Chapter 804: Better to Rely on Oneself than Others

The lower realm.

The mortal world.

When Yueluo and Yuexiao tore through the void and arrived, Baizhan was gazing at the heavens.

As Yueluo and Yuexiao drew near, the assembled powerhouses—some furrowed their brows, others remained impassive, and a few greeted them with smiles.

Changqing, the literary leader of Baizhan’s faction, seeing Baizhan still lost in the sky, quickly laughed and said: “Yueluo and Yuexiao have come. His Majesty sensed the ripples in the River of Time and has been observing it all along. You two have traveled far—your efforts are appreciated!”

Changqing’s smile was radiant. Beside him, Wuji curled his lips, paying no heed, nor sparing the newcomers a second glance.

The men of Prison King’s lineage!

Though they had sworn allegiance to Baizhan, Wuji still looked down on such folk—eternal turncoats, first Prison King betraying humanity, then Yueluo and the others betraying Prison King. Who knew how they might betray again in the future?

Yueluo paid them no mind either. He nodded slightly to Changqing, then turned his gaze to Baizhan.

And Baizhan continued to watch the heavens. After a long moment, he lowered his head and said softly: “Did Ji’er send you back?”

“Yes.”

Yueluo nodded faintly.

Baizhan murmured: “Has Prison King’s lineage fallen?”

“It can be considered fallen,” Yueluo said swiftly. “Aside from Yuezhan, all the Celestial Venerables are dead. The quasi-kings are nearly wiped out, and fewer than one in ten of the Dao-Integrators remain.”

“Fallen…” Baizhan sighed. In the great hall, the faces of the crowd shifted.

The ripples in the River of Time had stirred some awareness in them, but they had not expected such upheaval in the upper realm.

Yueluo continued: “On the demon side, Motian fell, Ziyun Hou fell, and Mo Celestial Venerable fled with the remnants of the demon army—no one knows where.”

The crowd’s expressions changed again.

Baizhan sighed softly: “Su Yu?”

“It was him.”

“What were the losses among the myriad races? What were Su Yu’s losses?”

Everyone leaned in to listen.

Yueluo was silent for a moment, then spoke: “On Su Yu’s side, no one died. Xuelan and Jubao self-destructed their Daos. Tongtian advanced to Celestial Venerable! Among the myriad races, Yue Celestial Venerable’s physical body exploded, Long Celestial Venerable, Huang Celestial Venerable, and Yuansheng were wounded. The Divine Emperor’s Consort did not exert her full strength—she could still fight!”

“Impossible!”

“How could that be?”

“…”

A buzz of heated discussion filled the hall.

Yueluo knew this was boosting the enemy’s morale and dampening their own, but to let Baizhan grasp the full picture, he pressed on: “And that’s not all. In this battle, Yuqing actually joined the fight, but even her appearance could not reverse the tide. In the end, she had to lure the Boluo Beast out of the Gate of Hell to intimidate all sides. Tiangu sensed that the myriad races lacked sufficient reserves and chose to retreat. Only then did Su Yu lead his people away.”

“Yuqing?” Baizhan said softly. “She has reached the level of a true Ruler of Rules, hasn’t she?”

“Yes.” Yueluo nodded gravely. “Yuexiao and I had planned to continue lying low, but Su Yu forced us to fight Leibo and the Eight-Winged Tiger. He convinced Yuqing. The four Celestial Venerables on both sides clashed—two had to die for it to end. To preserve our strength, Yuexiao and I chose to flee.”

“Ah…” Baizhan sighed again, then quickly shook his head. “Su Yu…”

In the great hall, the faces of the crowd were strange. Some changed color, while others said calmly: “This is good news. The meat is spoiled in the pot. Su Yu led his forces to slaughter Prison King’s lineage, costing them dearly. For us, that is a victory for humanity.”

At these words, many turned to the speaker.

Someone frowned. Among the crowd, the elder with long brows said in a low voice: “Xueying, which side are you on?”

Xueying replied calmly: “I stand with humanity. Su Yu is the tenth-generation Human Sovereign. He led his forces to crush the rebels and suppress the myriad races. Is that not good?”

The long-browed elder said angrily: “He knew full well that Yueluo, Leibo, and the others were our people. Xueying, he deliberately targeted us. Do you truly not see that?”

Xueying fell silent.

He saw it.

Su Yu was indeed targeting Baizhan’s faction—everyone understood that.

But Su Yu had crushed the rebels, and that was deeply satisfying.

Six thousand years ago, to avoid heavy losses in battle against the myriad races and Prison King’s lineage, Baizhan had chosen to avoid war. At the time, some had objected, some had fumed, but all knew the situation could not be reversed.

And the losses would have been too great, not in line with expectations.

But now, Su Yu had effortlessly slain powerful enemies, killed multiple Celestial Venerables—shouldn’t that be cause for joy?

They followed Baizhan, but they also had faith.

Humanity was that faith.

Whether the Human Ancestor, the Human Emperor, Su Yu, or Baizhan—all were human. They were not rebels like Prison King. None of them had betrayed humanity, had they?

Xueying thought this in his heart and no longer heeded the long-browed elder’s accusations.

Perhaps.

Yes, to some, Su Yu’s targeting of Baizhan’s faction in this battle was too obvious.

Now, the controversy was great.

Below, Jianghai Hou said solemnly: “Your Majesty, Su Yu did this deliberately. After this battle, Su Yu’s strength has grown again…”

Before he could finish, Yueluo said softly: “Su Yu’s side now has no small number of Celestial Venerables. March, Giant Axe, Fat Ball, Tongtian—and Tianming, likely all have pledged to Su Yu. He himself possesses top-tier Celestial Venerable combat power. Earlier, he joined with Leibo and March to instantly kill Yuehao.”

“Leibo?” The long-browed elder said darkly: “Leibo also joined forces with Su Yu? What does he mean by that?”

Some glanced at the long-browed elder, raising an eyebrow.

What was he trying to do?

Leibo was the chieftain of the Giants, though in the upper realm, the Giant King was in the lower realm.

Joining forces… it was probably necessary, wasn’t it?

Baizhan waved his hand slightly, cutting off the long-browed elder. He did not take up the topic, but said softly: “It may not be just that. That is likely not all of his strength.”

The crowd was startled.

At this moment, Baizhan’s side, including Yueluo, Yuexiao, and Leibo, had only eight Celestial Venerable-level existences.

Of course, adding Baizhan and Zhou Ji, the number of powerhouses swelled.

But Su Yu—how long had he been accumulating?

Baizhan looked at the sky, as if gazing into the River of Time. After a while, he continued: “Some days ago, that woman appeared… claiming to be a relative of the Human Emperor… she should have come from the Dead Spirit Realm. There have been some disturbances in the Dead Spirit Realm as well.”

Su Yu’s side—he needed to take it seriously.

In the battle of the upper realm, Su Yu actually led his men to rout the Prison King's lineage—this he had not anticipated.

Not only did they suffer no losses, but a strong one even advanced to the Heavenly Sovereign realm.

“So, you’re saying that now, on the Prison King’s side, there are only two Rule Masters, along with Yue Zhan and Mo Tian?”

“Yes!”

Yue Luo nodded.

“The myriad races also took no small losses… Though no Heavenly Sovereigns died, from what you say, quite a few were wounded.”

“Yes!”

“And as for you, because of Su Yu, you’ve been exposed…”

Yue Luo nodded again: “Not only that, but during the battle, he once called out Zhou Ji’s name, claiming he had become a Rule Master and was lurking deep in the Chaos. The myriad races and Yu Qing all heard it. No matter what, some suspicion remains.”

“Ah!”

Bai Zhan sighed softly, then soon smiled: “Su Yu… a true hero!”

“Your Majesty!”

The scholar Chang Qing quickly interjected: “Your Majesty, no matter how flawless Su Yu’s plans are, his own strength has not yet reached a certain level. Now that Rule Masters have appeared, Su Yu cannot defy heaven!”

He cut off Bai Zhan’s musings; this was not the time to praise Su Yu’s strength, nor to bolster his reputation any further.

If this continued, it would shake the resolve of some.

Bai Zhan smiled, not taking it too seriously. He stood up and looked at the crowd: “I am still pleased with Su Yu’s great victory in the upper realm. As for Yue Luo and Yue Xiao being exposed… let’s just say, each has their own ideals, their own thoughts!”

“I do not know exactly what Su Yu thinks. In my heart, I have never intended to do anything to Su Yu… including this Human Realm. If he wants it, I can yield it!”

“Whether the Human Ancestor or the Human Emperor, both are of the human race!”

Bai Zhan’s voice grew louder: “But I fear Su Yu does not know my heart. I have no intention to harm him, yet he may have the desire to kill me!”

These words were half true, half false.

Bai Zhan, after all, was a great lord of his era.

At this moment, he did not belittle Su Yu, but said solemnly: “I am the direct disciple of the Human Ancestor, and so are all of you! The Human Ancestor blazed a trail through hardship, leading humanity to glory! I have not betrayed the Human Emperor, but the Human Emperor could not withstand the myriad races’ Rule Masters, nor the enemies of the future. King Wen and the others fell into the Heavenly Gate, entangled by powerful foes there… Even if they return, they will only bring disaster!”

“The Human Ancestor opened the path of the fleshly body, created heaven and earth, and for the future of our race, ventured alone into the Chaos to battle its mighty ones!”

“Only by summoning the Human Ancestor back can our race have a chance of victory!”

Bai Zhan said gravely: “Su Yu considers only destroying the current enemies, not realizing that these enemies are but the tip of the iceberg! Whether the remnants of the myriad races or the Prison King’s lineage, they are all just the tip of the iceberg!”

“He is not wrong, but his vision is too shallow!”

Bai Zhan declared: “He may think that once the Human Emperor returns, humanity will triumph. But is that possible?”

Bai Zhan shouted: “No! Killing on all sides now serves little purpose. Our ultimate goal is to summon the Human Ancestor back, to once again lead humanity to glory! All eras converge; Chaos and Creation—countless mighty ones are about to descend upon the myriad realms!”

“Some think we have blocked Su Yu’s path and hindered the Human Emperor’s way. No, we have not!”

Bai Zhan cried: “How did humanity rise and flourish? Not by one person alone, but by everyone’s effort! Yet the Human Emperor clearly cannot withstand all sides… Otherwise, there would have been no crisis in ancient times. How can we then place our hope that the Human Emperor’s return will stop the enemies on all sides?”

The crowd listened in silence.

Bai Zhan continued: “The Gate of Hell has now cracked open, and Yu Qing and the others have emerged. This is also an opportunity—a chance to bring the Human Ancestor back early!”

Bai Zhan said solemnly: “But… the Prison King’s lineage cannot be destroyed!”

At these words, some were shaken, others remained silent, clearly aware of this.

Bai Zhan said gravely: “If they are destroyed, how can we continue to summon people out and widen the crack in the Gate of Hell? For now, it can only accommodate a few Rule Masters, and at great cost. Back then, we could have fought, we could have killed, but the Prison King’s lineage could not be easily touched!”

“Only they can summon the strong from within, open the Gate of Hell early, and let the Human Ancestor seize the initiative!”

“The Human Ancestor returns, swims against the current, rescues the Human Emperor and the others, slays the myriad races’ mighty ones, and crushes their Rule Masters—this is the only hope!”

Bai Zhan shouted: “For this, we have paid a tremendous price! For this, we have not hesitated to bear the name of traitors!”

“Betrayal? That woman that day called us betrayers… Perhaps our actions do not align with the Human Emperor’s heart, but in essence, they are for the sake of humanity. Which is more important—the Human Emperor, or humanity?”

The crowd was silent, solemn.

At that moment, someone spoke—it was Zhennan Hou, his expression complex: “Your Majesty, do you mean that back then, we deliberately allowed the Prison King’s lineage to grow strong?”

Bai Zhan said solemnly: “Not deliberately! First, they were not weak; if we went all out, we would suffer heavy losses, and the myriad races might take advantage. Second, only if their people grew strong could there be hope of summoning Rule Masters out, widening the crack, and letting the Human Ancestor return early. Third, I had my arrangements—Yue Luo and Yue Xiao were both our hidden cards!”

Zhennan Hou was silent for a moment, conflicted and troubled, but still spoke: “Then… Bing Ku and the others… they still died in battle.”

Bai Zhan was silent.

Zhennan Hou lowered his head: “They truly died. If… if my guess is correct, Bing Ku and the others probably knew of Your Majesty’s plan, but disagreed with it, right?”

Before Bai Zhan could speak, Chang Qing frowned slightly and said softly: “Zhennan, this is not as you think. Your Majesty treated people sincerely back then, and Bing Ku and the others knew His Majesty’s intentions. But Bing Ku and the rest believed we should first break the blockade of the myriad races and the Prison King’s lineage, then seek to break the seal, give birth to a few Rule Masters, and go upstream the River of Time to rescue the Human Emperor…”

Chang Qing said bitterly: “Bing Ku’s idea was not wrong, but would a few more Rule Masters really save His Majesty? That is not certain. Besides, in the end, we might not even win.”

“Your Majesty explained the pros and cons to Bing Ku and the others. It was Bing Ku, Dan Yu, and the rest who chose to fight to the death against the myriad races. Your Majesty once promised that even if they died, their Will Seas would escape and be saved… but in the end, they even self-destructed their Will Seas.”

Chang Qing sighed: “I can understand their choice. They were the Human Emperor’s shadow guards, their hearts belonged to the Human Emperor. But from the overall perspective of humanity, Your Majesty’s choice… is more prudent, is it not?”

Zhennan Hou’s expression grew even more complicated: “So, the Flame Transmission lineage was nearly wiped out, all by their own choice?”

“Yes.”

Zhennan Hou said in a low voice: “Then… let me ask one more thing. Now, if Su Yu’s side, with a different philosophy from Your Majesty, insists on immediately killing Yu Qing and the others, temporarily sealing the Gate of Hell, and going upstream to rescue the Human Emperor, then how would Your Majesty decide?”

He raised his head, looking at Bai Zhan with deep complexity: “Your Majesty! Must we repeat the old affair of Flame Transmission? Would Your Majesty… stop Su Yu and the others?”

Bai Zhan was silent for a moment, then slowly said: “I will have someone explain the pros and cons to Su Yu. The Prison King’s lineage cannot be completely destroyed now. The appearance of two Rule Masters has already cracked the gate. As long as we keep applying pressure, let them continue to summon Rule Masters and widen the crack… When the time is right, we can find a way to summon the Human Ancestor back.”

Zhennan Hou said in a low voice: “And… if we cannot summon him? Is the Human Ancestor definitely inside the Gate of Hell?”

Bai Zhan nodded: “Definitely. And he can definitely be summoned.”

“Then the Prison King is also inside. If we summon the Human Ancestor, can the Prison King come out? And what about the Chaos Ancient Clan’s mighty ones?”

Zhennan pressed on: “Can the Human Ancestor suppress them?”

“He can.”

Bai Zhan continued: “You must believe in the Human Ancestor’s power.”

Zhennan was silent for a moment, then said: “So… all our hope rests on the Human Ancestor’s strength? Is the source of this information reliable? Your Majesty, why not place hope in ourselves?”

Bai Zhan was silent for a while, then continued: “Because… our enemies are more terrifying than you imagine. They are all the strongest of their eras, having lived for countless ages. Even if I placed hope in myself, in six thousand years, can I become a Four-Pole Human King? Can I become the next Human Emperor? I… do not hold much hope. It is not that I give up on myself… but I understand that it is very difficult for me to catch up to them, to become the next Human Emperor, the next King Wen.”

Was this the truth?

Naturally.

Bai Zhan was strong, but could he become the next Four-Pole Human King, the next Human Emperor?

Not necessarily.

Thus, hope lay in the Human Ancestor.

Zhennan Hou’s expression grew even more complicated: “So… what we pursue is that the Human Ancestor can do everything, can save everything. Your Majesty, is that what you mean?”

“Yes.”

“If Su Yu disrupts Your Majesty’s plan… will Your Majesty also deal with him?”

Baizhan was silent.

Longbrow snapped, "Zhennan, are you questioning the Emperor? Do you truly believe that even if a few Rulers of Order emerge from Su Yu's side, they can save the human race?"

Zhennan Hou shook his head: "I never said that, nor did I mean it. I only think... compared to the Emperor, Su Yu... perhaps trusts himself more!"

His face was deeply conflicted: "He believes he can resolve every crisis, that he can rescue others, not be rescued by them! He is different from the Emperor—his is a blind confidence..."

Was it truly blind?

Zhennan Hou did not know!

All he knew was that Su Yu had once said he would strike the Upper Realm, beat them until they were toothless, and he seemed to have done it—in less than a year!

At this moment, the greatest difference between Su Yu and Baizhan was that Baizhan placed his hope in the Human Ancestor, while Su Yu placed his hope solely in himself.

Which was better?

Su Yu's blind confidence, that brash, reckless air of a young upstart who knew no bounds—anyone unfamiliar would likely sneer at first thought!

Did you think you were stronger than the Human Emperor?

Did you think you could surpass the Human Ancestor?

Or did you think you could become Emperor in three years—no, one year?

Who would believe that?

Yet Zhennan Hou knew that some did—those around Su Yu believed. If they did not, they would not have followed him unto death!

Just as on Baizhan's side, there were believers; otherwise, so many would not have followed him in the past.

In times past, Zhennan Hou had sneered at Su Yu's choices!

A brat barely over twenty, truly ignorant of the heavens and earth—did you know how strong the Four Extremes Human Kings were? Did you know how strong the Human Emperor was?

But now... he no longer thought that way.

He had fought alongside Su Yu only once—the time they rescued Baizhan. After that, everything was hearsay, legend. Yet in the human realm, he had learned all about Su Yu. He had witnessed with his own eyes how, on that day, as the human realm's strongmen withdrew with Su Yu, Su Yu had uttered those arrogant words.

"I will return soon!"

Before and after, less than two months.

He was coming back soon!

Zhennan Hou had a premonition: Su Yu would return soon.

Given Su Yu's nature, he would surely clash with Baizhan—absolutely!

This was Zhennan Hou's firm conviction!

Not just him—at this moment, those familiar with Su Yu, whether Yunshui Hou or Anying, all felt a strange unease. Su Yu... would definitely clash with Baizhan—a fundamental difference in philosophy!

Baizhan would not allow Su Yu to annihilate the Prison King lineage now!

And Su Yu... would absolutely go to kill!

Others who had never interacted with Su Yu did not fully understand, but these three knew Su Yu's character. Even if their acquaintance was brief, they knew Su Yu would never listen to Baizhan.

No matter how eloquently Baizhan spoke, Su Yu would not heed him. He would only follow his own will. If Baizhan obstructed him... he would kill Baizhan too!

Zhennan Hou struggled, torn, and finally spoke: "Your Majesty, if Su Yu insists on his own way and must destroy the Prison King lineage... could we possibly join forces with Su Yu? If we kill Yu Qing and the others, would the Gate of Hell truly be impossible to open without them?"

"You do not understand!"

Baizhan frowned slightly: "Yu Qing was summoned by the Prison King lineage using bloodline and the power of the Great Dao. When Yu Qing emerges, he will inevitably carry some anchoring artifacts for those ancient beasts to locate and lock onto the myriad realms' positions. Only then can the Gate of Hell be opened! If Yu Qing is killed, there is a ninety-nine percent chance the anchoring artifacts will shatter. Therefore, Yu Qing... cannot be killed! If Yu Qing dies, the opening of the Gate of Hell will cease, and we may have to wait an eternity for its next opening—perhaps when all emerge together... Then, there will be no advantage of foresight!"

That day, Baizhan explained much.

Invisible pressure compelled him to justify his actions to these subordinates.

Before this, many of Baizhan's thoughts had been inscrutable.

But now, he told them not to waver.

Because of Su Yu!

At this point, Baizhan knew that conflict with Su Yu might be imminent!

Such conflict was not over the human race, not over the human realm, not over status—but because their philosophies were utterly different, even irreconcilable.

Zhennan Hou pressed on: "Then... what if we could preserve the anchoring artifacts intact?"

Baizhan frowned again: "If you were an ancient beast behind the gate, and you saw Su Yu and his people kill Yu Qing and Bolong, would you still come out one by one to be slaughtered? They cannot emerge together; they can only appear one at a time to widen the crack in the Gate of Hell! If you were them, would you be foolish enough to keep seeking death, knowing that going out meant death?"

Thus, even if Su Yu preserved the Chaotic Will intact, it would be of little use.

The beings behind the gate could sense it.

You've already killed two Rulers of Order—would we still line up to be killed by you?

"So the only way is to wait for Yu Qing to summon a few more Rulers of Order to widen the gap. Then we strike, but not kill too many at once. For instance, if he has five Rulers of Order, kill one or two, let the enemy send reinforcements, keep them hooked—not annihilate them all at once!"

Baizhan said solemnly: "Do not give them a chance to grow strong, but do not wipe them out outright. Do you understand?"

Zhennan Hou thought for a moment, then nodded: "Then... may this old minister serve as an envoy to Su Yu's side? To explain the pros and cons to him. I believe there is still a possibility of alliance! Both Your Majesty and Su Yu seek the strength of the human race; we share the same goal. If we can talk, wouldn't it be better to negotiate?"

He wanted to be an envoy to Su Yu's side!

At these words, many looked askance.

Baizhan pondered a moment, then nodded: "Alright. I also hope you can persuade Su Yu, rather than have him go his own way!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

No sooner had he spoken than Longbrow frowned: "Your Majesty, I think Zhennan alone is insufficient. Perhaps someone should accompany him!"

Zhennan Hou frowned slightly: "What does Longbrow Hou mean?"

Longbrow said flatly: "No particular meaning, merely concern for Zhennan Hou's safety!"

Zhennan Hou frowned: "Su Yu's side is now in the Nether Realm. If I go, he might welcome me in. But if I bring company, he may not let us enter!"

"Zhennan Hou's influence is not small!"

Longbrow said coolly: "Su Yu would actually welcome you in? Could it be that you have a close relationship with Su Yu?"

Zhennan Hou frowned: "Not at all. But before Su Yu left, he met with me once and entrusted me to take care of the human realm. So there is some goodwill. If I must have company... let Xia Huyou accompany me!"

Zhennan Hou knew Su Yu well enough. If others came along... Su Yu might still let them in, but if anything went wrong, Su Yu would most likely... kill!

Yes!

Of that, he was certain.

Once blood was shed, once an envoy was killed, matters would become irreconcilable. So he did not want others to follow. Xia Huyou and his ilk would be fine.

As he was thinking, suddenly someone said in a low voice: "Doesn't the Marquis have a great deal of death energy? Why not open the Nether Realm directly and negotiate face-to-face with Su Yu? Wouldn't that be better?"

At these words, Zhennan Hou's face changed drastically!

He whirled to look at the speaker, his face ashen, teeth clenched: "Wen Qi!"

Wen Qi wore an apologetic expression: "Marquis, you and I are both subjects of His Majesty. His Majesty now faces a dilemma; we should help him resolve it better..."

Zhennan Hou's face was livid: "You... are courting death, do you know that?"

Wen Qi's heart trembled slightly, then he said in a low voice: "Does the Marquis refer to Su Yu?"

The Marquis of Zhennan ground his teeth. "What do you think?"

Wunian knew a thing or two about the death energy.

After all, he was the Marquis's chief strategist; though the Marquis of Zhennan had said nothing, Wunian knew him far too well. Having spent so much time together, the slightest slip of the tongue or change in expression was enough for Wunian to guess the truth.

As a strategist, Wunian was naturally a brilliant man.

At this moment, Wunian spoke softly: "I am a minister of His Majesty, not a minister of Su Yu! My Lord... I know what is on your mind. In truth, I am afraid as well. Yes, I fear Su Yu, and I fear he will kill me..."

Wunian laughed mockingly at himself. "But one must loyal to the lord whose bounty he eats! My Lord, we... are the subjects of His Majesty Baizhan! We are not the subjects of the Human Ruler Su Yu!"

Was he wrong?

He was Baizhan's subject, not Su Yu's. The Marquis of Zhennan was hiding a massive secret—one of paramount importance. Wunian had weighed it, considered it, and ultimately chosen to speak out.

We can, in fact, enter the Necropolis directly!

The Marquis of Zhennan possessed enough death energy to open a passage and enter the Necropolis directly.

Su Yu's previous intimidation had forced all the myriad clans to destroy their stores of death energy.

With the ancient cities vanished, almost no death energy remained in the Myriad Realms today.

Yet, the Marquis of Zhennan could produce enough death energy to open the gateway.

At that moment, many eyes turned to the Marquis of Zhennan. Changmei spoke in a deep voice, "Zhennan, do you possess a massive amount of death energy?"

The Marquis of Zhennan replied heavily, "What if I do? What if I don't? Should we open the passage just to plunge into a direct clash with Su Yu's faction? They have already retreated into the Necropolis. Must we force our way in to fight them? An embassy should walk the proper path!"

Opening a passage directly would, in all likelihood, trigger an immediate and explosive war.

There was a ninety percent probability of that happening!

Changmei said coldly, "Whether you have it or not is for His Majesty to decide. Zhennan, have you already had a change of heart?"

The Marquis of Zhennan ground his teeth. "Whether I harbor treacherous intentions is for His Majesty to decide, not you! Changmei, it is true you have stepped into the realm of the Heavenly Venerate, but what does that prove? For these past six thousand years, you lot comfortably nursed your wounds and meditated on the Great Dao, while we struggled in the Upper Realm, delaying the myriad clans and gathering intelligence... Of those who stayed behind back then, how many are still alive? It is not your place, Changmei, to question me!"

His aura erupted. At this moment, he was unexpectedly revealed to be an existence at the Heavenly King level!

He had already been close to the Heavenly King realm. After Baizhan's return, his physical body had been restored, and he had seized the opportunity to break through!

Now, the Marquis of Zhennan roared in anger, "Changmei, stop constantly currying favor with His Majesty! You treacherous official, you will only mislead him! You repeatedly incite His Majesty to make an enemy of Su Yu's faction. Do you even know how powerful they are? How dare you speak with such arrogant ignorance, truly believing he can be destroyed at a moment's notice? Do you know how many human powerhouses will die if a conflict breaks out because of your sycophantic words? Do you want to grieve our friends and gladden our foes? He is a Human Ruler, and His Majesty is also a Human Ruler. Though they belong to different eras and periods, both are Human Rulers working for the human race. Why must you constantly flatter the sovereign with slanderous talk?"

Changmei's face turned icy cold. "Are you talking about me?"

"I am talking about you!"

The Marquis of Zhennan rebuked him furiously, "His Majesty has not even spoken, yet you seek to make the decision for him? My mission to Su Yu is solely for the human race and the hearts of the people, as Heaven and Earth can witness. You insist on interfering; your intentions are damnable!"

At this moment, Baizhan spoke in a deep voice, "Enough, all of you, hold your tongues!"

He cut off the debate, his voice ringing with absolute majesty. "Zhennan... since you are confident, you... go find Su Yu. Inform him that I have no intention of becoming his enemy! Ceding the Human Realm or leaving the Lower Realm—everything can be negotiated! However, the lineage of the Prison King must not be destroyed for the time being! This is our core policy. Whether Su Yu slaughters the myriad clans or annihilates the necromancers, he cannot utterly exterminate the Prison King's lineage for now!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The Marquis of Zhennan was overjoyed. Fortunately, His Majesty had not listened to the treacherous words of Changmei.

As for negotiations, talking was better than not talking. Refusing to negotiate meant war was guaranteed, but negotiating at least offered a chance.

Perhaps... Su Yu could be persuaded?

Or perhaps they could find a compromise acceptable to both sides!

Baizhan nodded slightly and said no more.

Let them talk!

As for whether it would succeed, that remained to be seen.

Furthermore, if they truly wished to go to the Necropolis, death energy was not the only way. There was no need to chill the heart of an old minister like Zhennan. Thus, he did not utter a single word regarding the death energy!

...

Meanwhile, Su Yu was still completely unaware of these developments.

At this moment, he was searching everywhere for Heavenly Venerate Mo. He finally cornered him in the region of the Chaos Mountains. When Heavenly Venerate Mo saw him, his face contorted in sheer terror, and he turned on his heel to flee!

What wretched luck!

Why was Su Yu still loitering around here?

Was he not afraid that Yuqing and Yuezhan would appear and join forces to kill him?

This fellow was utterly insane!

"Give me the Council Tokens!"

Su Yu's voice sounded lazy. "Give them to me, and I won't hunt you down. Refuse... and I will chase you from morning till night. If you can escape, I'll count it as your skill!"

Hum!

Seven Council Tokens shot through the air toward him.

The speed was incomparably swift.

Su Yu paused, startled. "You're not even going to put up a struggle?"

Heavenly Venerate Mo did not say a word to him, fleeing at top speed.

Struggle for what?

Struggle to see whether I would die or not?

The Demon Clan needed him.

He could not die!

If he died, the Demon Clan would not have a single Heavenly Venerate left, and that would be the true disaster.

Su Yu felt a bit bored.

Trash!

What a coward!

Killing you wouldn't be that simple.

Su Yu called out anyway, "If I try to kill you, Yuqing and the others will most likely hunt me down. What are you afraid of? I was only trying to scare you!"

Heavenly Venerate Mo ignored him, running and continuing to run!

Taking advantage of the fact that Su Yu wasn't pursuing, he ran even faster, even resorting to burning his essence blood.

Run—the further away from this demon, the better.

Not a single trace remained of the majestic powerhouse who had hunted Su Yu back in the Land of Dao Source.

Su Yu cursed quietly under his breath. Why run so fast?

I haven't even checked in on my old friend yet.

"Hey, how is my old friend Modana doing? By the way, is he related to you by blood? Modana is my brother, you better treat him well. He's the number one on the Heavenly Ranking, and even I couldn't bear to kill him, so don't go and get him killed... And also..."

Heavenly Venerate Mo had already vanished into the distance.

Su Yu sighed helplessly.

He really runs fast.

Seeing the other party run off toward Yuqing and his group, Su Yu shrugged. Forget it, I won't provoke Yuqing and them either—it's not the time yet.

"Martial Emperor, I'm coming to save you!"

Su Yu sighed with emotion. I'm truly a great guy.

Upper realm and lower realm—I'm about to completely open the passage!

Of course, that's not the key point. The key is that soon, the myriad realms will gain two more Rule Lords.

"Martial Emperor, Death Spirit Emperor, Yuqing, Poro Beast, Baizhan, Zhou Ji... anyone else?"

Su Yu calculated for a moment. That's quite a few.

From now on, there will be even more strong figures above me.

"Poor me... I can only stand alongside Yue Zhan, Shen Huangfei, Chaos Dragon, Fat Ball, and the rest at the second tier!"

Su Yu smiled, his grin radiant.

I'm so pitiful!

As for my actual strength... how would I know?

Su Yu only knew that with each expansion of heaven and earth and the integration of the Dao, his insights grew stronger. At least within his own world, he wasn't afraid of these people now, but outside—hard to say.

"Forget it, I'll just keep being a Heavenly Venerable!"

Su Yu didn't know his own realm either. A Heaven Opener—what realm could there be?

If you can kill, that's a good realm.

"Maybe, while the Martial Emperor is still sealed, I should go torment him again. Once he's unsealed, there won't be another chance..."

With that thought, Su Yu swiftly flew toward the depths of chaos.

As for Yuqing and the others, he ignored them.

These people wouldn't dare come out and kill him. If they went too far and got surrounded again, that would be the real trouble.

"The Sin Clan must be wiped out as soon as possible. Otherwise, if they keep summoning Rule Lords, who the hell can stand it?"

As he flew away, Su Yu muttered to himself.

They must be killed!

Not only kill them, but after killing, find a way to seal the Hell Gate. I don't have time to linger in the myriad realms. I must hurry to help the Human Emperor and the others, to guide them back, so we can attack the Heaven Gate and the Hell Gate together.

"What I fear is that if I leave, but the myriad realms aren't pacified, someone might open the Hell Gate again. That would be a real mess. So even if I go upstream, I must first stabilize the myriad realms!"

Time waits for no one!

At this moment, Su Yu's mind was also filled with countless thoughts.

As for leaving the Prison King's lineage—kill one, and a Rule Lord gets replaced. It looks satisfying, even beneficial, but Su Yu worried that repeated summoning might cause the Hell Gate to open prematurely.

He had no interest in fighting a bunch of Chaos Ancient Beasts, nor in dealing with the Prison King alone.

Leave those troublesome matters to the Human Emperor and the others!

At this moment, though Su Yu didn't know the purpose of Baizhan's faction, Baizhan had been driving nails into the Prison King's lineage. Su Yu vaguely suspected—was Baizhan's target inside the Hell Gate?

Could the Human Ancestor be in there?

Who cares!

I'm not familiar with the Human Ancestor anyway!

Su Yu didn't take it too seriously. Whether Human Ancestor or Human Emperor, only those who can help me get things done are good ancestors. Otherwise, none of them are reliable.

Relying on others is worse than relying on oneself. The reason I'm seeking the Human Emperor is that this mess was left behind by him.