Chapter 808: Black-Hearted Su Yu

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On this day, Su Yu unsealed the Martial Emperor, unsealed the Nether Emperor, and unsealed the Divine Empress.

In a single day, three masters of the rules emerged!

On this day, Su Yu overwhelmed Baizhan with righteousness, forced Baizhan into a corner, and secured his promise to suppress the Prison King lineage—though Baizhan was hardly willing.

...

In the Nether Realm.

Su Yu returned.

Tongtian and the others followed. Seeing Su Yu’s cold expression, devoid of joy, Lantian could not help but ask, “Your Majesty, are you worried that Baizhan will break his promise?”

Su Yu said gravely, “No! It’s not that I fear he’ll break his promise—it’s that he simply won’t keep it!”

Su Yu continued solemnly, “What exactly is Baizhan plotting?”

From Baizhan’s hesitation, his wavering, and the faint smiles at the end, Su Yu sensed that Baizhan... might never honor his word.

He had been forced by Su Yu to agree to suppress the guilty clan, but in his heart, he was still unwilling.

A forced melon is never sweet!

Su Yu frowned, “Even if he reveres the Human Ancestor, I cannot fathom why he insists on summoning him first. Unless... there is a crucial factor: the return of the Human Emperor would be detrimental to him. Or perhaps the Human Emperor and the Human Ancestor share a deep enmity?”

If so, that would explain it.

The Human Emperor and the Human Ancestor harbor profound hatred!

But the two—one from the early Primordial Era, the other from the late—how could they have such enmity?

Or perhaps their stances differ, their camps are opposed?

That is also possible!

Judging by Baizhan’s intent, he has no desire to aid the Human Emperor in battle. That is suspicious.

Baizhan must know something.

Alternatively, Baizhan simply does not want more ancestors above him; he wishes to be king himself.

Is that possible?

It might be!

Su Yu pondered silently, while Lantian furrowed his brow slightly, “If he breaks his promise, not all of his subordinates—at least half of them—might abandon him. What Your Majesty says concerns the human race! Even if those people were deserters six thousand years ago... deserters do not necessarily disregard the faith of humanity!”

Racial sentiment exists in most races.

The Divine Empress, no weakling herself, still yearns for her race.

The Human Emperor and his kind fought on the front lines, abandoning the paths they had forged—also for their race.

The strong are not necessarily indifferent to their race.

It is innate!

It is also faith!

As for those deserters from six thousand years ago, many were actually forced—forced to fight, forced to die, forced to flee.

There are certainly those devoid of humanity!

But if all had lost their humanity, could they still cultivate to the level of Harmony, Heavenly King, or Celestial Venerable? Lantian doubted it.

Some ancient marquises might still be disciples or followers of ancient human kings, or their loyal subordinates.

Under such circumstances, if Baizhan breaks his promise, will they continue to follow him?

Would that not be cutting themselves off from humanity?

Su Yu nodded slightly, “Some might flee... but would Baizhan care?”

Lantian was taken aback.

“Your Majesty means?”

“Does he truly care about these people?”

Su Yu frowned, “Baizhan... the Great Zhou King said he values loyalty and friendship, but now it seems somewhat hypocritical!”

What did that mean?

Lantian was puzzled, for Baizhan, so far, had treated his subordinates well. Even when some often opposed his will, Baizhan never seemed to lose his temper.

Seeing Lantian’s confusion, Su Yu explained, “Setting aside other matters, my first impression of Baizhan was that even if he is not a brute, he is a dominant ruler—tyrannical, self-centered: you kill one of mine, I kill your entire family. Yet today, I struck the Primordial Giant King with a single punch, and that man is his father-in-law!”

Su Yu said coldly, “If I had a father-in-law who was gravely wounded by someone’s punch, even if I could fight back, even if I couldn’t win, I would never let it go easily! I am a sovereign of a realm; if you harm my father-in-law, it is a blood feud!”

Lantian nodded slightly, but Tongtian Hou interjected in surprise, “Your Majesty is looking for a father-in-law?”

“...”

Damn it!

Su Yu cursed inwardly. I’m talking about serious matters, and this unreliable fellow suddenly butts in—what for?

Feiqiu, hearing this, also asked curiously, “Su Yu, who are you looking for as a father-in-law?”

Feiqiu always called Su Yu by name, or “New Lord,” and Su Yu didn’t mind much. That dog only acknowledged its master and little master; if Su Yu hadn’t begged for their help, Feiqiu probably wouldn’t have bothered to come out of the mountains.

The topic had strayed!

Su Yu was exasperated!

I’m talking about serious business!

He forcibly steered the conversation back: “If Baizhan truly valued loyalty and friendship, he would not have let it go. He appears to have the bearing of a dominant ruler, but in reality, it’s all nonsense! Feiqiu’s strike humiliated Longmei, who is his Celestial Venerable and his mouthpiece. Yet Baizhan allowed Longmei to be beaten. I wanted to test him, and he also wanted to see the combat strength of my subordinates!”

“But Baizhan does not want to fall out with me now, nor does he even wish to. Otherwise, when he captured Tongtian, he would not have let it go so lightly—he would have retaliated in kind!”

“Feiqiu slapping Longmei’s face is slapping Baizhan’s face. Under normal circumstances, as a sovereign, how could Baizhan be so weak? He should have taught Tongtian a lesson, making him lose all face!”

Lantian raised an eyebrow slightly, “Your Majesty means that Baizhan is too soft, and that softness is suspicious. For a strong man like Baizhan, being humiliated by Your Majesty, he should retaliate in kind. But he didn’t. Excessive weakness instead suggests a greater scheme?”

“Yes!”

Su Yu nodded. That was the reasoning.

Today’s Baizhan appeared weak, seemingly at a disadvantage, seemingly humble and polite. In truth, such a character suits a strategist, someone like the Great Zhou King, or someone like Changqing.

But it absolutely does not suit a ruler like Baizhan!

If Baizhan were that kind of person, he could never have become the revered overlord of the Ninth Tide.

If he had always been like this, the Ninth Tide would not have been won over by him.

Thus, Baizhan’s appearance this time, after six thousand years, must have changed greatly, with no small ambition—everything aimed at avoiding a major conflict with Su Yu.

“Baizhan... has changed!”

Su Yu did not know the Baizhan of six thousand years ago, but he knew that Baizhan had changed.

He was not the same as before!

By now, even his own men were beginning to oppose him. The Zhennan Marquis, who had once willingly sacrificed himself for Baizhan, detonating his own physical form without hesitation, had actually taken the initiative to reveal everything about Baizhan to Su Yu.

And as the Zhennan Marquis departed, his silhouette desolate, there lingered an attitude still willing to fight one more battle for Baizhan... yet tinged with sorrow, a complex sentiment.

If Baizhan were truly incompetent, the Zhennan Marquis would have left long ago. But he did not.

What does that signify?

It signifies that the Zhennan Marquis truly hoped Baizhan could change, could return to his former self, could turn the tide—so that his loyalty would not have been in vain.

Love deep, hate fierce!

Deep down, the Zhennan Marquis actually admired Baizhan. But Baizhan's series of actions had broken his heart, leading to that earlier scene.

All of this, Su Yu analyzed and judged.

Thus, Su Yu reached a conclusion: the Baizhan of now was different from the Baizhan of old!

Completely different!

A Baizhan who allowed his subordinates to be slapped in the face could never earn the recognition of so many powerful figures, let alone their willingness to abandon the ancient marquis positions in the Human Emperor's court for him!

One might be possible, but over fifty? Impossible!

Moreover, there were those who made way for him. It could be said that almost all the elders of the previous tide were willing to die for him.

"Baizhan is not right!"

Su Yu shook his head. Too wrong!

This unsettled him!

At this moment, Lantian also grew serious, nodding: "Judging by the Emperor's words, it is indeed not right! From a heroic ruler to the smiling tiger of today... Baizhan must have undergone some great upheaval!"

He analyzed for a moment, then thought and said: "Emperor, could it be related to the Giant Clan and Zhou Ji?"

"How so?" Su Yu showed interest, smiling: "Tell me."

Lantian analyzed: "I think Baizhan's change might not be recent, but six thousand years ago, before the final battle! Or rather, after the birth of Zhou Ji from the Giant Clan! Think about it—if Baizhan had been like this from the start, no one would have followed him! Those old fossils were extremely wary of human rulers, and the Flame Transmission lineage was still under the control of an old schemer like the Great Zhou King—yet they fell into the trap, almost the entire Flame Transmission lineage coming out... Could the Great Zhou King really not control it?"

Lantian smiled: "So I strongly suspect that the appearance of Bingku and the others was the Great Zhou King placing a bet. He believed Baizhan could win, could fulfill his dreams and goals, so he fully supported Baizhan!"

"The Great Zhou King has a sharp eye—I have to admit that!"

"But he invested heavily in Baizhan, which means that at that time, the Great Zhou King thought Baizhan was fine! It was only at the very end that the Great Zhou King might have noticed something wrong, pulled out, and saved himself, but had to abandon the Flame Transmission lineage!"

Lantian chuckled: "For the Great Zhou King to misjudge and suffer a loss, I think Baizhan might have suddenly changed his attitude during that period, leading to the collapse. I believe asking the Great Zhou King might reveal the answer!"

Su Yu pondered, then spoke: "Why did you think of Zhou Ji?"

Lantian smiled: "Baizhan grew up under everyone's watchful eyes. The only deviation was probably his marriage alliance with the Giant Clan and the birth of Zhou Ji! As for the matter of Yueluo, I suspect the Great Zhou King might have known about it!"

"And after that, Baizhan might have begun to claim the lineage of the Human Ancestor. Before that, he might not have considered these things. What do you think, Emperor?"

Su Yu's eyes flickered. Reasonable!

Very reasonable!

He had to admit, Lantian's analysis might have hit the mark.

Baizhan's change might indeed be related to Zhou Ji.

Su Yu quickly said: "Keep that in mind. The specifics, perhaps only Baizhan himself knows! But Zhou Ji, the Giant Clan, the Human Ancestor, the Gate of Hell... this series of existences might all be connected, with a thread running through them... I haven't sorted out the clues yet!"

Su Yu was not a god. With too few clues now, even his imagination struggled to fill the gaps.

But as more clues emerged, he would eventually be able to analyze the specifics.

Just as he spoke, Su Yu's eyes twitched. The next moment, a figure appeared before them. In the darkness, the figure's eyes were bright, completely different from the dead spirits, yet he was indeed a dead spirit!

The Death Spirit Emperor!

He had broken his seal!

The Death Spirit Emperor did not approach them, to avoid conflict.

Now, he revealed his true form. At his level, he was not much different from the living—his appearance slightly sallow, but no longer charred black. Aside from the dense death aura, he seemed more like a half-dead spirit than a full one.

He was very thin, with a hint of scholarly elegance.

In life, he might have been a scholar.

"Chen, pays respects to Emperor Su!"

Su Yu was surprised: "You... you already call yourself a subject? You don't even make any demands?"

"..."

Awkward!

The Death Spirit Emperor, who had just seemed somewhat scholarly, was now embarrassed. Su Yu's words broke his composure. Indeed, it was easy to misunderstand. He cleared his throat lightly: "I... my original name is Chen! The Chen of stars!"

Su Yu paused, then nodded: "You people seem to like single-character names."

The Death Spirit Emperor had to explain: "Not exactly... it's just that in our era, we didn't need overly complex names. For example, the Human Ancestor was named Zhou. For example, the Death Spirit Lord was named..."

Just as he said this, he suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly: "This place is not suitable to mention his name!"

This was the death spirit realm, not a good place to speak of it. Ordinary people might say it unconsciously without anyone caring, but he knew that existence, and as a top-tier being, mentioning it might cause a reaction from the River of Death.

Su Yu grew interested: "Interesting. So you are from the late Creation Era, early Ancient Era, right?"

"Yes."

The Death Spirit Emperor nodded slightly: "This time, breaking the seal, I thank Emperor Su for his help!"

"It was incidental, and I had promised you before!"

Su Yu smiled: "You are among the first batch of death spirits in the death spirit realm, right?"

"Yes."

The Death Spirit Emperor nodded slightly: "In fact, when the Death Spirit Lord created the realm, I was there to observe..."

He laughed self-deprecatingly: "And yet I ended up becoming one of the first death spirits! Still, without the Death Spirit Lord, perhaps I would not have had this second life. Before me, those who fell truly fell. At least I have lived for countless ages."

He bore no particular love or hate for the Death Spirit Lord. The other had given him the chance to become a death spirit, which was actually a good thing. It was just that they, the death spirits, were essentially working for the Death Spirit Lord, and after countless ages of labor, they had repaid the debt.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Su Yu, however, was now intrigued: "You mean you observed him creating the realm?"

"Yes."

The Death Spirit Emperor added: "Of course, it was from a distance, not up close. On that day, the creation caused a great commotion! In that era, almost everyone felt it. Some of us were a bit bolder and moved closer. The Death Spirit Lord was actually quite magnanimous and did not drive us away, so we were able to watch from afar!"

Su Yu nodded slightly, smiling: "I think the creator probably didn't mind being observed. Everyone's path is different. You can watch, but you may not be able to imitate. Even if you imitate, it won't be your own path of creation—only somewhat instructive!"

With that, Su Yu said with great interest: "Was there anything unusual about his creation?"

"Unusual?"

The Death Spirit Lord didn't know what Su Yu was referring to. He thought for a moment and said: "Nothing particularly unusual. The creation attracted some primordial chaos beasts that tried to stop him... Oh, he extracted a vast amount of death qi from the River of Time, so during the creation, the River of Time did tremble for a while, causing some trouble!"

"But he was already immensely powerful before the creation, so no real harm was done."

Having said this, the Death Spirit Emperor thought again and added: "After the creation, the Death Spirit Lord suddenly said something. I don't know if that counts as something special in Emperor Su's eyes."

Su Yu smiled and asked, "What did he say?"

After so many years, even in death he still remembered—clearly, the memory was deep.

The Death Spirit Sovereign thought for a moment before replying, "He seemed to say... that he was born a few years too late; otherwise, the old fellow wouldn't have gotten the first move!"

Su Yu was taken aback. What kind of words were these?

The old fellow got the first move, born a few years too late... Who was the Death Lord referring to?

For him to suddenly blurt this out after opening the heavens, it was clear the person in question was no ordinary being.

"Lord of Time?"

Su Yu murmured to himself. Could it be the Lord of Time?

The Death Lord was known for his domineering nature, unlikely to regard ordinary people. To see his tyranny, one only had to look at his Death Path—supreme and solitary, with only his own way.

The Path reveals a person's true essence!

The Death Spirit Sovereign remembered these words, clearly having pondered them back then. Sure enough, as Su Yu murmured, he heard it too and quickly nodded. "We speculated the same—he might have been referring to the Lord of Time. He opened the heavens later, while the Lord of Time opened them earlier. As for 'getting the first move'... we all guessed it was some kind of opportunity that the Lord of Time seized because he opened the heavens first!"

Su Yu asked, puzzled, "Then why didn't I feel anything when I opened the heavens?"

After I opened the heavens, I didn't gain any insight either.

What opportunity was taken from me?

The Death Spirit Sovereign hesitated, saying nothing.

As for Tongtian Hou, he truly wanted to say, "Do you have no sense of proportion?"

You opened the heavens... and you're so weak—what could you possibly comprehend? Those were true masters opening the heavens. Su Yu was probably the weakest among all heaven-openers, just like himself—the weakest of his clan!

Tongtian Hou grumbled inwardly. As the weakest among the group, why bother fretting?

Look at me—I never dwell on such things.

I never think about devouring the Heavenly Gate or the Hell Gate.

Su Yu noted the Death Spirit Sovereign's words. After opening the heavens, the Death Lord might have sensed something—an opportunity that the Lord of Time had seized, leaving him, as a latecomer, unable to compete.

Thinking this, Su Yu continued, "Then where did the Death Lord go in the end? Did he die? Was he sealed? Do you know about the Heavenly Gate? Since you lived into the Primordial Era, you must have witnessed the end of the Heaven-Opening Era, right?"

The Death Spirit Sovereign shook his head. "That, I wouldn't know. It's too high-level for me. However..."

He hesitated but still said, "From what I know, after the Death Lord opened the heavens and created the Death Realm, he soon stopped appearing. The end of the Heaven-Opening Era was marked by that, I suppose."

He added, "In truth, I fell not long after he opened the heavens. I don't even know if I should be considered a figure of the Primordial Era. Perhaps... I belong to the late Heaven-Opening Era. After all, in our time, no one bothered to distinguish between 'Heaven-Opening' and 'Primordial'—those were labels given by later generations!"

Fair enough!

For instance, in the present age, who knows how future generations will name and divide the eras? That's a matter for those to come. Those living in the moment don't say, "This is the Ancient Era, the Primordial Era."

Seeing that the Death Spirit Sovereign knew little, Su Yu, though he had witnessed the Death Lord's heaven-opening, wasn't particularly interested—he hadn't seen it firsthand, so asking was pointless. Su Yu cut straight to the point: "Would Your Sovereign be interested in becoming a Death King?"

The Death Spirit Sovereign was silent for a moment. In truth, after breaking the seal, he had no other choice. Now that Su Yu brought it up, he knew it was merely a formality—he had no alternative!

The Death Spirit Sovereign bowed slightly. "It would be my honor! If Your Majesty does not disdain me, then I, Chen, am willing to accept the position of Death King!"

Su Yu glanced at him and suddenly sighed. "I wonder if I am leaving a curse for those who come after me!"

The Death Spirit Sovereign's heart trembled slightly.

Su Yu sighed again. "Back then, you refused to submit to the Ancient Era, and the ancient powers had no choice but to seal you. Now, you submit to me so easily... This is not what I expected!"

Su Yu laughed bitterly.

"I mocked King Wen and the others for being soft-hearted, for leaving hidden dangers to later generations... But now that I'm in their shoes, if I put myself in their place—you haven't offended me, and you're willing to submit—should I kill you for no reason? Then I have no choice but to enfeoff you. But... are you a good man?"

The Death Spirit Sovereign looked somewhat embarrassed.

Su Yu sighed again. "If you were a good man, you'd have worked for the Ancient Era long ago. Why work for me? You simply think that the Ancient Era had too many strong beings, leaving you little chance to turn the tables, so being sealed was better... As for me, I might die at any moment, so you'll just play along for now. Is that the idea?"

"Your Majesty... you misunderstand!"

The Death Spirit Sovereign stammered, "Your Majesty is a heaven-opener..."

"King Ren and King Wen also opened the heavens—so what?"

Su Yu sneered. "Forget it. If I leave a curse, so be it!"

Su Yu said calmly, "These are matters after my death. I won't ask about what comes after, nor will I meddle. While I live, you won't have a chance to turn things around!"

With that, Su Yu reached out and summoned a great seal of heaven and earth, which materialized once more.

The next moment, Su Yu held the seal in his right hand, while his left hand reached toward the chaos. Instantly, strands of Path power surged forth, and a Death Path erupted with immense deathly energy, casting its shadow onto the seal.

"I decree that Chen shall govern the Death Realm, enfeoffed as the Death King! By order of the Yu Emperor's Court!"

These few brief words, woven from the laws of ten thousand Paths, instantly took shape in the void. The void turned into a scroll, and a golden document materialized out of thin air. Su Yu stamped it with the great seal!

Boom!

A thunderous roar shook heaven and earth. On the Human Emperor's Seal, a map of the Death Realm appeared, and in the blink of an eye, a surge of fate-energy was born.

Su Yu laughed. "You... are the first king I have enfeoffed under my command! I once promised several others the title of king but never enfeoffed them—Hetu, Lanshan—I made them promises. Yet the Death King has stolen the first move... I wonder if this is good or ill!"

At that moment, the Death Spirit Sovereign received the golden document, sensing something extraordinary. In an instant, he understood everything and bowed his head. "Chen of the Death Realm thanks Your Majesty!"

Su Yu waved his hand. "No need. Of course, your title of king is somewhat hollow now—I am not like King Ren or the others. In the Ancient Era, your rank would be roughly equivalent to a marquis!"

Su Yu smiled. "Guard the Death Realm well. Unless I summon you, you are not to leave it!"

"Your servant understands!"

A wise man submits to circumstances!

That was all Su Yu could say. This Death Spirit Sovereign was far too shrewd!

But if he was so clever, why hadn't he submitted to the Ancient Era back then?

Complicated!

Su Yu decided not to dwell on it. If the Death Spirit Sovereign truly intended to rebel, he would kill him. For now, this was the only arrangement he could make.

"Go meet your subordinates. The commotion just now was loud—the others probably already know."

Su Yu had no interest in introducing him to the dead; he didn't know many himself.

Besides, the Death Spirit Sovereign was powerful enough to subdue the dead on his own.

The Death Spirit Sovereign bowed again and quickly flew toward the former Eastern King's domain!

At this moment, he too was filled with complex emotions.

...

After he left, Tongtian Hou finally spoke up. "Your Majesty, you've enfeoffed a king just like that? And Your Majesty once promised to make me a king too—yet just now, you didn't mention me!"

"Did I?"

Su Yu laughed. Tongtian Hou said helplessly, "You did, Your Majesty! You haven't forgotten, have you?"

It really happened!

Su Yu smiled. "Really? As I recall, you came begging me, saying that after I died, you could boast about your status to later generations... But I don't remember agreeing to it, do I?"

Tongtian Hou was speechless.

But I remember you seemed to have agreed!

One of the two must have misremembered. Of course, Su Yu didn’t mind, and said with a smile: “Then let’s pretend it’s so! The premise is, you be reliable and talk less; otherwise, if I enfeoff you, I’ll name you the Fart King!”

Tongtian Hou was utterly speechless. Was it necessary?

This title was too awful!

“I’ll definitely talk less!”

Tongtian Hou nodded solemnly. Fine, from now on I’ll speak less. Anyway, I don’t have much to say now.

Su Yu was speechless, chuckled, and walked toward the chaos beyond.

He wouldn’t waste time bantering with Tongtian; he still had many things to do.

Recently, Su Yu had been very busy!

It was Baizhan and the others who were idle. Unfortunately, I’m born with a toiling fate, Su Yu muttered to himself.

…

Su Yu’s realm.

When Su Yu returned, the Great Zhou King came to welcome him. Seeing Su Yu, he sighed softly and said, “Your Majesty has shown your might across the myriad realms today, and even Baizhan was awed by you. Your Majesty is truly the strongest sovereign!”

“Did you decide that?”

Su Yu said with a faint smile: “Strongest or not, is it up to you to say?”

The Great Zhou King wasn’t embarrassed, and said with a bright smile: “It’s the will of the people, decided by the human race! Your Majesty is the emperor, while others can only be kings!”

Su Yu snorted: “The Martial Emperor is also an emperor!”

What use was saying that?

He was still beaten black and blue by the Martial King!

Beaten especially badly!

So miserably that it was almost inhumane.

Speaking of which, Su Yu was really curious, and suddenly asked: “What grudge does the Martial King actually have against the Martial Emperor? Sealing him is one thing, but he even chopped off his leg and planted him headfirst in the ground. That’s no small hatred—what’s the story?”

Before the Great Zhou King could speak, Su Yu barked: “Tell me the truth, I want to hear some gossip. My mood was ruined by Baizhan today; if I don’t hear any gossip, I’ll create some myself, and you’ll be the target, Great Zhou King!”

Damn!

The Great Zhou King cursed inwardly. Are you threatening me?

Yes, an absolute threat!

Creating gossip artificially clearly meant he was going to be rough on him!

He felt somewhat helpless. You had a great victory today, and you’re still in a bad mood? Then Baizhan might as well be dead!

Thinking this, the Great Zhou King grew even more resigned, and had to hesitate: “Let me think… I seem to have heard some gossip, but whether it’s true or not, I’m not sure!”

The Great Zhou King seemed to be recalling, but Su Yu strongly suspected he was faking it!

This guy actually knew, but just didn’t want to say it; only when pressured could he squeeze out a bit of truth.

Su Yu was indeed puzzled. What great enmity did the Martial King and the Martial Emperor have? Humiliation… was that necessary?

Strong people rarely humiliated other strong people.

Humiliating the weak was even more unnecessary.

The Great Zhou King recalled for a moment, then said: “It’s said… just said! The Martial Emperor and the Martial King do have some grudge. This grudge… isn’t easy to speak of openly, so the outside world isn’t too clear. I only heard it mentioned occasionally…”

Su Yu said impatiently: “Less nonsense, yes, it’s all hearsay from you, and I never said you were one of the parties involved!”

The Great Zhou King was speechless. That was a veiled jab, but forget it, he’d pretend not to hear.

He quickly continued: “I heard someone say that the Martial Emperor might have slept with the Martial King’s wife.”

“…”

Su Yu was stunned: “Really or not?”

“Ahem!”

The Great Zhou King said awkwardly: “I’ve only heard it; I don’t know the specifics. Even the Martial Emperor himself might not be sure! This matter is quite secret and complicated. I heard that in the early days of the unification of the ancient era, when the Martial King was weak, he had a childhood sweetheart… sort of betrothed from birth, I think? Something like that. Later, the Martial King went out to study the Dao, made friends with the Literary King and others, and then campaigned across the land… He didn’t return for many years!”

“When the Martial King achieved fame and thought he had a future, he returned home in glory to find his childhood sweetheart, only to learn that she had been taken away by the Martial Emperor’s men. Taken away… maybe that’s not accurate; it’s hard to say.”

“The Martial Emperor was a hegemon back then, one of the top three hegemons of the human race. He had a harem. The Martial King’s childhood sweetheart was… well, presented to the Martial Emperor by the locals. So the Martial Emperor might not have known about it, and the childhood sweetheart might not have known that her childhood sweetheart was the Martial King… Anyway, that’s roughly the situation.”

“After defeating the Martial Emperor, the Martial King discovered that his childhood sweetheart seemed to have died, so he took his anger out on the Martial Emperor. After defeating him, he humiliated him severely.”

Su Yu was surprised and shocked. After a long pause, he said: “Wait… the Martial King’s taste… it’s said, just said, that it’s the same as Giant Axe Hou’s! Was the Martial Emperor also that kind of taste?”

This gossip was juicy!

The Great Zhou King gave a dry laugh: “How to put it… in that era, a frail woman who couldn’t fight or battle often meant she was only good for looking at, with no practical help. So the aesthetic of that time was different from now!”

Alright, I get it!

Su Yu murmured: “If it’s the hatred of a stolen wife, that explains it. If it were me, I’d want to kill the Martial Emperor, not just seal him!”

The Great Zhou King said gloomily: “That would require having a wife first, Your Majesty. You’re probably unlikely to have such a hatred!”

Bang!

Su Yu suddenly punched him in the eye, instantly turning the Great Zhou King’s eye socket into the color of March.

Su Yu snorted: “Are you mocking me, or what?”

The Great Zhou King was weary!

You just wanted to hit me, right?

I guessed your intention long ago!

He didn’t bother to argue, and quickly said: “Your Majesty, what about the Martial Emperor?”

Never mind the black eye; it would fade soon!

But when he saw Su Yu recording it, he felt even more exhausted. You’re really not human—you hit me yourself and then record it. Have some shame, will you?

Su Yu didn’t care. He had just heard a big piece of gossip!

His mood instantly brightened!

Of course, this needed verification; it might not be true.

But I’d rather it were true. Such gossip is spicy and juicy enough. If it were some other reason—like the Martial Emperor killing the Martial King’s brother, or the Martial Emperor once humiliating the Martial King—that would be boring!

Juicy gossip is what makes it fun!

Su Yu was in a good mood and soon walked deeper into the realm, saying as he went: “He’s been locked up for years; by now he’s probably run off without a trace. He was imprisoned even longer than Tianmie and the others. Once released, he’d vanish in a flash! But after he’s done roaming, he’ll probably come looking for me. He still owes me three rule masters!”

The Great Zhou King nodded, then said: “Your Majesty, are you really going to strike against the myriad races? If so, helping the Divine Emperor’s consort continue her path now is just asking for trouble.”

That would be cultivating a strong enemy for yourself!

“The myriad races must be fought, but there are strategies to fighting!”

Su Yu chuckled, “As for the Divine Empress, I have my own plans! I said I wouldn’t fight the Sinful Races, but did I say the Ten Thousand Races wouldn’t fight them? That’s their affair, nothing to do with me, right?”

The Great Zhou King’s heart stirred!

Su Yu smiled faintly, “I also said I would no longer accept the surrender or allegiance of the Ten Thousand Races—that’s the truth. Hatred cannot be resolved! In these five hundred years, how many of my human race have fallen in battle? I think, Great Zhou King, you know better than I do.”

The Great Zhou King was silent for a moment, then nodded, “Many have died!”

So many!

A sea of blood and deep enmity!

Su Yu continued, “My words have actually cut off the Ten Thousand Races’ retreat, leaving them no choice but to fight to the death! Thus, war becomes a desperate struggle! Yet even in a desperate struggle, there are differences! Will they fight to the death against me, or against the Sinful Races, entering the Gate of Hell to seek a chance, then bide their time and break out again?”

The Great Zhou King’s heart trembled violently!

Su Yu narrowed his eyes, speaking softly, “What do you think—am I harder to deal with, or are the Sinful Races? The Sinful Races can enter the Gate of Hell; can they? They probably can! Once inside, is the danger greater, or is it greater outside, surrounded and slaughtered by me?”

Su Yu said cheerfully, “Of course, it depends on their judgment! Perhaps they think I’m easier to handle, and then they’ll choose to fight me to the death—I wouldn’t mind that!”

At this moment, the Great Zhou King fully understood Su Yu’s intentions!

Su Yu wanted to drive the wolves to devour the tiger!

The key was that it was still very difficult.

Moreover, the Gate of Hell was extremely perilous. Would the Ten Thousand Races choose to kill the Sinful Races’ people, storming the Gate of Hell to snatch a sliver of hope, or would they fight Su Yu to the bitter end?

Even Su Yu himself couldn’t be certain of that.

“But didn’t Your Majesty say you wouldn’t let the Ten Thousand Races interfere with Baizhan’s campaign against the Sinful Races?”

“Of course!”

Su Yu laughed, “The Ten Thousand Races aren’t harassing Baizhan; they’re going after the Sinful Races—that doesn’t contradict what I said! Don’t you think?”

The Great Zhou King thought for a moment, then nodded.

Su Yu went on, “Dogs biting dogs—why should we drag the dogs into a fight? That would be idle meddling! Baizhan should thank me for giving him a hand!”

The Great Zhou King didn’t know if Baizhan would thank him, but he did know that if thanks were given, it would likely be to Su Yu’s entire family!

Su Yu was about to stop being human again!

Specializing in tricking the virtuous!

Now, looking at Baizhan again, he was indeed far more kind-hearted than Su Yu—Su Yu was truly black-hearted!