Chapter 822: Martial Artist!

Did Su Yu deceive Zhou Ji?

Not quite.

Su Yu wasn’t sure whose side Martial Emperor was on, but no one could be certain that Martial Emperor wasn’t Su Yu’s man.

During the negotiation with Zhou Ji, Zhou Ji knew Martial Emperor was about to return, so he was anxious. Su Yu was also a bit anxious, because he truly worried that Martial Emperor, that fool, might suddenly come back and cause trouble!

Thus, Zhou Ji was eager to reach an agreement, and Su Yu was eager too.

Martial Emperor might keep his promise, or he might not. But at this point, Su Yu wasn’t willing to gamble—there was no need.

With a sure-win situation, why bet on the unknown?

So, without waiting for Martial Emperor’s return, he chose to force Zhou Ji and his people to leave.

Otherwise, if Martial Emperor were one hundred percent on Su Yu’s side, Su Yu might have chosen to keep Zhou Ji. It was precisely because of the uncertainty that Su Yu opted to let go.

At this moment, Zhou Ji and his group had left.

Martial Emperor returned!

All of Su Yu’s pent-up anger burst forth instantly. Now, in all the realms, you’re the only one who won’t obey, aren’t you?

“Beat him to death!”

Su Yu roared, dragging Martial Emperor into his own world. The others joined in. At this moment, Su Yu’s forces were extremely strong—beating Martial Emperor was well within their power!

Martial Emperor’s face was a sight to behold!

“What are you doing!”

“Su Yu, are you turning against me?”

“Su Yu, don’t go too far…”

Martial Emperor was panicking now. So many people!

Damn!

So many Rule Masters!

What’s going on?

I was only gone for a moment!

Boom!

He was dragged into Su Yu’s world. Everyone bombarded him, forcing him to fly backward into Su Yu’s domain. The moment he entered Su Yu’s world, Martial Emperor’s expression completely changed!

Doom!

At this moment, Martial Emperor clearly felt his strength being suppressed.

Meanwhile, on Su Yu’s side, everyone’s power had increased—especially Su Yu himself!

Su Yu was now devouring the fortune force left behind by Zhou Ji, as well as the power of the human flesh path that Zhou Ji had severed.

He was also digesting everything he hadn’t absorbed before.

The Human Emperor’s sky was gradually fading, but Su Yu’s strength hadn’t weakened too severely.

When the Human Emperor’s sky covered him, Su Yu possessed the power of a second-class Rule Master. Now, as that sky slowly dissipated, Su Yu was indeed declining, but not by much.

Strictly speaking, at this moment, here, he could still maintain the second-class level.

Of course, he was slightly weaker than before.

But if he absorbed all his gains, he might be about the same as before. This meant that this harvest might offset the boost the Human Emperor’s sky had given him.

It was equivalent to earning a broken sky!

In truth, it was already an enormous gain—even beyond imagination. After all, where in the world could you find so many skies to absorb?

Su Yu, as if joking, while absorbing all the power, said cheerfully, “Don’t hit him too hard. Just play with Martial Emperor. After all, he’s still human…”

Hearing this, the others stopped their frenzy, but they were still brimming with excitement. Let’s hit him first!

Seeing this, Martial Emperor breathed a sigh of relief and grumbled, “What’s wrong with me? Didn’t I go deal with that Zhou Ji for you? Now you’re turning your back on me?”

Su Yu smiled and said nothing, continuing to absorb and digest.

As for the flesh path, this time Su Yu’s world had truly improved greatly.

Both Baizhan and Zhou Ji were experts in the flesh path.

This time, both of them severed the human flesh path. It could be said that these two alone had accounted for at least a third of the flesh path’s power, while the ancient flesh kings of humanity also held a significant share.

Only a tiny fraction remained for countless human cultivators to practice.

Now that these two had severed their paths, a vast amount of flesh power surged into the flesh path of Su Yu’s world.

Those human experts who had previously cultivated the flesh path, after severing it, continued to merge into Su Yu’s world and practice the flesh path again, and they all clearly improved!

There were many such cultivators.

Before, so many human eternals had cultivated the flesh path. Later, some changed paths, while others couldn’t and had to continue. Su Yu’s world’s flesh path had been very weak before.

Ahead, a group was fighting fiercely, but not to the death.

Su Yu, however, continued to absorb power relentlessly!

His eyes flickered with madness, quickly turning calm.

Zhou Ji said Su Yu was crazy… Su Yu didn’t think he was crazy. A madman usually wouldn’t admit to being one.

I am a scholar… How could a scholar be a madman?

Madness is just a show for others, isn’t it?

Su Yu never thought he was truly mad!

He felt he was perfectly normal!

So normal that everyone thought he was mad—that just meant others weren’t normal enough.

His strength climbed bit by bit.

Over there, the fight was growing dull. Everyone actually wanted to calm down and meditate, but since Su Yu hadn’t ordered it, they kept fighting.

Martial Emperor kept cursing—what was going on!

No one knew how long passed before Su Yu’s body trembled, and his physical form suddenly became much stronger than before.

By now, most of the free rule power in the world had been absorbed by Su Yu, and the entire world had expanded again.

At this point, Su Yu’s strength was perhaps slightly weaker than before, but the gap wasn’t large. He was still at the level of a second-class Rule Master. The terror of a world-opener was now fully revealed!

World-opening: two months!

In two months, Su Yu had crossed from the strength of a Celestial Lord to the second-class level. Of course, this was within his own world. In his world, Su Yu had already reached the level of some emperors of old!

Terrifying!

The difference between a strong world-opener and a weak one was now apparent. A strong opener, like the Human Emperor, opened a world at the second-class Rule Master level. That world was only a supplement, and only later when he grew stronger could it truly count as a world-opener.

But a weak opener, like Su Yu, who opened a world at the Sun-Moon realm with Celestial Lord combat power, saw his world reach the second-class Rule Master level in a short time. For him, this was not just icing on the cake—it was a lifeline!

Thus, Su Yu’s strength increased extremely rapidly. When the Human Emperor and others opened their worlds, the initial help was minimal. So even though the Human Emperor opened a world, he wouldn’t rashly sever his own path. The Human Emperor must have cultivated another extremely powerful path!

Had his world not been cultivated to absolute perfection, he would not sever his connection to the Dao; to do so would be to invite self-limitation. Take Su Yu, for instance—he, too, was constrained. His world could not be shifted too far across the void; once he stepped outside its bounds, he was merely a third-class Ruler of Rules.

The Human Emperor had refrained from moving his own world because such a relocation would severely cripple it, leaving it in a state even more precarious than Su Yu’s. Su Yu had at least achieved a lesser cycle of self-sufficiency, his world sustaining itself, whereas the Human Emperor still sought to harness the Great Dao of Time to replenish his own domain.

"Second-class..."

Su Yu murmured the words to himself. This was the combat strength wielded by the likes of King Ming during the twilight of the ancient era; though they might have stood at the very peak of the second class, they ultimately belonged to the same tier.

Yet countless years had drifted by. Even if the flow of time within the River of Time had not quite reached the span of a hundred thousand years, their ceaseless battles and endless slaughter, combined with their direct absorption of rule power from the river itself, led Su Yu to believe that these figures must have grown stronger.

"Perhaps they have all ascended to the first class."

"And those of the third class, like King Zhan, have likely reached the second class..."

Su Yu weighed the possibilities; the likelihood was exceedingly high.

Thus, once he ventured outside his own world, he would possess only the might of the third class. If he were to travel upstream, what great difference could a third-class Ruler of Rules truly make in the coming war?

Furthermore, while the countless experts within his world now reigned as Rulers of Rules, the moment they stepped outside, they would be reduced to mere fifth-class status. Under ordinary circumstances, the fourth class was the standard benchmark; the fifth class was reserved for those weak human kings who walked the path of the physical body, or those who mastered only a minor, insignificant Dao.

Such was the strength of Yue Zhan and the Chaos Dragon—the very definition of a fifth-class Ruler of Rules as decreed by the Human Emperor and his contemporaries in the days of old.

To battle a Heavenly Venerate was feasible, even to slay one, but to contend against a true Ruler of Rules would be difficult beyond measure.

Su Yu remained deep in thought, his aura gradually stabilizing with each passing breath.

Not far away, Emperor Wu possessed a terrifying combat strength of his own. Su Yu could faintly perceive that after eons of imprisonment, this newly unsealed warrior was on the verge of a swift breakthrough. Despite his long slumber and bouts of madness during those trapped years, his Dao had never ceased its instinctual consumption of power.

A breakthrough to the second class was likely close at hand.

Once he attained the second class, Emperor Wu would remain the undisputed supreme master of the Myriad Realms the moment he stepped beyond Su Yu’s world.

It was for this reason that Emperor Wu showed no panic. He cursed and swore, yet no true urgency touched him; from what he could gather of Su Yu’s intentions, the youth seemed to have no desire to turn against him.

...

Yet at that very moment, a dangerous light flickered in Su Yu’s eyes.

Emperor Wu... had become a liability.

Unsealing Emperor Wu previously had merely been a calculated gamble to sow suspicion, ensuring that Bai Zhan, the Myriad Tribes, and the Sin Race would believe Emperor Wu belonged to Su Yu’s faction. In truth, that gambit had succeeded marvelously.

Exceedingly well.

None could believe that Su Yu would release Emperor Wu without a hidden contingency, for in their eyes, Su Yu was a master strategist of peerless intellect.

Su Yu had precisely exploited this perception, paralyzing them with fear so that none dared approach or trust Emperor Wu.

That was the essence of his wager.

Clearly, Su Yu had won. Even one as brilliant as Zhou Ji had been utterly manipulated.

Emperor Wu’s pursuit of him had been entirely born of Su Yu’s repeated instigations and promptings.

From the very first day of Emperor Wu’s release, Su Yu had continuously warned him not to venture into the Chaos, claiming that the strongest under heaven resided there and would surely slay him if he dared approach.

To a brute warrior like Emperor Wu, such words were a challenge that demanded he test Zhou Ji's mettle, no matter the cost.

Unless, of course, he was absolutely certain the foe was too powerful to overcome.

Zhou Ji, being a man of intellect, was naturally loath to engage in a meaningless life-or-death struggle with Emperor Wu, and so he used a stratagem to cast him off—which was precisely the outcome Su Yu had engineered.

The pieces had fallen exactly as he had envisioned.

However, now that Emperor Wu’s utility was entirely spent, he stood as a massive obstacle to Su Yu’s unification of the Myriad Realms.

In the next breath, the cold calculation in Su Yu’s eyes vanished into a mask of absolute calm.

What I require is a Myriad Realms that brooks no defiance.

What I require is an absolutely tranquil rear guard.

He feared nothing for himself, save for the sudden catastrophe that might wipe out the human race once he departed with the bulk of his powerful allies.

Even a blunderer as disastrous as Bai Zhan had not led humanity to complete extinction. If the human race were to fall from its zenith into ruin under Su Yu's watch, it would mean he was more incompetent than Bai Zhan himself.

With that thought, Su Yu rose to his feet.

...

Emperor Wu was still unleashing a torrent of abuse, striking out even as he cursed.

"You insignificant insects, do you court death?"

"Still you fight?"

"Were I not too lazy to slaughter you all, you would be corpses by now..."

The others simply chose to ignore his tirade.

It was then that Su Yu approached, a slight smile gracing his lips. "Senior Emperor Wu!"

Emperor Wu cast a glare toward him and barked half-angrily, "Tell these wretched insects to get lost this instant, they vex me!"

"Senior... is as arrogant as you have always been."

Su Yu chuckled softly. Suddenly, a wave of unease washed over Emperor Wu; Su Yu's smile stirred a deep, primal instinct of danger within the warrior's soul.

Su Yu let out a soft laugh. "I bear no true ill will toward you, Emperor Wu. Yet... I shall soon depart the Myriad Realms to aid the Human Emperor. It is highly unlikely you would accompany me or offer your aid, for a deep blood feud stands between you both."

"To aid one's sworn enemy is a bitter pill to swallow. Were I in your position, I too would refuse."

"Judging others by myself, a man as proud as Emperor Wu would be even less inclined to assist..."

A sudden chill gripped Emperor Wu’s heart.

All around them, the intelligent figures like the Great Zhou King felt their expressions subtly shift.

"My thanks to Emperor Wu for delaying and intimidating Zhou Ji just now. That deed shall serve as recompense for my freeing you from your seal. Henceforth, I owe Emperor Wu nothing, and Emperor Wu owes nothing to me."

Emperor Wu’s face turned thoroughly pale.

With a sharp wave of his hand, the Great Zhou King and his companions instantly retreated behind Su Yu. The Great Zhou King looked upon Su Yu with an intense, questioning gravity, the previous lightheartedness completely vanished.

Su Yu smiled faintly. "In truth, Emperor Wu still holds a lingering devotion to the human race... You are no traitor like Bai Zhan who turned his back on his own blood, and for that, I grant you a measure of respect."

"As my senior, I shall strike with all my might in this battle, preserving your final dignity as I send you to the heavens."

Across from him, Emperor Wu's countenance turned ash-grey. He stared at Su Yu, his voice trapped in his throat.

He understood perfectly.

Su Yu... intended to kill him.

With a sharp flick of his wrists, Su Yu’s robes transformed into a shimmering golden mantle. The Seal of the Human Ruler manifested, shaping itself into a crown upon his brow. A single tome materialized in his grasp—the Civilization Chronicle, the very core of this entire world.

Su Yu gazed at Emperor Wu, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "Su Yu of the Great Blue Mansion! Today, in this place, I send Senior Emperor Wu to the heavens. This is no dispute of the Dao, nor is it the execution of a traitor. I simply do not wish for Emperor Wu to become an obstruction in my path. This is the duty of the Human Ruler—it has nothing to do with morality or lineage, but exists solely to... eliminate future perils."

The execution of Emperor Wu.

This was the ultimate decree Su Yu had forged.

Emperor Wu had become the single most volatile element within his domain.

Slaying Emperor Wu was an idea Su Yu had entertained at the very beginning, though he had later deemed it unnecessary, viewing the man as merely an unfortunate, reckless brute.

Yet, having arrived at this precipice, Su Yu acted not out of personal whim or malice, but for the greater destiny of all.

Sometimes, there are deeds one is loath to commit, yet they must be executed nonetheless.

Emperor Wu's face turned completely pale!

Su Yu truly intended to kill him!

Behind him, the Great Zhou King seemed about to speak but held back, while the others also changed color slightly. Even the warriors like Wu Ji had their expressions shift. Moments ago, everyone thought it was a joke, and Su Yu had seemed to be joking too—but at this instant… Su Yu was not joking.

He was going to slay Emperor Wu!

Across from him, Emperor Wu’s face grew solemn: “You want to kill me?”

Su Yu nodded slightly: “I will grant Emperor Wu a dignified end. In this battle, I will face Emperor Wu alone. In my life, there have been those I could use, and those I could not. Watching me fight one-on-one is actually quite rare! I have always believed that those who labor with their minds need not exert physical strength… But today, I give Emperor Wu this honor!”

Emperor Wu’s lips twitched: “Then… I suppose I should thank you! Su Yu, you are even more ruthless than the Human Emperor and the others!”

“Not quite.”

Su Yu smiled, a smile as warm as a spring breeze. “If I were truly ruthless, I would have surrounded and killed Emperor Wu by now!”

He walked step by step toward Emperor Wu, speaking softly: “Let me witness the might of the ancient overlord, Emperor Wu!”

Emperor Wu’s expression grew heavy.

Gradually, he felt Su Yu’s aura strengthening, pressing down on him, overwhelming him. Emperor Wu’s pupils contracted—Su Yu was terrifyingly powerful!

Vaguely, it even reminded him of the time when the Literary King had killed a Rule Master with a single stroke of his brush. Emperor Wu felt a daze, as if he saw the Literary King of old, his smile radiant, a single brushstroke slaying a wild beast—a Rule Master!

Today’s Su Yu did not quite resemble the Literary King in temperament, but his smile, his gestures, the way he looked at Emperor Wu—it was very much like the Literary King who had slain that wild beast with a brushstroke!

Emperor Wu’s face grew heavier and heavier. Gradually, a long spear materialized in his hand!

The spear was like a dragon, seeming to roar!

Emperor Wu stopped cursing. With a somber tone, he said lowly: “If you want to kill me, you’ll have to show me your true skill! Su Yu, your progress fills me with dread… but I am Emperor Wu, born for battle. To kill me, you will pay a price!”

He did feel dread!

Su Yu’s progress was unimaginably fast!

Yet… he was Emperor Wu!

A sovereign born for battle!

The spear quivered, and the sound of air bursting shook heaven and earth. At this moment, Emperor Wu’s strength was roughly equal to Yu’s from earlier—perhaps slightly stronger. Both used spears, but under Emperor Wu’s full concentration, he seemed to others to be clearly more powerful than Yu!

Emperor Wu said coldly: “Then let this sovereign witness the power of the new Human Emperor!”

“Fight!”

With a low shout, the spear shattered heaven and earth. Boom!

A sound like an explosion rang out. With a sharp crack, countless people behind them flew backward, each spitting blood, their faces filled with shock!

Emperor Wu’s aura erupted, wild and frenzied, carrying an intense battle intent, a killing aura, a bloody savagery. He was Emperor Wu!

In the chaotic era of antiquity, he had slaughtered in all directions, quelled upheavals, and suppressed an age as a mighty figure!

Back then, humanity was in chaos—fighting among themselves, fighting the heavens, fighting all races. He was one of the top three ancient human sovereigns!

He was not Yu!

Yu, though appearing as a warrior, had always lurked in the shadows. He had rarely truly fought, unlike Emperor Wu, who had grown up in battle before his sealing.

Meanwhile, Su Yu flipped through the pages of a book. A phantom emerged and clashed with the spear!

Boom!

A thunderous sound erupted. The spear directly pinned the Demon Ancestor to the void. Emperor Wu’s aura was fierce, and he said coldly: “Demon Ancestor? I never met the ancestor of the demons, but I did meet the previous generation’s Demon Emperor—and not only met him… I pinned him to death in the demon realm. You use demonic arts to kill me? Too inexperienced!”

These words revealed some hidden secrets.

Not that it mattered much. In the ancient era, he had campaigned in all directions, slaughtering everywhere. What was a demon emperor to him? He was also one of humanity’s sovereigns. Pinning a demon emperor to death was nothing!

The spearhead vibrated. With a thunderous roar, the Demon Ancestor’s body exploded!

Emperor Wu withdrew his spear and instantly retreated. Behind him, the Immortal Ancestor appeared.

“Su Yu, these tricks are too immature, too weak!”

Emperor Wu sneered. He swung his spear, sweeping through the heavens. One thrust pierced the sky, and the spear churned, causing Su Yu’s entire world to tremble!

…

“So strong!”

At this moment, the Great Qin King could not help but be shaken. He transmitted his voice: “Old Zhou, Emperor Wu and that Yu from earlier—are they about the same level?”

Why did it feel like Emperor Wu was far stronger than Yu had been?

“The purest of martial ways!”

The Great Zhou King sighed with some complexity and transmitted: “Emperor Wu is a human ancient sovereign forged through slaughter! He is not like Yu, that schemer hiding in the shadows. In the late ancient era, chaos reigned, and it was out of chaos that heroes emerged—that the Human Emperor and the others arose! So in that chaotic age, anyone who made a name for themselves, who claimed the title of sovereign, was no weakling! Emperor Wu lost to the Martial King, but the Martial King… was known as the third-strongest in the heavens!”

The first in the heavens was either the Human Emperor or the Literary King—it was hard to say which was first and which was second. The Martial King was called the third-strongest, and neither the Prison King nor the Bright King denied it. Perhaps they disdained to, or perhaps the Martial King truly was stronger than them!

Everyone thought Emperor Wu was too tragic, suppressed so miserably by the Martial King. But they did not consider whether an ordinary person would even be qualified to be suppressed by the Martial King.

Even Zhou Ji, who was actually very strong—a peak third-rank—did not dare to fight Emperor Wu in the chaos. Instead, he shook him off, showing how much he feared him.

The Great Qin King also used a spear. Now, seeing Emperor Wu use a spear, and Yu earlier as well, he could not help but watch more closely.

The more he watched, the more shocked he became!

Emperor Wu was truly formidable!

He seemed loud and brash, but every thrust of his spear was perfectly timed, with no waste of power. Each strike was exquisitely precise. His combat experience and instincts were terrifyingly sharp!

“Does His Majesty really want to kill him?”

The Great Qin King was still conflicted. Emperor Wu did not seem to have opposed them.

The Great Zhou King sighed and transmitted: “There is no choice. His Majesty wants the myriad realms to remain peaceful, not to fall into chaos after he leaves. Emperor Wu has now become the greatest hidden danger…”

“Then he could be exiled beyond the Gate of Hell…”

“Emperor Wu would not agree!”

The Great Zhou King shook his head. “He is a pure warrior. If you told him to go beyond the Heavenly Gate to seek revenge on the Martial King, he might go. But if you tell him to go to the Gate of Hell… he most likely will not!”

Well, then!

The Great Qin King did not know what else to say. As humanity’s commander for the past few centuries, he understood just how troublesome an existence like Emperor Wu could be.

Still… he felt that death was too harsh a punishment.

He glanced at Su Yu. Su Yu was also cold and merciless, flipping through the pages of his book one by one. Suddenly, Su Yu sighed inwardly. Forget it, Su Yu… he vaguely sensed that Su Yu was somewhat mad.

But it was also the product of this era.

If Su Yu had kept reading books, working as a researcher, perhaps he would not have become like this.

Yet his experiences from childhood had driven him to madness. Reading had not suppressed his frenzy; soon, he was plunged into endless wars, despair striking him again and again.

By now, Su Yu had completely fallen into madness.

He was insane!

The Great Qin King had actually sensed it. Perhaps others had not noticed, or did not think it significant, but the Great Qin King vaguely felt it—because the Su Yu of now was different from the Su Yu who had first entered the myriad realms battlefield!

When Su Yu first entered the battlefield, the Great Qin King had once probed him. Back then, Su Yu, though somewhat extreme, showed his emotions clearly. He was not as capricious as he was now!

……

As the others watched, Su Yu let out a cold snort and muttered, “I hold heaven and earth—martial arts shall perish!”

“Perish!”

With that low cry, a page vanished in an instant. The Martial Emperor thrust his spear, but suddenly felt his battle intent wane. The next moment, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. “Martial arts shall perish? Big words! The martial way is in the heart! I am the Martial Emperor—my heart is only martial!”

Su Yu could control the rules, but not the heart!

In my heart, there is martial!

That martial way shall never perish!

Boom!

Battle intent flared even stronger; in an instant, the Martial Emperor’s aura surged. I may be foolish, but I know what I pursue—I pursue strength, the martial way!

Perhaps Su Yu thought him dull, thought he wasted his talent, but the Martial Emperor cared not, disagreed.

Talent is talent—how many can turn it into true power?

At least, I am still strong!

The spear trembled, with no excessive tricks, nor the 720 divine skills of Yu and Baizhan—only this one spear!

Charging forward without hesitation—kill!

Advance!

Step by step, he drew closer to Su Yu, closing in, thrusting spear after spear, shattering the lethal techniques Su Yu unleashed without cease!

“Kill!”

Roars echoed endlessly, yet Su Yu’s strength was indeed greater, and within his own domain, heaven and earth suppressed, myriad rules struck out, all means deployed together!

On Su Yu’s forehead, beads of sweat seeped out, but he remained unmoving as a mountain!

Page after page of the Civilization Chronicle he turned.

One Su Yu after another burst forth; soon, the Martial Emperor was surrounded by Su Yus, countless Su Yus, each wielding different rule powers, locked in fierce battle with the Martial Emperor!

The Martial Emperor’s panting grew audible.

He was strong!

But here, he could not overcome Su Yu.

Outside, perhaps there was still a chance—here, there was none.

With heavy steps, the Martial Emperor slew another group of Su Yus, leaving corpses strewn across the field. Those bodies soon dissipated into the world. The Martial Emperor gasped heavily—Su Yu was very close now!

Close to Su Yu—slay him!

A martial artist is not to be trifled with!

The Martial Emperor bared his teeth, revealing bright and icy fangs, and with a roar, he swung his spear again, charging at the Su Yus blocking his path!

Among all paths under heaven, only the martial is fiercest!

The spear path?

No—he walked the martial path!

All lethal moves were martial!

What he learned was the art of killing!

With a thunderous crack, the spear snapped; the Martial Emperor spat blood, but ignored it, cast aside the spear, and punched out, shattering one Su Yu into pieces. He turned his fist into a palm and cleaved another Su Yu apart!

All martial arts were for killing!

The Martial Emperor sneered coldly, “Without a spear, I can still kill! Su Yu, you’re still too green!”

With a twist and a snap, he wrung one Su Yu into a pretzel!

Su Yu’s face remained calm; he continued turning pages, and more Su Yus flew out from within him. Beneath his true body, sweat trickled.

The Martial Emperor was strong!

Strong enough that he might truly contend with a Second-Rank—that was why he had once fought the Martial King. But being strong did not make him a Second-Rank; he could only fight!

Across from him, the Martial Emperor kept killing!

The rule great path quaked!

Yet his aura was also declining. With so much slaughter, his consumption was immense; even the power from the River of Time could barely replenish him. A strong practitioner of the rule path was not easily drained of rule power, but within Su Yu’s domain, the rule power reflected from the River of Time was far less than usual!

Gradually, the Martial Emperor grew weaker.

With a thunderous crash!

The Martial Emperor roared and charged headlong, smashing one Su Yu into pieces!

At that moment, he was only a hundred meters from Su Yu!

For a strong practitioner, that was a distance crossed in the blink of an eye.

It was like facing each other!

Blood and sweat covered the Martial Emperor’s forehead; sweat dripped down, blurring his eyes. Across from him, Su Yu sighed, “Very strong—the martial path is not weak! More refined than Baizhan and the others!”

Specialization!

The Martial Emperor had studied the martial path thoroughly, and with his powerful talent, he fought even better than Baizhan and those who divided their minds among divine skills.

As the words fell, both Su Yu and the Martial Emperor erupted simultaneously!

The Martial Emperor roared and kicked out—that kick tore through the void!

Su Yu’s palm was like jade!

With one hand, he seized the Martial Emperor’s foot, his fingers digging in; with a *puchi*, he pierced through the Martial Emperor’s sole. The Martial Emperor howled and kicked back, shattering Su Yu’s palm.

Su Yu, cold and indifferent, swiftly sidestepped and engaged the Martial Emperor in fierce close combat in the void!

The Martial Emperor, heavily drained, was rich in battle experience—he dodged, evaded, struck with legs and feet, kicked and elbowed, forcing Su Yu to spit blood repeatedly. But Su Yu, after all, was stronger; in an instant, a thunderous crash!

The Martial Emperor was sent flying backward for the first time, a bloody hole torn in his throat!

Su Yu pressed his advantage, instantly closing in, his hand like an eagle’s claw; with a *puchi*, he tore out a chunk of flesh. The Martial Emperor kept retreating, but Su Yu relentlessly suppressed him!

Now locked in close combat, Su Yu struck with vicious precision, the great path of rules clashing, constantly suppressing the Martial Emperor, forcing him back, forcing him to spit blood, as Su Yu inflicted fresh wounds upon him!

A look of despair crept over the Martial Emperor’s face.

He could not defeat Su Yu!

In Su Yu’s domain, he could not defeat Su Yu. Even if he had slain countless Su Yu clones, those clones would eventually recover. As for himself, if he continued to be suppressed here, Su Yu would kill him!

Behind them, the watching crowd was grim.

To have reached close combat meant Su Yu was about to kill!

Su Yu had drained most of the Martial Emperor’s power, and his own losses were not small!

But since Su Yu had chosen to fight at close quarters and still not called for help, it meant he was confident of a kill!

All were filled with mixed emotions.

Martial Emperor, after all, was of the human race.

Though at odds with Martial King and the others, to speak of betrayal was not quite right; rather, both were human overlords, and for the sake of human hegemony, they chose conflict—this was different from Hundred Battles.

Amid the crowd’s tangled emotions, Su Yu let out a sharp cry, his claw piercing through Martial Emperor’s chest, while Martial Emperor roared in fury, a punch shattering Su Yu’s bones!

Both recoiled at the same time, Su Yu tearing out a mass of flesh and blood!

Martial Emperor coughed blood without cease, gazing at Su Yu with a hint of resignation: “Even you… I can no longer overcome…”

Wasted!

I truly could not defeat Su Yu!

What a grievous sorrow this was!

As for being within Su Yu’s world… he said nothing of it; opening a heaven was Su Yu’s own skill—who could blame him for failing to open one himself?

Su Yu panted: “You’re not bad—far stronger than Yu and the rest!”

“Them?”

Martial Emperor sneered: “No matter how strong the insect, it is still but an insect!”

He seemed arrogant as well, laughing coldly: “The Three Gates of Heaven, Earth, and Man—the Heaven Gate is the strongest, the hardest to open! He who opens the Heaven Gate is the supreme; without opening it, all are worthless, all are insects!”

“…”

Behind him, the crowd suddenly felt less sympathy for him!

His mouth was too foul!

According to his words, in this world, few were not insects!

So arrogant and overbearing—if not killed by Su Yu, he would surely be slain by someone else sooner or later.

Su Yu smiled, said nothing, and advanced again, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. His speed suddenly surged, and with a *pfft*, his hand formed a claw, ripping through Martial Emperor’s throat!

Blood sprayed!

Martial Emperor staggered back again, a look of helplessness in his eyes—his energy was too depleted, his wounds severe; he could no longer contend with Su Yu!

He had passed his peak!

The next moment, his aura suddenly surged, and he said coldly: “I can still fight!”

At that instant, his aura soared to its limit!

Self-detonation!

The crowd behind quickly retreated!

A self-detonation at Martial Emperor’s level was no ordinary blast.

“Martial Emperor… has fallen!”

Wu Ji murmured softly—what a pity!

Such a top-tier powerhouse, ultimately killed, sealed for over a hundred thousand years, only to die at the hands of a human sovereign!

Su Yu’s face grew solemn as he swiftly stabilized his world.

And just then, Martial Emperor’s aura peaked, and he suddenly roared: “I surrender! Take me in quickly, or I’ll really blow myself up!”

“…”

All around, stunned silence!

Su Yu was taken aback!

Martial Emperor bellowed: “I surrender! Su Yu, don’t go too far! You said before that after unsealing me, we would cooperate as equals. Now you suddenly go back on your word—what do you mean? I surrender… At worst, I’ll lower my rank, be a Martial King instead of Martial Emperor—just revoke that Tai Mountain’s enfeoffment!”

“…”

Su Yu stared at him, dumbfounded.

You are a warrior!

You… surrendering—what kind of nonsense is this?

Martial Emperor, fierce in voice but weak in spirit, roared: “What are you looking at? I surrender! I can’t beat you, and I still plan to take revenge on Tai Mountain. I can’t die now! Su Yu, what do you want? Speak plainly! I surrender, and you still want to kill me? Don’t force me to self-detonate!”

“…”

The whole crowd was stunned.

This warrior—he… he surrendered?

What the hell?

They were utterly bewildered!

In their minds, Martial Emperor would fight to the last, die in battle, never surrender. They thought he was about to self-detonate, but instead, he was surrendering—surrendering at his strongest!

If not accepted, then he’d blow up!

Blow them all to pieces!

Su Yu furrowed his brow, looking at him, and said lowly: “Warrior…”

“Did your warrior eat your rice?”

Martial Emperor raged: “I was just unsealed! I’ve been sealed for over a hundred thousand years! If you were sealed for that long, you wouldn’t want to die either—you’d want to surrender too!”

I only just got out!

It’s only been a few days!

And you want to kill me—how can I accept that?

I’m nearly driven mad, suffocated by confinement. Just a few days of good life, and to die like this—it’s too unfair!

Even his surrender was delivered with such arrogance!

“Su Yu, at worst, I’ll help you kill a few more Rule Masters… add two, make it five, alright?”

Martial Emperor roared, his voice filled with fury, as if he were Su Yu’s mortal enemy—though in truth, he was not far off.

Yet his words told a different tale, as he bellowed again: “Su Yu, don’t go too far! I surrender… No, Martial King won’t do—then… Martial Marquis will suffice!”

He roared once more: “Aren’t you going to rescue the Human Emperor? I’ll go too, alright? At worst, I won’t meet them face to face, okay?”

“Su Yu, don’t push me too far!”

Martial Emperor thundered, his tone and attitude so fierce that anyone listening would think he was cursing Su Yu as a grandson!

Su Yu stared at him woodenly.

I gave you the highest honor in vain!

A man like you… I should have had you surrounded and killed!

You, a warrior, have learned to be shameless—and not only that, you utter shameless words with the most ferocious tone!

Seeing Su Yu silent, Martial Emperor grew more anxious and roared: “Su Yu… no, Yu Emperor, how about giving me some face? Give me face today, take me as your subordinate, and we’ll meet again without awkwardness!”

“…”

At this moment, Su Yu looked up at the sky, a warrior... heh!