Chapter 775: March and Giant Axe

"Hah, women!"

At that moment, Su Yu flew far away, shaking his head with a wry smile.

See, how simple it was to resolve.

Su Yu had actually heard the last words the Wen Wang had spoken to him, and he was curious—why did the Wen Wang want him to revive Xingyue?

For affection?

Or was Xingyue actually a backup plan?

Whatever!

Su Yu had already planned to revive Xingyue anyway; it was something he had intended to do long before. Whether the Wen Wang said it or not made no difference.

...

Inside the research institute.

Su Yu arrived quickly.

At that moment, Hetu was being dissected!

Yes, the Wen Wang's students were curiously cutting him open. The female death spirit—Su Yu now knew her name, Li Yun—was one of the more outstanding disciples of the Wen Wang back in the day.

Right now, Li Yun, along with a few other death spirits, was studying Hetu.

Seeing Su Yu arrive, Li Yun asked curiously, "Does Emperor Su truly intend to revive him?"

Su Yu noticed Hetu casting him a pleading look and couldn't help but smile. "I have that intention. Have you all found anything from your research?"

"Death turning to life..."

Li Yun pondered for a moment and said, "This is different from Emperor Su's previous reincarnation! Back then, Emperor Su merely lived and died within his own realm. But these ones are actually bound by the Death Dao! This is essentially wresting control of them from the Death Dao... and the Death Dao is quite domineering, quite exclusive!"

Exclusive!

That was Li Yun's term. Su Yu thought for a moment and nodded.

"It is indeed exclusive!"

The Way of Ten Thousand Paths, only I!

Yes, that was the master of the Death Dao.

Among all paths, only the Death Path!

And the Death Path,

was also the sole path of the self!

No branching was allowed; even the current Ink Path was forcibly carved out by the Wen Wang.

Such an existence held a high degree of control over death spirits, and now, Su Yu reviving them was essentially snatching food from the master of the Death Dao's bowl.

Li Yun warned seriously, "Emperor Su, if you want to revive them, be careful. I suspect the Death Dao might be provoked."

"Provoked?"

Su Yu frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Awakening!"

She explained, "Right now, whether it's the Time Dao or the Death Dao, I think they are both in a state of slumber, or rather, passively responding to changes. But once a bottom line is touched, the Dao might awaken!"

Su Yu's heart trembled.

No way!

The Death Dao was terrifyingly powerful—an existence that had created an entire realm. If it awakened... that would be a huge problem.

Was she trying to scare him?

Li Yun continued, "Of course, even if it awakens, I don't think it will cause too much of a stir. After all, the master of the Death Dao might be dead or completely gone. Without a master, the Dao only possesses passive power!"

Su Yu nodded slightly.

Even passive power could be terrifying.

This added a layer of worry in Su Yu's mind. If that were the case, the difficulty of revival would be even greater.

At that moment, Li Yun cut open Hetu again and mused, "Hetu is indeed different from us. To put it simply, our core is death energy. If we convert death energy to life energy, we might die completely. But in his case, he has a physical body."

As she spoke, she pulled out Hetu's blackened heart. "A black heart!"

"..."

Hetu was depressed. You're the one with a black heart! I'm a death spirit, so of course my heart is black.

Did you expect it to be red?

Speechless!

"His heart is still intact! It hasn't rotted at all—that's quite a miracle!"

Li Yun continued, "Also, could we cut this one open too?"

She pointed at Liu Hong.

Liu Hong's face darkened.

Su Yu was curious, and Li Yun explained, "He's a half-death spirit. I think dissecting him might yield another result—what is the mindset of a half-death spirit, what is the form of a death spirit, and what is the form of a death spirit with a physical body like Hetu? We need to compare them to avoid mistakes during the revival process!"

Professional!

Su Yu nodded. Indeed, professionals were different.

Su Yu had originally planned to try a single method, but listening to Li Yun, it seemed they needed to treat each case separately.

Su Yu looked at Liu Hong, whose face was gloomy. I won't do it!

You're also a half-death spirit...

Su Yu coughed lightly. "Teacher Liu, I'm no longer a half-death spirit. I'm a living person now. Alas, it's sad—there's no one left to convert me, or I'd volunteer to try it myself!"

Yes, with the death energy channel severed and having died and been reborn, Su Yu was now a living person.

He was no longer a half-death spirit.

Liu Hong grew even more depressed. Su Yu smiled and said, "Teacher Liu, you're a Dao-Integrator now. Cutting open your flesh is no big deal."

"..."

Easy for you to say! Why don't you try it yourself!

He said nonchalantly, "Shouldn't we also study a living person? For comparison?"

Li Yun said oddly, "A living person? We've all been living people before. When we were alive, we studied living people plenty. The data is all in our minds, and our memories have revived. Why would we need a living person?"

"..."

Heart-wrenching.

Liu Hong was helpless. It seemed there was no chance of getting Su Yu to volunteer.

And Su Yu, squinting at him with a bright smile, made Liu Hong's heart skip a beat. Forget it, this bastard was petty-minded. Since there was no hope, he might as well not show his reluctance. He quickly smiled and said, "Alright, for the great cause of revival, I'll definitely support it!"

Soon, Liu Hong lay down on the research table of his own accord—how tragic.

But there was no choice!

Li Yun and the others showed no mercy, cutting straight in!

After all, they were all Dao-Integration realm powerhouses; no matter how much they were tormented, it was hard to die.

Su Yu, curious, leaned in to watch for a while. Liu Hong’s face was grim; forget it, he closed his eyes and looked away!

Li Yun dissected as she analyzed with the several death spirits.

Su Yu stepped forward to examine as well, sensing whether Liu Hong’s state as a half-death spirit differed from his own during that period.

After inspecting for a while, Su Yu frowned slightly and said, “Teacher Liu’s power composition is more balanced than mine was back then—truly a blend of life and death!”

Thinking this, Su Yu’s eyes flickered.

He knew a technique: the Reversal of Yuan Cavities!

Life energy turned to death energy, death energy reversed to life energy.

It was merely a special technique, not a rule of the Great Dao. Su Yu had tried to turn it into a rule before, but it didn’t work—not even divine script could transform it; it could only be used as a special technique.

With that in mind, Su Yu said gravely, “I know the Reversal of Yuan Cavities. If I reverse all 360 yuan cavities, I can turn life energy into death energy. Is this technique useful?”

At these words, Li Yun fell into thought.

The death spirits pondered for a moment, then Li Yun asked, “Can Your Majesty still reverse it now?”

To be honest, Su Yu hadn’t used this technique in a long time.

Now that his yuan cavities had transformed into the Heavenly Gate, he wasn’t sure if it still worked.

Thinking this, Su Yu attempted a reversal. As he did, the Heavenly Gate appeared, and suddenly, a surge of death energy poured out from it.

Su Yu was slightly pleased and nodded—it still worked.

Yet, at that very moment, a powerful burst of life energy erupted from the Heavenly Gate, instantly crushing the death energy!

Su Yu shuddered!

He quickly manifested the Heavenly Gate. Now, on the gate that appeared, life energy flourished, and the death energy was swiftly routed.

Su Yu’s expression shifted uncertainly. The next moment, he shouted, “Tonghou!”

After a moment, a figure materialized.

Tonghou looked bewildered. “What’s wrong?”

Why call me out of the blue?

Strange!

Su Yu said solemnly, “Look!”

Tonghou then gazed at the Heavenly Gate. As he did, he stirred slightly and quickly understood why Su Yu had summoned him. After thinking, he hesitated, “This… the Heavenly Gate… Your Majesty used death energy within the gate?”

Su Yu nodded and said gravely, “It was fine before. I had the Heavenly Gate before and used death energy—everything was normal! But today, when I used the reversal technique to turn life into death, the Heavenly Gate crushed it!”

Tonghou sank into thought. After a long while, he said, “This… hard to say! Maybe it didn’t touch the Heavenly Gate before…”

“Nonsense!”

Su Yu frowned. “Before, when I manifested the Heavenly Gate, I often absorbed death energy!”

Tonghou was also perplexed. After a pause, he said, “Perhaps it’s different now from before. The biggest difference is that Your Majesty shattered the Heavenly Gate earlier and then re-formed it!”

Su Yu said nothing.

What difference did that make?

Tonghou continued, “So, I speculate that after Your Majesty shattered it once, the Heavenly Gate became more active, or perhaps it was noticed by the Gate Clan!”

Su Yu furrowed his brow. What did that mean?

What did it mean to be noticed by the Gate Clan?

Had he been noticed by the Heavenly Gate?

Tonghou went on, “It’s like this: the Heavenly Gate… the existence of the Heavenly Gate sealed the Age of Creation, and the Age of Creation is generally believed to have been sealed by one of two beings: the Lord of the Death Spirit Path or the Human Ancestor!”

“Could it be that the Human Ancestor sealed it, and the Lord of Death Spirits was also sealed inside?”

He added, “It’s very possible. As far as I know, those who open the Heavenly Gate are all humans. The myriad races are said to be able to open it… but I’ve never seen it!”

He looked at Su Yu. “So I think, could it be that the Human Ancestor sealed the Lord of Death Spirits, and now that the Heavenly Gate has been disturbed, it might think the Lord of Death Spirits wants to come out?”

“Or that the death spirit race wants to rescue the Lord of Death Spirits? To unseal him?”

“…”

One speculation after another emerged. Su Yu frowned—it was indeed possible.

Was the Heavenly Gate made by the Human Ancestor?

Or did the Human Ancestor find it from heaven and earth, and the Age of Creation was sealed by humanity?

The Human Ancestor’s physical Great Dao was very strong—Su Yu knew that.

But… unless the Human Ancestor had also opened a separate heaven, and the physical Great Dao was merely a path used in ancient times.

Thoughts swirled in his mind.

Soon, Su Yu took a deep breath and stopped thinking. The more he thought, the more complicated it became.

He said quickly, “So, you mean that now my Heavenly Gate can’t touch death energy? No, if there’s too much death energy, it will be automatically crushed and turned into life energy!”

Su Yu’s eyes lit up. “This… might be a good thing!”

Indeed, death energy touching the Heavenly Gate was actually transformed into life energy.

This… Su Yu truly hadn’t known before.

If that were the case, he suddenly looked at Hetu. Hetu, catching his gaze, bared his teeth. “I have to be the lab rat again, don’t I?”

“Just say it straight!”

Su Yu squinted and smiled. “Hetu, death energy turning into life energy!”

A good thing!

Hetu had no choice but to output a bit of death energy. Su Yu quickly manifested the Heavenly Gate, and sure enough, it was different this time. When the death energy struck, it was instantly reversed into life energy.

With a bang, that life energy shot back into Hetu’s body, and Hetu grunted.

He was a death spirit; this life energy was actually quite harmful.

Thus, he suffered a small loss.

But Su Yu’s eyes gleamed. That life energy surged within him and took a long time to be suppressed by his death energy!

The more Su Yu thought, the more excited he became. This way, transforming death spirits might have a better method and guarantee.

…

The death spirits continued their research. The gap between half-death spirits and death spirits was still vast.

Their physical bodies remained, with life and death energy coexisting.

Yet the undead, by their very nature, were devoid of any breath of life; how to make life and death coexist might well be the ultimate key to resurrection.

A few of them began to delve deeper into the research.

As for the affairs of the outside world, the group could no longer be bothered to care, including Su Yu, who did not care to meddle anymore, unless the undead in the sealed lands broke free; otherwise, there was currently no matter of great consequence that required his attention.

……

Just as Su Yu was researching the art of rebirth.

The Upper Realm.

The region of the Chaos Mountains.

At this moment, the Chaos Mountain region was in utter turmoil as the Myriad Races began their formal advance into the mountains; on the periphery, the vanguard armies of various races had already commenced their sweeping operations.

Squad after squad of powerful experts began to march toward the Chaos Mountains.

The Myriad Races used the Human Mountain as their base, where a vast number of powerful experts gathered.

At the summit of the Human Mountain, a group of Heavenly Venerate-level experts assembled.

Presently, Heavenly Venerate Yue was briefing the crowd on the situation, his expression somewhat grave.

"According to current investigations, in the Chaos Mountain region, the number of Chaos Ancient Beasts at the Dao-Merging Realm is likely no fewer than eighty! Previously, they all kept to themselves and would only gather if outsiders entered, possessing little intelligence."

"But ever since the last anomaly, two terrifying existences have appeared in the depths of the Chaos Mountains: an Eight-Winged Tiger and a Broken-Tailed Dragon!"

"That Eight-Winged Tiger absolutely possesses the combat power of a Heavenly Venerate, and the Broken-Tailed Dragon, as far as I know, carries injuries on its body, possibly having fought against some terrifying existence deep within the chaos; despite this, the opponent absolutely possesses Heavenly Venerate combat power, and in its prime state, I fear... it would be beyond imagination, comparable in strength to that ancestor of the Hell King lineage!"

Heavenly Venerate Dao said softly, "That ancestor of the Hell King lineage, has their identity still not been clearly investigated even now?"

Heavenly Venerate Yue shook his head: "It is hard to judge; the Hell King seemingly left no descendants back then, but if there were no descendants... where did these people come from? It is highly possible they are descendants born in secret, and this so-called ancestor is very likely of the Hell King's direct bloodline!"

Speaking to this point, Heavenly Venerate Yue added: "Continuing on the matter of the Chaos Mountains, right now, this Broken-Tailed Dragon and the Eight-Winged Tiger each occupy a side, one holding the southern region, the other holding the northern region... both are deep within the Chaos Mountains, each having gathered dozens of Dao-Merging and hundreds of Eternity-level ancient beasts!"

Everyone's hearts tightened slightly, and Lei Bao, who had not gone out to investigate the situation, said in a deep voice: "They have gathered?"

"Yes, they have gathered!"

Heavenly Venerate Yue let out a sigh, "The end of the last great war was also because of the sudden appearance of these two! Otherwise, there was hope of capturing Yue Hao last time!"

As he spoke, he added: "Furthermore, according to our current investigations, in the Hell King lineage, apart from a terrifying existence still behind the gate, the strongest is that ancestor; additionally, there are five Heavenly Venerate-level existences including Yue Hao, and over ten Heavenly Kings!"

"Had it not been for Su Yu's group killing several Heavenly Kings and one Heavenly Venerate earlier, their strength would be even a tier stronger!"

The more he spoke, the more depressed the few of them became.

When you thought there were not many enemies outside, the enemies turned out to be even more numerous and stronger than you imagined, leaving no choice but to be depressed.

Heavenly Venerate Yue continued: "Moreover, among these Heavenly Venerates, Yue Luo is extremely powerful; everyone saw her clash with Ju Fu last time, Ju Fu was no match, and in less than thirty bouts, he was severely wounded by Yue Luo and fled! This Yue Luo's strength, even if weaker than that ancestor, is slightly stronger than ours, likely on par with Ri Mian!"

To the side, Ri Mian nodded slightly: "Probably not weaker than me; to be able to seal Bai Zhan, she is indeed powerful."

Though on the surface, the Myriad Races had more Heavenly Venerates.

The opposing side was not weak either.

Coupled with that terrifying existence behind the gate, the gap in strength between the two sides was not large.

Heavenly Venerate Yue spoke again: "Right now, there are still three roaming Heavenly Venerates... no, counting Bai Zhan whose whereabouts are unknown, there are a full four!"

"This is also a tremendous variable!"

The Broken-Tailed Dragon, Bai Zhan, the Eight-Winged Tiger, Ju Fu!

A total of four Heavenly Venerates, their stances uncertain, their locations unknown; the strength of Bai Zhan and the Broken-Tailed Dragon might even transcend the Heavenly Venerate level, reaching the state of a true ancient flesh-bound Human King.

This made people all the more wary!

Heavenly Venerate Yue briefly explained the situation, then said in a deep voice: "So at this point, how we crush the Chaos lineage is also a major trouble! These few roaming Heavenly Venerates, especially the two ancient beasts, are even more troublesome; I worry they might join forces with the Hell King lineage!"

The crowd looked at one another, all feeling a bit of a headache for a moment.

The numbers were not small!

This was not one or two, but a full four top existences whose attitudes were unclear.

As Heavenly Venerate Yue spoke, he added: "As for Ju Fu, he wants to repay Su Yu's favor, so he is currently targeting the Hell King lineage, but Ju Fu's strength, to be honest, is at the bottom among the Heavenly Venerates! Fighting the Hell King lineage alone, he has achieved almost nothing!"

"Brother San Yue!"

Heavenly Venerate Yue looked toward San Yue and said in a deep voice: "Could Brother San Yue contact Ju Fu and have him move together with us? The Human Race indeed has a feud with us, but the Hell King lineage, on one hand, are traitors to the Human Race, and on the other, are the enemies of Su Yu's group; if Ju Fu truly wants to return the favor... he might as well join forces with us, perhaps creating greater military success!"

San Yue wore a naive, simple expression: "I have no way to contact him."

Believe you, my foot!

The few of them clearly did not believe it; releasing Ju Fu was advocated solely by San Yue, so how could he have absolutely no contact with Ju Fu.

"Another question, where on earth did Bai Zhan go?"

Heavenly Venerate Yue said in a deep voice: "Not just Bai Zhan, last time Nan Xi, Jiang Hai, and Yun Shui fled, and now they are nowhere to be seen either; did they go to find Bai Zhan? If they went to find Bai Zhan, then where are they hiding now? If Su Yu and his group could come up from the Lower Realm, then they can go down; those people like Yun Shui followed Su Yu before, do they also know where the passage to the Lower Realm is?"

A passage aside from the one held by the Destiny Race!

Heavenly Venerate Yue said in a deep voice: "If Bai Zhan took those few down to the Lower Realm, will a variable arise in the midst of this?"

"Su Yu's side has indeed suffered no small loss! But on Su Yu's side, if I remember correctly, there is still a dog; that dog belonging to King Wen is still alive, and it fought fiercely against Yue Hao before without falling into a disadvantage!"

"Then this dog, Su Yu, Bai Zhan... these people, once they form an alliance in the Lower Realm, will also be a major problem!"

"They are all factions of the Human Race..."

The more the crowd spoke, the more depressed they became.

Hard to handle!

Right now, if they fought to the bitter end with the Hell King lineage, how many Heavenly Venerates would they lose?

How many people would die?

The critical point lay in the fact that there were still quite a few roaming Heavenly Venerates now.

Heavenly Venerate Mo frowned slightly and said, "But, we have no choice but to fight now! Otherwise, if we drag this out, I fear there will be complications! Ri Mian knows the situation, the Gates of Hell might be about to open! Once opened, there is still a terrifying existence inside! Who is this existence? Is she a top powerhouse of the Hell King lineage? Why is she trapped behind the gate? Did she go voluntarily or involuntarily? What is the purpose of the Hell King lineage? To open the Gates of Hell?"

As Heavenly Venerate Mo spoke, he said heavily: "So, no matter what, we need to resolve the trouble of the Hell King lineage as early as possible! Also, the Human Emperor and his people might all be returning, Su Yu has no need to deceive us... but, after the return, will it be the Rulers of Rules of our Myriad Races who hold the advantage, or the Human Emperor and his people who hold the advantage? It is all hard to say!"

Speaking to this, Heavenly Venerate Mo finally said in a low tone: "One last thing... ourselves! Right now, we are all so-called Heavenly Venerates, but a Heavenly Venerate... is not a Ruler of Rules! When the powerhouses of each race return, how do we position ourselves? What kind of existences will we become in the future? Still ancient Marquises, obeying commands?"

"At this stage, we need to strive to become Rulers of Rules!"

"Break the seal, advance, so that even if everyone returns, whether the Human Emperor's side holds the advantage or our people hold the advantage, we will have the power to contend!"

The Myriad Races had many Heavenly Venerates; if they all became Rulers of Rules, it would also be a massive force!

San Yue grew somewhat impatient: "Alright, the pressing matter at hand is the trouble of the Hell King lineage! If this lineage isn't resolved, a major disaster will happen sooner or later! Look, this lineage is incredibly leisurely right now; if the Human Emperor and his people haven't returned yet, and the Gates of Hell open first... we will all be in bad luck! Who knows what the situation is behind it? Only by breaking their fangs first can we hope to face the trouble that follows..."

Everyone was helpless.

The more they thought, the more helpless they became!

Before, they felt they were invincible, but looking at it now... damn, there were powerful enemies everywhere!

On Bai Zhan and Su Yu's side, the power was not weak either.

Heavenly Venerate Yue spoke again: "Bai Zhan and Su Yu may both be in the Lower Realm, so we can ignore them for now, but the Broken-Tailed Dragon and the Eight-Winged Tiger must be dealt with; they are right on the battlefield, if we ignore them, two Heavenly Venerates leading seventy to eighty Dao-Merging beasts, can we afford not to care?"

No one could afford to overlook this force!

Moon Venerable continued, "And moreover, I truly fear that this Chaos Ancient Beast might ally with the Prison King's lineage, for the possibility is great. Behind the Gate of Hell, legend has it that it was sealed to imprison the Chaos Ancient Beast!"

The assembly grew solemn once more.

Moon Venerable looked at them all. "Thus, now we need someone to visit both sides, to win over the two ancient beasts. Even if we cannot, we must ascertain their stance!"

"Beyond that, there is another matter: find the entrance to the lower realm!"

Moon Venerable spoke gravely. "We must find it. We cannot stake the safety of all races on the assumption that Su Yu and Bai Zhan dare not act! The lower realm, at present, holds only a few like Tian Gu. Such strength cannot match Bai Zhan and his ilk!"

Silence fell again.

Moon Venerable then said, with a hint of melancholy, "Thus, let Third Month handle the mission to the lower realm—seek the entrance! I will go to the Broken-Tailed Dragon, and Fate will seek the Eight-Winged Tiger!"

Third Month grumbled, "How am I to find it?"

He cursed inwardly!

Ill intent!

Moon Venerable smiled. "Try your best! If not, you and Thunderstorm can search together!"

Thunderstorm frowned slightly.

And Moon Venerable added, softly, "If you two go together, I believe you shall find it! Once found, you descend. We need only reach one agreement: we will not actively attack the lower realm, nor trouble Bai Zhan and his forces until the entrance opens... but they must send Tian Gu and the others up!"

"What say you both?"

He allowed the two Venerables to leave, of course, only them—the strong of their clans must stay!

If they did not return... then they would be cannon fodder!

At this moment, they feared the lower realm, yet urgently needed to wage war against the Chaos lineage, lest the being behind the Gate of Hell emerge!

Troubles abounded!

Knowing full well that Third Month and Thunderstorm had ties with the humans below, they now chose to let them go down to negotiate. These two might know how to descend!

Moon Venerable smiled faintly. "If that still fails... we shall join forces to forcibly open a path to the realm of fate, helping you descend. Of course, there will be some danger... but we have no other choice now!"

He sighed. "The safety of the lower realm rests entirely on humanity... Do you all find that acceptable?"

Of course not!

If the lower realm were not sealed, they would all descend, first to destroy Bai Zhan and Su Yu—that was inevitable!

The lower realm teemed with countless lives, their foundation and stronghold.

How many were in the upper realm?

Most of the upper realm's Dao-holders were born in the lower realm. The upper realm's rules were imperfect; now they discovered that all these Dao-holders were false. Who could rest easy?

Third Month stayed silent. Thunderstorm grumbled, "I don't know where the lower realm's passage is!"

Moon Venerable chuckled lightly. "How could that be? If Bai Zhan truly descended, would Thunderstorm not know?"

Thunderstorm said coldly, "What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean? Does Thunderstorm not understand in his heart?"

Moon Venerable said flatly, "Why speak too plainly? That would embarrass everyone. We have said: now, harmony is paramount! The Chaos clan is our common enemy, is it not? This lineage suddenly appears, dormant for years, and the strength they have shown may not be all... Are you all not worried? The fisherman profits when the snipe and clam fight—but only if the snipe and clam are strong! Beware of becoming another's meal!"

He looked again at the two strong ones. "You two, the matter of the lower realm is in your hands. Agreed?"

Third Month remained silent.

Thunderstorm glanced at Third Month, who said innocently, "Why does Thunderstorm look at me? I am neither Bai Zhan's father-in-law nor his brother-in-law... What use is looking at me?"

Thunderstorm frowned.

Third Month added, "Of course, if Thunderstorm is willing to take it on, I will accompany him!"

Thunderstorm cursed inwardly!

To hell with you!

I don't believe you have no collusion with Su Yu's side!

Moon Venerable smiled at this. "So, Third Month agrees? And Thunderstorm?"

Thunderstorm frowned, then after a long pause said, "I will follow Third Month! But I think we are too few to find the passage. Let Giant Bamboo and Thunder Fierce join us..."

Moon Venerable smiled faintly. "That would be inappropriate. Why trouble them? If it truly fails, I will have Primordial Saint Marquis and others accompany you."

"..."

Well.

Thunderstorm was only testing; it proved futile.

Clearly, the Giant clan and the Iron-Eaters were now tools for the myriad races to restrain them.

Gathering at Man Mountain was a means of control.

Before, they could have secretly withdrawn; now, no chance!

Everyone was at Man Mountain, where too many strong ones gathered.

Anyone wishing to leave needed the consent of several Venerables.

After a moment, they reached an agreement: Third Month and Thunderstorm would find a way to descend.

They did not ask them to harm humanity, only to send up a batch of strong ones.

Especially a few, like Tian Gu, who might now be a Heavenly King, perhaps... a Venerable? Who knew?

And on the God clan side, Moon Venerable specifically instructed them to notify the Former Empress to ascend—she must ascend. Her combat power was formidable, though her condition was poor. But even in poor condition, ascending might allow her to fight one last battle.

What exactly was the Former Empress's strength? Even the God clan was not entirely sure.

These people firmly believed that the two could descend!

...

After Thunderstorm and Third Month left.

Desolate Venerable said coldly, "Those two definitely have colluded with humanity!"

It was obvious!

Dao Venerable, however, chuckled lightly. "Let them collude. I am more curious how Su Yu and Bai Zhan coexist. We learned a bit about Su Yu from Heavenly Dragon Marquis—a domineering master, unwilling to be under anyone. And Bai Zhan is the same. Third Month did not choose to help Bai Zhan in the last tide, but in this tide, he has some collusion with Su Yu... So will Third Month help Su Yu or Bai Zhan? It will be interesting if they both descend!"

"Humanity's internal strife is nothing new. Perhaps we need not act; the lower realm may tear itself apart!"

"As the protagonists from ancient times to now, humanity's fortune is abundant, strong emerge endlessly. If not for internal strife, there might be no place for us!"

Dao Venerable sighed. "Bai Zhan, Su Yu, the Prison King's lineage—all three are human. If they truly united, especially at the end of the last tide, with Bai Zhan and the Prison King's lineage joining forces, there might have been no room for us!"

He smiled. "Thus, humanity's strength is not necessarily a bad thing! Now, with three factions standing off, it gives us an opportunity. Do not be disheartened. Humanity suppressed us for over a hundred thousand years; we have only suppressed them for six thousand years. If anyone should be disheartened, it is not us!"

The others nodded slightly.

True.

The overlord was still humanity.

The myriad races had dominated for six thousand years—that was already quite good!

In ancient times, among the myriad clans, so many Rule Masters were still suppressed by the human race!

If King Wen and the others had not left, the later events would never have erupted.

Dao Venerable laughed again: "The urgent task now is still to break the seal and become Rule Masters! Yes, the human race has many strong ones, but they have all reached their limits! Take the old ancestor of the Prison King lineage, Hundred Battles—one follows the Chaos Dao, the other the Flesh Dao—breaking the seal does nothing to enhance their strength!"

"That dog under Su Yu's command, itself not even a Celestial Venerable, breaking the seal would also be of no help!"

"As for us, once we shatter the seal, we instantly gain over a dozen Rule Masters, and our power will skyrocket!"

Dao Venerable chuckled: "As for the five Celestial Venerables of the Prison King lineage, from what we see now, three follow the Chaos Dao, so breaking the seal won't help them either! Thus, in this myriad realms, only we truly yearn to break the seal!"

The others nodded again.

Dao Venerable continued: "Breaking the seal and annihilating the human race... I think it's very difficult! It's better to find a method to break the seal. Last time, when Su Yu and the others met us, not everything they said may be true, but it's not entirely hopeless either!"

"Whether it's the Martial Emperor or the corpse of King Yue, both are worth a try!"

The others nodded silently; this matter should be put on the agenda.

Moon Venerable quickly said: "Then I'll go with Tianming to test the attitudes of the two ancient beasts. As for the passage to the lower realm, it's best if we can find it; if not... when the time truly comes, forcing it open is not impossible!"

The punitive power in the passage now is much weaker than in those days!

This is also an opportunity to force it open!

After discussing for a while, they soon dispersed.

They still had to fight the Chaos lineage, but the premise was that doing so would not cause any unexpected changes.

...

At that moment.

March and Thunderstorm, as they walked away, remained silent for a long time.

Only after a while did Thunderstorm speak in a low voice: "Brother March, the human race and the Iron-Eaters have been allied for many years, haven't they?"

March grinned innocently: "I suppose so!"

"Hundred Battles..."

Just as Thunderstorm was about to say something, March smiled naively: "Not too familiar. I haven't had much contact with Hundred Battles. I only know that my July was tricked to death by him!"

"..."

Thunderstorm felt a pang of regret!

Regret, and yet he pressed on: "But you've seen Su Yu's situation! Do you think he still has the power to turn things around? He's been a bit too impulsive; that last battle could have been avoided!"

March said nothing.

Giant Bamboo Marquis had told him that Su Yu might not have suffered any real loss, but he had witnessed everything last time.

Going to the lower realm... perhaps it was also an opportunity.

He needed to find Su Yu and see if Su Yu still had any hidden cards. If not, with just Su Yu and Fatty Ball, he would have to consider the future of the Iron-Eaters!

As for Hundred Battles, there was the blood feud of July's death—though not directly by Hundred Battles' hand, he could not accept Hundred Battles' philosophy.

As for Prison King, needless to say, his own father had been killed by Prison King.

As for the myriad clans, they were now convinced that the Iron-Eaters were colluding with the human race.

Among the three human factions, he could only pin his hopes on Su Yu, hoping Su Yu would bring him some surprises.

"Thunderstorm, you go ahead. I'll look for the passage to the lower realm later!"

March left alone; he still had to find Giant Axe and bring along the frozen General Xuelan. He couldn't take his own clansmen, but taking the human was no big problem.

Now, in fact, everyone was eager for the humans to leave and stop causing trouble!

If Giant Axe and Xuelan had the chance to submit to Su Yu, Su Yu could soon gather a few more strong ones. That way, there would still be some hope.

Adding himself, Giant Axe, and Fatty Ball—three Celestial Venerable-level beings—and if Su Yu himself could reach Celestial Venerable, that would be four Celestial Venerables, a not insignificant force!

"I hope he's safe, I hope Su Yu still has some strength left..."

March's mood was not great; everything depended on such hopes.

As for the passage to the lower realm, of course he knew where it was.

Whether Thunderstorm knew or not was none of his business!

He had no intention of traveling with Thunderstorm!

Acting alone!

Soon, March found the still-frozen Xuelan. Too lazy to thaw her, he simply stowed her away and quickly left the Human Mountain.

...

Not long after leaving Human Mountain.

Near Chaos Mountain.

Giant Axe Marquis appeared, furtively looking around, and whispered: "March?"

Soon, March materialized.

Giant Axe cautiously scanned the surroundings, then sighed in relief, cursing: "That bitch Yueluo is really not weak! Ugly but strong! Last time we fought, I took quite a beating!"

He was somewhat helpless; indeed, exposing someone's weakness was a grudge-inducing thing. Yueluo had gone mad last time, beating him until he nearly exploded.

March grinned innocently: "Brother Giant Axe, you're quite bold!"

"Strength isn't enough, what can I do?"

Giant Axe also laughed: "Brother March, do you have business with me?"

"I want to go to the lower realm!"

March said solemnly: "Last time Su Yu retreated, the situation is unclear now. Hundred Battles might have gone down; one mountain cannot hold two tigers. Yunshui and the others chose to betray Su Yu and continue following Hundred Battles... I figure, since Su Yu saved your life last time, if Hundred Battles suppresses Su Yu this time in the lower realm, perhaps Brother Giant Axe could mediate a bit!"

Giant Axe frowned slightly: "Hundred Battles wouldn't go that far, would he?"

"Who knows!"

March chuckled: "Would Brother Giant Axe be willing to make the trip? If the situation in the lower realm is unclear, would you be willing to lend Su Yu a hand?"

Giant Axe frowned: "If Su Yu's strength is truly too weak to resist... I suggest he just retire peacefully. Hundred Battles may be unreliable, but he's powerful. Of course, if Hundred Battles really wants to kill Su Yu, I will step in and not allow it!"

"And if Su Yu's side is not weak?"

March looked at Giant Axe, who said gravely: "Not weak? His people were all wiped out last time! Even if Brother March helps, plus the Iron-Eaters... does he have the power to resist?"

Now, it wasn't just about dealing with Hundred Battles—that was a human affair.

The key was the external enemy was strong!

March smiled: "If he's not weak, would Brother Giant Axe be willing to help?"

Giant Axe scratched his head: "I'll have to see. First and foremost, it must be for the greater good of the human race! If Su Yu insists on fighting Hundred Battles for supremacy, but the gap in strength is too great, I will protect his life... If Hundred Battles wants to kill him, I will definitely intervene. But... if the gap between him and Hundred Battles is too huge, I can't fight Hundred Battles to the death for his sake, can I? That would only weaken the overall strength of the human race!"

March nodded: "Then... Brother Giant Axe, what level of strength would you consider 'not weak'?"

"At the very least, Su Yu himself should have the strength of a Heavenly King!"

Giant Axe said awkwardly, “I heard he exploded his Brush Dao… ahem, now he might have fallen to the Sun and Moon realm… that… that would require at least top-tier Dao Integration, right? If not… Dao Integration! Yes, even recovering to Dao Integration combat power would do! Under him, aside from that dog, there seems to be no one else. Without ten or twenty Dao Integration experts, plus three or five Heavenly Kings, this… this is impossible to contend!”

Even with the Iron-Eaters added, this strength is still insufficient, but at least there’s hope.

If it’s too weak, then he, Giant Axe… truly couldn’t help!

March calculated for a moment—Su Yu’s own recovery would probably be fine.

But three or five Heavenly Kings… he wasn’t sure either.

Hesitating, March said in a deep voice, “How about this: once Su Yu’s own strength is restored, and there are three Heavenly Kings alive, counting Fat Ball, would Brother Giant Axe come to assist? If he doesn’t have this strength, without you saying so, I wouldn’t want my entire clan to go die for nothing!”

Giant Axe pondered for a while, gritted his teeth, and nodded: “If there really are three Heavenly Kings… counting Fat Ball, you, Fat Ball, and I together would count as three Heavenly Venerables, plus two Heavenly Kings—this strength… could indeed hold its own! He saved my life, and I failed to kill Yuehao and the others—I’ll repay him this favor!”

The key was, could three survive?

He’d heard they all died!

But what March was thinking was: Hongmeng is still alive!

Fat Ball is also alive!

Besides, Giant Axe didn’t say he wouldn’t count the undead. As far as March knew, South King had also defected to Su Yu. So—weren’t three Heavenly Kings already complete?

Done!

That way, Giant Axe would fall into the trap!

Thus, the strength wouldn’t be weak either!

Giant Axe didn’t think too much—he, March, and Fat Ball joining forces could roughly contend with Hundred Battles.

If Su Yu had a few more Heavenly Kings on his side, that would naturally be stronger than Hundred Battles’ side. Helping Su Yu didn’t seem like a problem!

Maybe he could even mediate a bit!

His mediation skills were still quite strong, Giant Axe thought to himself. Yes, mediate with them!

March silently pondered, a simple smile spreading across his face, while Giant Axe, lost in thought, also wore a simple smile. At this moment, man and cat—who was truly simple, and who was faking it?

PS: This month’s updates have been lackluster, but over 700,000 words is no problem—rest assured, everyone!

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