Demon Flame to die so quickly. According to his calculations, Demon Flame could have held on. Even if he died, Demon Flame could revive; he wouldn’t wait for a chance to live. Nine times out of ten, he would have self-destructed and taken Su Yu with him!

But no!

Demon Flame did not self-destruct!

He was simply cut down by Su Yu’s sword!

At this moment, Qiong was stunned—a face appeared on the sword blade, tinged with bewilderment: Am I this fierce?

Holy shit!

I’m too powerful, aren’t I? One sword strike and I slew the Demon Flame, not even giving him a chance to self-destruct!

And the Human Emperor, first surprised, then a flicker of strangeness crossed his face.

Was the Demon Flame killed just like that?

Even if he could be reborn, dying like this was far too unexpected.

All of this, in the blink of an eye, between thunder and lightning.

At this moment, Su Yu let out a thunderous roar, stripping away all the power of the future, while Cang’s face changed color, quickly trying to withdraw it. But just as the attraction force emerged, suddenly, within Su Yu’s body, a black thunderous force erupted!

Boom!

Another deafening crash—the attraction force was directly shattered by the black thunder.

“Su Yu!”

Cang growled lowly, a heaviness in his voice. What was Su Yu doing?

He was stripping away the power Cang had gifted him; Cang wanted to reclaim it, yet Su Yu had blocked him with the power of tribulation. But he could hold out for a moment, not forever!

He was about to pull it back again!

But just then, from the direction where the Death Lord had self-destructed earlier, an immense suction force emerged. On the long river, black and white appeared, like a vortex, rapidly absorbing the power Su Yu had transmitted!

Rumble!

The long river churned violently. Cang tried to reclaim that power, but found he couldn’t—Su Yu’s black thunder kept striking, kept hammering, leaving him momentarily unable to seize it.

By the time Su Yu’s tribulation power was mostly spent, Cang sensed again… it was gone!

Yes, gone.

That transmitted power had vanished completely!

Absorbed away!

“Su Yu!”

Cang’s furious shout rose again, a hint of unease creeping in. But Su Yu had no time to heed him; two broken portals appeared and were swiftly devoured by him—the three gates were fully merged!

Boom!

At this moment, the entire myriad realms, the entire river of time, seemed to be wrapped within Su Yu’s body.

The long river was compressed into a sphere, forming the myriad realms, enveloping them all.

Pressed into a round orb!

And around this orb, a river coiled—a silvery-white river, extraordinarily beautiful.

Su Yu devoured the remnants of the two portals. Having just stripped away the power of the future, his strength had been declining, but in an instant, it recovered to forty-two paths, and that power continued to climb!

The myriad realms grew smaller and smaller!

At the same time, near Su Yu, a flame suddenly appeared out of nowhere—a black flame. On it, a phantom of an ancient qilin beast seemed to materialize: the Demon Flame, reborn from the ashes!

Not only that—the flame, originally black-red, now faintly took on hues of black and white.

The Demon Flame’s aura swelled rapidly!

…

The River Book trembled violently, beginning to manifest in earnest!

But at this moment, Cang’s face was ashen!

The Demon Flame had revived.

Su Yu had devoured the two gates; the Death Lord seemed to be reviving too. All this happened so fast that the power Cang had bestowed earlier vanished entirely, beyond his perception!

Now, a sword appeared in Cang’s hand.

His figure grew ever clearer.

A cold expression crossed Cang’s face. He suddenly looked toward the Demon Flame—the Demon Flame had died too quickly, catching him off guard. The Demon Flame’s chance for rebirth was only once; had he wasted it like that?

The Demon Flame dying once was actually a good thing.

But Cang felt something was off, especially with Su Yu slipping from his control so swiftly, unsettling him.

And the Demon Flame had left behind too much power—why hadn’t he self-destructed?

Why?

Had they… made a pact?

At this moment, the thought arose in Cang: Had Su Yu and the Demon Flame reached some agreement?

But how could Su Yu make the Demon Flame abandon his own life to complete Su Yu?

Meanwhile, Su Yu’s power surged sharply, rumbling!

In the void, a great sphere appeared—that was the myriad realms!

The river encircled the myriad realms!

And Su Yu’s aura instantly reached forty-three paths, climbing upward. Moments later, he fully merged the two gates. With a thunderous boom, Su Yu reverted to his true form, a man, appearing in the void.

Forty-four paths!

At this moment, Su Yu ascended to the power of forty-four paths, and the strength of the two gates was instantly consumed.

At the same time, over there, the Demon Flame’s figure materialized. His body shook violently, and a wave of flame swept in all directions, overwhelmingly mighty. This time, he no longer kept a human form but returned to his true self—an ancient black qilin beast.

His aura was stronger than before!

Perhaps it reached forty-five paths, perhaps not—Su Yu couldn’t judge clearly at that moment, but it was greater than his.

Just as Su Yu finished his fusion, the River Book quaked!

Boom!

The entire myriad realms and the river trembled. The book emerged, and at that moment, Cang and Black Scale also appeared.

Two powerful auras swept across the four directions!

“They’ve come out…”

Black Scale murmured. He and Cang had been in a special space, restraining each other. Now, they stepped out of that space.

Beside them, the River Book still hovered.

Behind Su Yu, a dark aura emerged.

Next, a dark figure appeared—the Death Lord had revived swiftly, with a smile, at forty-two paths!

But… soon, his smile faded!

In that instant of revival, the situation seemed to have changed again.

Those two… had come out?

Cang’s power, after being annihilated and refined by him once, had turned into his own strength. He had also improved, entering the realm of forty-two paths.

But... but how did they all come out?

And Mo Yan really did revive!

At that moment, Cang's face turned ashen, while Su Yu glanced at Mo Yan, then without a word, grabbed the Lord of the Dead, and in the next instant, seized the Human Emperor!

He shoved the two of them into a portal on his forehead.

Before they could react, Su Yu's roar rang out: "Give me the power of heaven and earth!"

"Didn't you say you didn't need it?"

The Human Emperor cursed.

Su Yu couldn't be bothered to reply—nonsense, before it would have been wasted, but now... of course he needed it.

Holy crap!

These three all seemed to have forty-five paths, while he only had forty-four; he was the weakest, so he had to rely on them to boost his power of heaven and earth, just so he wouldn't fall behind.

"Kill!"

A fierce roar erupted, and a sword struck toward Cang!

At the same time, Mo Yan set the heavens ablaze with flames, his four hooves treading the void, stepping on fire as he instantly trampled toward Cang!

Hei Lin, who had remained silent, suddenly revealed a cold smirk, a longsword materializing in his hand as he slashed at Cang!

Cang roared in fury, clutching the Book of the River in one hand and wielding a sword in the other, sweeping across all directions!

His mighty aura shook the entire Chaos, making it tremble!

"What if you join forces?"

Cang bellowed in rage!

These people had all chosen to turn against him in the end!

He knew that the reason he had become the target of everyone was the Book of the River—he was the spirit of the River!

But how could he give up?

Now, he had to seize control of the River.

"Sword!"

With a fierce cry, the River that encircled the Ten Thousand Realms suddenly transformed into a sword. In that moment, the River, compressed to its utmost, became a blade he grasped in his hand—Su Yu couldn't even snatch it away.

The Book of the River instantly merged into the giant sword.

The Cangqiong Sword!

Perhaps this was the true Cangqiong Sword, or at least most of its spirit and power; Qiong was merely a worthless remnant that had become a spirit.

"Heaven-Opening!"

Cang muttered softly. This "Heaven-Opening" did not come from Su Yu but from Cang himself. The sword strike was unmatched in its might, slashing toward the three!

All this change happened too fast.

So fast it was beyond belief!

Su Yu and the others hadn't contacted Hei Lin, but now the three had an unspoken understanding: kill Cang first. Only by killing Cang could they have a chance to flee, protect, or devour!

Su Yu struck with his sword, Hei Lin struck with his sword, and Mo Yan directly transformed into a primordial Chaos beast, his massive form wreathed in flames that burned everything, his four hooves crashing down!

Boom!

Sword light flashed, and a thunderous roar followed. Su Yu's sword trembled violently, and Qiong let out a miserable scream—a crack appeared on the blade, and Su Yu's arm instantly shattered!

The powerful sword energy surged into his body, causing his flesh to tremble wildly.

Inside his world, the Human Emperor and the Lord of the Dead all spat blood.

Such fierce sword energy!

Using the River of Time as a sword, Cang, though he had lost some power, had compressed the River into a blade, and this sword repaid him handsomely!

After waiting countless ages, Cang had been anticipating the day when the three gates would converge!

At this moment, Cang's face was cold and stern: "All your scheming—what use is it? No matter how you plot, in the end, the River becomes a sword, and you've only fulfilled my purpose!"

Now, he was the strongest among the four.

The River turning into a sword was unavoidable!

Boom!

Three consecutive thunderous crashes rang out. With a bang, Mo Yan was sent flying, his hooves stained with blood.

Hei Lin was thrown backward, his sword pitch-black, the power of calamity erupting from it. Cang's Cangqiong Sword was too strong, but... no matter how strong, facing three alone, he struggled.

In an instant, with a sharp sound, two sword wounds appeared on his body, and his gray hair bore traces of scorching!

Cang staggered slightly, surrounded by the three in the midst of Chaos, his face icy. Su Yu and the others said nothing, and in the next moment, they attacked again!

"Kill!"

Su Yu also used the Heaven-Opening Sword, slashing with black calamity power aimed at Cang, while Hei Lin's sword carried an even stronger calamity force!

At that moment, within Su Yu's world, the Human Emperor and the Lord of the Dead frantically channeled power to him, replenishing his strength. Among the four powerhouses, Su Yu was the weakest; without their support, he couldn't match the others.

"Get lost!"

Cang roared again, sweeping his sword through the void, scattering Chaos!

This sword strike was like the Time Lord's primordial creation of heaven and earth—boundless in its might!

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Three crisp, thunderous clashes followed. The immense shockwave swept across all of Chaos, spreading into its depths, breaking layer after layer of darkness to reveal light. The dazzling radiance turned this dark place into a land of brightness!

The four powerhouses clashed once more. Su Yu's body was clad in a suit of armor, formed from the three gates, with formidable defensive power.

Cang's sword strike barely harmed Su Yu.

Under the combined assault of the three, in the blink of an eye, several more marks were left on Cang's body!

The three encircled Cang, their eyes blazing with killing intent.

Cang glanced at Su Yu, grunted, and said in a low voice: "Su Yu... you too want to besiege me? I am protecting the Ten Thousand Realms. Hei Lin wants to devour me, destroy me, and flee the realms! Mo Yan goes without saying... and you... do you want to bring about the end of the world?"

He looked at Su Yu: "If I die, are you sure you can match them? They will only join forces to kill you. Then they'll have a common goal—Mo Yan devours the Ten Thousand Realms, Hei Lin leaves the realms... that's a win-win!"

"There is no conflict between Mo Yan and Hei Lin... but you have conflicts with both! Their ultimate goal is to annihilate the Ten Thousand Realms and destroy the River... Su Yu, don't you understand this truth?"

Cang seemed furious!

Su Yu, your choice is wrong!

"Besides... Mo Yan seems to have absorbed your power of life and death... so he might revive again. Su Yu, joining forces to kill Mo Yan is the right choice!"

"Kill!"

His only answer was Su Yu's sword!

Mo Yan and Hei Lin also remained silent. At this point, words were useless, excuses pointless. In truth, what Cang said was correct.

But... Su Yu was determined to kill him!

"You are the strongest, so I must kill you!"

"To waver between two extremes is the greatest taboo; as for what comes after, kill Cang first!"

"Fool!"

Cang roared in anger, his sword sweeping through the void. With a thunderous crash, the four clashed together, killing intent soaring to the heavens.

Sword into the body!

Su Yu drove his sword into Cang's body, while Cang's sword extinguished the flames of Mo Yan, severing one of Mo Yan's hooves with a single stroke!

Mo Yan grunted and hastily retreated.

Hei Lin also struck with his sword, unleashing the power of black calamity. With a *puchi*, it too pierced into Cang's body.

"Get lost!"

Boom!

A surging force erupted from within Cang, and with a thunderous roar, Su Yu and Hei Lin were both sent flying backward.

Both spat blood!

Cang gripped his longsword, gritting his teeth, furious beyond measure!

He suddenly swung his sword at Su Yu!

Su Yu cursed under his breath and swiftly retreated!

The swords clashed in midair, the Heaven-Opening Swords colliding again and again. With a *bang*, Su Yu was sent flying, while Hei Lin and Mo Yan had already attacked again.

Bang bang bang!

A series of deafening explosions resounded in all directions. Cang was indeed formidable, and with the Sky Sword in hand, he was absurdly powerful. Yet, besieged by three, he struggled to cope!

From Su Yu's battle with Mo Yan to the three joining forces against him, everything had shifted too quickly.

And all schemes came to naught!

Cang, utterly unwilling, roared again and sent Su Yu flying with a sweep of his sword, his voice laced with fury: "Su Yu, have you lost your mind?"

"If you kill me... you are doomed to lose as well!"

Su Yu said nothing, continuing the fight, while Mo Yan chuckled softly: "Of course he's not stupid. If he kills you... perhaps Qiong can devour you? Isn't that right, Su Yu?"

Su Yu smiled: "You know me, Mo Yan! Don't fight me for the corpse!"

Mo Yan smiled but said nothing, and the three attacked once more!

Yes, Su Yu knew full well that Cang was right, but... so what?

If he killed Cang, perhaps Qiong could swallow Cang!

This was also an opportunity!

Cang's sword aura exploded, boundless in might. With a roar, he struck out again.

Kill me?

Not so easy!

The four mighty ones fought until chaos itself shattered!

All possessed roughly the power of forty-five Daos. Even Su Yu, with the support of the other two, was about the same. But Cang, empowered by the Sky Sword formed from the long river, was stronger—perhaps with the power of forty-six Daos.

Fighting three alone, he remained valiant!

Yet valor was but temporary.

Cang had not fully mastered the River of Time.

The four clashed, killing intent soaring, sword energy sweeping in all directions, splitting chaos. In some places, the seeds of new worlds even appeared. The aftermath of these mighty ones seemed to be creating heavens and earth.

Just as Su Yu and the other two struck again, their swords piercing into his body, a cold gleam flashed across Cang's face. "You will regret this!"

The next moment, he allowed Su Yu and Hei Lin to thrust their swords into him.

And he himself raised his sword, unleashing an unprecedented radiance, boundless and mighty, and struck at Mo Yan!

A sword's hum rang out!

With a *puchi*!

The sword pierced through, severing Mo Yan's head. This strike, laced with the world-destroying power from Su Yu and the others, utterly annihilated everything of Mo Yan!

At that moment, Cang kept spitting blood, but he had slain Mo Yan with a single blow!

He laughed!

Not because he had killed Mo Yan, but because... Mo Yan had revived!

Yes, in that instant, in the distance, a flame flickered and rose. In a flash, Mo Yan reappeared, his aura even stronger than before!

Slightly weaker than Cang, yet stronger than both Hei Lin and Su Yu.

Cang, bleeding, laughed loudly: "Su Yu, guess how many more times he can revive? Each revival makes him stronger... If you kill me, can you match him?"

And Mo Yan's eyes turned somewhat cold.

Su Yu took a deep breath, looking at Mo Yan. "Mo Yan, it seems you can revive once more... After that, you might rival Cang!"

Mo Yan should be able to revive one more time!

Because he had once opened two worlds!

Cang had paid the price of severe injury to kill Mo Yan, just to tell Su Yu and the others: even if you kill me, you cannot deal with Mo Yan. He can die once more, and if he dies again, he revives and becomes the next Cang!

And at that moment, with Cang dead, how could Su Yu and Hei Lin match him?

Besides, Hei Lin might not even oppose him!

And just then, the grievously wounded Cang suddenly struck together with Su Yu, both aiming their swords at Mo Yan!

Mo Yan snorted coldly!

He had anticipated this!

Su Yu's laughter rang out: "Brother Mo Yan, die once more, and we'll join forces to kill Cang again!"

"You'd better use up that last chance, or else... who would dare trust you?"

And at that moment, Hei Lin also attacked Mo Yan. Mo Yan's face instantly darkened, and he growled, "Hei Lin!"

Hei Lin chuckled softly: "Let us all live for the last time... Being able to revive is too disgusting. Mo Yan... use up your last revival, and we will naturally not turn against you!"

Just moments ago, it was three against Cang; in the blink of an eye, it became three against Mo Yan!

Such a shift, too fast!

At this moment, even the sword in Su Yu's hand could not help but utter: "It's better to be a sword!"

"Otherwise, I wouldn't know who to kill next. It's better to be a sword—no need to think!"