Chapter 834: Strong Soldiers and Sturdy Horses, Set Out!

Three months had come.

This time, it was the longest period of seclusion for Su Yu's side. For many, three months had never meant much before, but since joining Su Yu, they realized he used three months as if they were three hundred years.

If you hadn't broken through in three months, it meant you hadn't broken through in three hundred years of seclusion—a grave problem!

This day also marked the second year of the New Universe Calendar.

With a grand sound, everyone knew the moment of destiny had arrived.

"The three-month period is over. Come see me at once!"

Boom!

In the dim heavens and earth, cracks split open across the land, and mighty beings flew swiftly toward the direction of the Human Sovereign Seal.

The time had come!

Now, those who had broken through rejoiced; those who hadn't were dejected, some even despairing.

Such despair!

But those who had already broken through earlier felt no pressure—they had already succeeded, so there was nothing to worry about.

...

Inside the Human Sovereign Seal.

Powerful figures arrived swiftly.

Even the Southern King and others came at once. Behind them, faint laughter could be heard—these months had been a period of dividends for everyone, with great gains.

Those on the list were tense; those not on it were less so.

After a moment, whether they had broken through or not, all had arrived.

Many strong ones!

And Su Yu's figure gradually materialized.

As soon as he appeared, everyone bowed, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Rise!"

Su Yu clasped his hands behind his back, gazing around, satisfied in his heart. Those he had named on the list had mostly broken through. In these months, Su Yu's own realm had advanced several times.

If they still couldn't break through, it meant these fellows would find it hard to keep up!

The later the stage,

the harder it was to master the laws and great paths. As Su Yu himself continuously perfected them, the paths grew stronger. The more powerful the path, the harder it became to control at later stages.

Now, mastering a path meant adding insights to one's own path—a different result from not mastering it.

Su Yu looked at them and nodded slightly: "Earlier, I listed thirty names. Additionally, the War Emperor, Southern King, Great Zhou King, Giant Axe, Red Moon, Blood Shadow, Hongmeng, Heavenly Fate, Death King, Qi Consort, Eight-Winged Tiger, and Chaos Dragon—twelve mighty ones—have reached the Rule Lord realm!"

Before this, Su Yu had these twelve top-tier experts under him, making thirteen including himself.

Su Yu continued: "And of the thirty, most have broken through!"

He paused, his face cold: "However, a few still failed to break through after three months!"

Below, someone looked utterly dejected!

Su Yu suddenly fixed his gaze on a few, "Great Xia King!"

From the crowd, Great Xia King stepped out with a dejected air, head bowed: "Your Majesty!"

Su Yu's eyes were complex: "Great Xia King, I hail from the Great Xia Mansion, and you were one of the earliest top experts to support me! One of the first human experts to stand up for me. Likewise, you and Great Qin King were among the first to merge into my realm! You wield the Blade Path, one of the conventional great paths, immensely powerful. I exhausted my thoughts to help you advance..."

The crowd's expressions shifted. Su Yu sighed: "Yet, I said what I would do. The three-month period is up, and you failed to advance... So be it, Great Xia King, yield the Blade Path. Let someone more promising cultivate it!"

At these words, Great Xia King was utterly dejected, saying nothing.

Below, Great Qin King's face changed. He stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Great Xia King is close. Give him a little more time; he can break through soon..."

Su Yu said coldly: "Great Qin King! This is a military order! Do you change orders at will in the army? It's precisely because Great Xia King was one of my earliest supporters and held the Blade Path that no one spoke out! But his failure to break through despite the resources he used—you know them well! The corpse of the Desolate Beast, the great paths, including several path changes, being the first to merge into my realm... He received more than anyone!"

"Since he cannot break through now and cannot become a strong one to support the upstream, he must yield the path!"

Su Yu said indifferently: "I see that Xia Longwu is about to break through, but he doesn't cultivate the Blade Path. If the path is yielded now, perhaps... we'll soon have another Rule Lord on the scene!"

Su Yu looked at Great Xia King, his voice heavy: "Great Xia King, yield the path now. Leave behind your insights on the Blade Path. I will pass it to your grandson, Xia Longwu. Since you can't keep up... I think your grandson will do better than you!"

In the crowd, Xia Longwu's expression shifted slightly.

Su Yu suddenly turned to Xia Longwu, coldly: "Don't refuse. If your grandfather cannot fight, will you also avoid battle?"

Xia Longwu's face changed, and he bowed his head: "No, Xia Longwu is willing to fight!"

Su Yu nodded slightly, then looked at Great Xia King, his voice deep: "Great Xia King... what do you think?"

Great Xia King, utterly dejected, sighed and nodded: "Please, Your Majesty, help me strip the path..."

He turned to look at Great Qin King, grinning bitterly: "Qin Spear, Xia Blade... Xia Blade... has passed to Longwu. Old Qin, Qin Spear... you must carry it on!"

The Qin Spear and Xia Blade that once intimidated all races—now the Xia Blade had withdrawn from the front lines.

At these words, Great Qin King's eyes reddened.

Great Xia King—his brother who had fought alongside him all this time—was not dead, but this was worse than death. From a frontline general to retirement in the rear... How cruel for Great Xia King!

Great Qin King gritted his teeth and shouted: "Your Majesty! If Old Xia switches paths and still steps into the Rule Lord realm, can he continue to fight?"

Su Yu said calmly: "I would welcome that! But switching paths means leaving the one he excels at... Now the realm is more complete than before. If he can't break through now, it will be even harder later. Still, there must be some hope. If Great Xia King is unwilling, let him find his own way to break through... If we haven't returned to the myriad realms yet, those who break through to Rule Lord can also swim upstream to find us..."

Great Qin King immediately looked at Great Xia King, his voice firm: "Old Xia, don't give up! The Blade Path isn't the only one. Walk another path, and you can still break through. I'll wait for you on the front!"

For a moment, the atmosphere was mournful.

Everyone felt a pang of sorrow. Great Xia King—a top expert who had supported Su Yu from the very beginning—was now actually not far from the Rule Lord realm. He might have broken through soon.

But Su Yu... had taken the knife to Great Xia King first!

Thus, the others who hadn't broken through were already in despair.

Forget it!

There was no hope!

Su Yu would show no mercy!

If even Great Xia King met this fate, what about them?

Su Yu said indifferently: "Enough. There will be chances later, depending on whether you're willing to strive for them. Great Xia King, do not resist. I will strip your Blade Path. Xia Longwu... since your grandfather couldn't succeed, I hope the Blade Path in your hands will flourish. If you too fail to break through in time... then this conventional path will eventually have to be yielded again!"

Xia Longwu stepped forward, his face cold: "The Blade Path passed from my grandfather to me. From the start, it was fused by our Xia family. This path... will not be lost from the Xia family!"

As he spoke, he let out a low shout, and his own great path suddenly snapped. His face turned pale, but blade energy surged. He said in a low voice: "Please, Your Majesty, renew my path!"

He was a fierce one—before Great Xia King had even yielded the path, he had already broken his own!

Beside him, Great Xia King suddenly cursed: "I haven't yielded yet, and you're already impatient? Were you waiting for this?"

"..."

Everyone was speechless!

At a time like this, you two grandfather and grandson, stop your antics!

Xia Longwu remained silent.

The Great Xia King was also helpless, reluctant, and sighed. In the end, he instantly stripped away his own Great Dao, and the blade aura dissipated in a flash. The Great Xia King seemed to have aged many years in the blink of an eye, appearing much more desolate.

His face was pale, his aura declined, and his expression was bitter.

As for Su Yu, he wore an indifferent look, but inwardly he cursed: *What an act!*

This was your great-grandson’s idea, and your son’s too—don’t you have any clue?

Why pretend?

Well, if the act is convincing, that’s fine too!

According to the intentions of Lord Xia Hou and the others, the competition between the Great Xia King and Xia Longwu was too fierce, both walking the blade path. Xia Longwu actually had more potential than the Great Xia King, after all, he was the most outstanding genius of Su Yu’s era!

In Xia Longwu’s generation, there was almost no one who could rival him. By seniority, Xia Longwu was a student of Wan Tiansheng, of the same generation as Liu Wenyan and others. But now, Liu Wenyan, Hong Tan, and the rest had all vanished.

Everyone knew that Su Yu must have taken them away.

Thus, Xia Longwu was the most exceptional person of the generation before Su Yu—bar none!

Others, like Qin Zhen of the Qin family, Liu Wushen of the Liu family, Zhou Polong of the Zhou family…

None of them were as outstanding as Xia Longwu.

So, for the Great Xia King to make way for Xia Longwu was actually a good thing. It could also serve to intimidate everyone, and conveniently allow the Great Xia King to step back from the front lines and join the Dark Guard, which still needed an experienced elder.

The Great Xia King’s prestige was high enough to suppress everyone, including Nan Wujiang, Yun Chen, Liu Hong, Zhu Tiandao… these people either came from the Great Xia Prefecture or had grown up hearing the stories of the Great Xia King.

With the Great Xia King around, even a fellow like Liu Hong wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.

Now, after yielding his path, the Great Xia King looked frail, his eyes filled with sorrow, so much so that the Great Qin King felt like crying. *My old comrade… after today, he’s as good as dead!*

A veteran who no longer goes to battle—is he still a soldier?

The Great Xia King would be dead from today onward!

The Great Qin King was utterly grief-stricken!

Yet he consoled himself: perhaps it was for the best. Old Xia might still enjoy a peaceful old age—that was a good thing too.

The Great Qin King had many dramatic thoughts!

Su Yu, however, didn’t pay much attention. The Great Qin King didn’t know about this; his two sons had actually joined the Dark Guard, but the Great Qin King was unaware. Why? Because Su Yu had warned Qin Zhen and Qin Hao not to tell the Great Qin King—better to keep their mouths shut!

Otherwise, if the Great Xia King met with trouble and the Great Qin King showed no reaction, that would be most inappropriate!

Now… it was fine!

Look at the Great Ming King—he was an even better actor than you. Zhu Tiandao and Zhu Tianfang, brothers, had both joined, including Zhu Tiandao’s son Zhu Guangshen and others. The Great Ming King couldn’t possibly be unaware of this.

But the Great Ming King played his part perfectly, his face full of grief, yet holding back, enduring the pain…

Here, it was all about who could act better!

Su Yu said nothing more. He reached out and grabbed a Great Dao crisscrossed with blade aura, swiftly pulling it into his hand. The next moment, the power of the Dao suddenly merged into Xia Longwu’s body.

Xia Longwu’s aura instantly swelled. In a flash, his own Dao comprehension rapidly climbed, covering the entire blade path in the blink of an eye. The sharp blade aura swept across heaven and earth!

Under the stunned gaze of the Great Xia King, Xia Longwu let out a thunderous roar. His Dao transformed into a long blade, and with one stroke, he slashed toward the sky!

Boom!

A deafening sound rang out, and the sky trembled!

Xia Longwu’s aura surged to its peak in an instant. Rumble!

The Dao rules quivered, and a whole Great Dao was directly absorbed into Xia Longwu’s Sea of Will, leaving the Great Xia King and the others utterly dumbfounded.

The Great Xia King stood there in a daze!

At that moment, he could barely keep up the act.

*Damn it! I… am I really inferior to my grandson?*

*I don’t believe it!*

Though he had been pretending these past days, in truth, comprehending the blade path was still difficult for him. He increasingly felt that the further he went, the harder it became.

If he truly exerted himself, he still had some hope of entering the Realm of Rule Masters.

But the Great Xia King couldn’t be absolutely certain.

Now, his grandson—just like that, in a flash—had instantly stepped into the Realm of Rule Masters. The Great Xia King’s mouth opened and closed, and suddenly his face was filled with pain—this time, it was genuine pain!

How tragic!

For a strong warrior, the saddest thing was to still be alive, still in his prime, only to be surpassed by his own descendant.

If he were old and frail, he could sigh and say, *The disciple surpasses the master—a good thing!*

But… I’m not old yet!

Just over five hundred years old!

In any era, at this cultivation level, that wasn’t considered old.

But now, my grandson has surpassed me!

In an instant, the Great Xia King felt utterly disheartened, his face full of anguish. *I’m actually inferior to my grandson—I, the number one blade under heaven… what a disgrace!*

The key point was, judging by this, it really seemed that I had been occupying my grandson’s path, preventing him from advancing. Otherwise, he would have broken through long ago!

…

At this moment, Su Yu was also surprised.

He knew Xia Longwu was talented, strong, and formidable in the blade path, but to directly inherit the Dao and then master it—this still exceeded Su Yu’s expectations.

The next moment, Su Yu broke into a smile: “Not bad, very good!”

Very good!

He praised him.

Meanwhile, beside Xia Longwu stood the Marquis of Dingjun. The Marquis also felt a pang of sorrow. He glanced at the Great Qin King—how had the Great Qin King managed to break through?

The Great Qin King walked the spear path, and so did he…

If the Great Qin King hadn’t broken through, would His Majesty have granted me a Dao continuation too, allowing me to instantly become a Rule Master?

He cast a few sidelong glances at the Great Qin King, who returned a very unfriendly look.

*What are you looking at me for?*

*I’ve already broken through!*

Su Yu was no longer so cold. He smiled and praised Xia Longwu, then said with a laugh: “Great Xia King, you can retire in peace now! In the Xia family, Xia Longwu has not disgraced the name of Xia Blade!”

The Great Xia King’s face stiffened, and he nodded.

Though he had long planned for this, now… the sorrow was real, not feigned. Su Yu thought he was acting, but he was truly heartbroken. *I am inferior to my grandson*—those words echoed in his mind over and over!

How tragic!

Su Yu, however, said no more about Xia Longwu. He turned his gaze to the second person, a hint of regret flickering across his face, and said softly: “Marquis of Firecloud!”

Marquis Blazing Cloud stepped out of the ranks.

Su Yu pondered a moment, then said softly, “I don’t blame you for not breaking through… back then, because you were a Celestial King, I didn’t let you merge your path into my world until later. And the Path of Fire—Skyfire claimed it. You both walk the Path of Fire…”

Marquis Blazing Cloud, in truth, had seniority over Skyfire in Su Yu’s camp. Skyfire was of the Fire God Clan, a revived death spirit, but at that time, Marquis Blazing Cloud had yet to merge his path. The Path of Fire suited Skyfire, so Skyfire took it.

Su Yu was silent for a moment, then continued, “Now you walk the Path of Incineration. It differs from the Path of Fire… Your failure to break through likely stems from your deep immersion in the Path of Fire—it’s hard to shift so quickly…”

Marquis Blazing Cloud lowered his head. “Your Majesty, it’s my own uselessness. The Path of Incineration and the Path of Fire are not so different, but I…”

Su Yu sighed. “No need to change paths. Incineration was never your forte. But you need not go to the front lines either. If one day Skyfire falls in battle… I will give you his path!”

“…”

In the arena, Skyfire of the Fire God Clan opened his mouth, then fell silent for a long moment.

I… have nothing to say!

Su Yu quickly laughed. “Just a joke. The path of flame is not singular. For instance, Futuling now cultivates the Five Elements Path, which includes the Path of Flame. I will perfect it later!”

Marquis Blazing Cloud had entered the Celestial King level early on, yet now he could not break through. It was indeed regrettable.

Su Yu judged that it might not be that Marquis Blazing Cloud lacked strength, but rather that his understanding of the Path of Incineration was insufficient. Had he walked the Path of Fire, perhaps he would have broken through.

But sometimes, luck plays its part.

Marquis Blazing Cloud, somewhat dejected, said nothing and soon withdrew.

“Xinghong…”

From the crowd, Xinghong stepped forward, also sighing, head bowed. “Your Majesty, I yield the Path of the Sword! I wish to give it to Xiaoyun… Perhaps I am truly too old. My battle intent is not what it once was. The Path of the Sword is also the path of slaughter… As a swordsman, my killing intent is lacking… Not as sharp as Tianmie’s drive, nor as fierce as Xiaoyun’s will to fight…”

This Guardian, the very first to support Su Yu in the earliest days, had now failed to keep pace.

When Su Yu went to the upper realm before, Xinghong was the only Guardian he took with him.

Xinghong had once been stronger than Tianmie. Yet, after merging with the Path of the Sword, Tianmie had broken through, while Xinghong remained stuck at the Celestial King level, unable to cross that threshold.

Su Yu looked at him with regret. Xinghong… Su Yu had actually given him many private lessons. Su Yu had transformed into a half-death spirit, met Xingyue, formed an alliance with the ancient city…

All of this began with Xinghong.

Yet this Guardian, who had supported him from the start, now seemed weary—or perhaps his talent had truly run dry. While Tianmie had stepped into the realm of Lord of Rules, Xinghong had fallen behind.

Su Yu felt a pang of regret. He nodded slightly and said softly, “The Path of the Sword… then pass it to Xiaoyun.”

Below, Xiaoyun was furious, disappointed beyond words. She could not help but curse, “I knew you were this useless—why did you snatch the Path of the Sword in the first place? Xinghong, I despise you!”

She was disheartened, not overjoyed.

As a Guardian, with a bond of a hundred thousand years, life and death shared, she did not wish for Xinghong to fail and yield the path. Now that he truly had failed, Xiaoyun felt only disappointment and sorrow.

Xinghong’s yielding of the Path of the Sword meant he would have little hope of catching up.

He had walked his own forte, the Path of the Sword, and with Su Yu’s constant help, still could not break through.

This was different from Marquis Blazing Cloud, who had delved too deep into the Path of Fire and now struggled with a similar but different path. Given time, he might still walk the Path of Incineration to become a Lord of Rules. Su Yu had not asked him to yield his path.

But Xinghong had yielded the Path of the Sword. To walk a path he was not suited for—what hope remained?

Xinghong said with regret, “Xiaoyun, I am useless. But I hope you will be stronger than me. Now, Hongmeng has become a Lord of Rules, and that bastard Tianmie too… I have failed. I hope you… can succeed!”

In the crowd, Hongmeng and Tianmie both felt a pang of regret.

Tianmie muttered, “Always showing off… a big fish like you, playing with a sword. Forget it, this failure is fine. I think you’d be better off walking the Path of Water. Big fish should play with water!”

Xinghong gave a wry smile. “You’re a monkey, calling me a big fish—have you no shame?”

Tianmie snorted and said no more.

Su Yu turned to Xiaoyun and said softly, “Xiaoyun, the Path of the Sword is now yours to wield. Before, Xinghong walked it, and you walked another path—one not your forte, so I did not let you break through. But if you walk the Path of the Sword, there is still hope.”

Xiaoyun had not been walking the Path of the Sword, and Su Yu had not included her on the list. But now, taking up the Path of the Sword might not let her cross instantly like Xia Longwu, but hope remained.

Xiaoyun nodded, her mood subdued.

Soon, Su Yu stripped Xinghong’s Path of the Sword and grafted it onto Xiaoyun. Her aura surged, spreading far and wide, but still fell short of the Lord of Rules level. Yet she now had a real chance.

At this point, King of Great Xia, Xinghong, and Marquis Blazing Cloud had all failed.

Su Yu looked at Ancient Emperor of Space, the mighty one named Shikong. The Ancient Emperor of Space gave an awkward smile. “Your Majesty… I… I truly have no way…”

Su Yu smiled. “I understand.”

His dao partner, Marquis Sky-Rending, had become a Lord of Rules. The key was that there was only one Path of Space, and Marquis Sky-Rending had claimed it. So Shikong was in a difficult spot.

But that wasn’t the real issue—he had privately swapped paths with Sky-Rending!

Su Yu knew of this and had even helped a little, but swapping paths was something he did not support.

Because Ancient Emperor of Space had merged into Su Yu’s world very early, claiming the Path of Space. Marquis Sky-Rending had merged later. And Ancient Emperor of Space had even led his entire Space Ancient Clan to merge into the Path of Space, seemingly intent on following the example of the Five Elements Clan, strengthening a single path to an extreme.

Su Yu did not entirely approve, but he did not stop it.

He preferred a hundred flowers blooming, everyone merging into different paths. But sometimes, people were accustomed to their path, and forcing a change might not yield results.

This was the fourth failure. He didn’t even need to change paths—he had already given it to his dao partner. That was why he looked so awkward, for according to the rules, he could not give it to another privately.

“Hetu…”

Su Yu looked at another person. Hetu stepped forward, looking somewhat bewildered. “Your Majesty?”

I broke through!

Why are you calling me?

Su Yu frowned slightly. “Weren’t you walking the Path of Hetu before? Why did you switch to the Path of Petrification?”

Hetu looked embarrassed and coughed. “Princess Qi merged the Path of Petrification into the world. I found it quite powerful. I thought about it—my ancestor, King Gong, also walked the Path of Petrification… It’s in the blood… So, ahem, Your Majesty, you knew I changed paths, didn’t you?”

He had not walked his previous path because Su Yu’s own understanding of it was shallow, and his was similar.

So, within three months, he did one thing: change paths!

He switched to the Path of Petrification that Princess Qi had merged. Princess Qi had deep insights into this path. Hetu consulted her for three months, and with his ancestor King Gong also walking it, by the end of the three months, he had managed to advance using the Path of Petrification.

Su Yu glared at him. I knew you changed paths.

But this needed to be addressed.

Su Yu said sternly, “Everyone, if you feel a path does not suit you, do not rashly change! In my world, changing paths is currently possible—I can suppress the consequences. But that does not mean I will always suppress them, nor that I will always allow changes. Some paths are incomplete, not strong enough. Changing to them may lead to self-destruction! Next time, such matters must pass through the Imperial Court of Yu’s resolution. Anyone who changes paths privately again will be severely punished!”

His main concern was that some paths were not yet perfected. If someone changed rashly, they might ruin themselves, and Su Yu would suffer losses and deviations from the broken path.

Hetu quickly put on a smile. “Your Majesty’s lesson is well taken. I will never act recklessly again. I will report everything in advance!”

In truth, he and Ancient Emperor of Space were in similar situations. But Hetu did not mind. Su Yu was using this opportunity to warn others. The Ancient Emperor of Space and other outsiders were not easy to admonish directly, so it was better to use his own people as an example.

Understood!

No wonder he called me out—it was to make an example of me.

He Tu didn't mind, beaming with joy. As a clever man, he knew this meant he was trusted—very good!

Su Yu paid him no heed and continued, "Lord Wan, your path of the seven emotions and six desires..."

Su Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "I see you've scattered your grasp across multiple Daos, more than a dozen, but none have reached the level of full mastery. With your current strength, can you match some Rule Masters?"

Before Wan could answer, Su Yu addressed the others: "If any of you earlier felt you could rival a Rule Master, you may also appeal... Everyone knows the situation of Lord Wan and Lan Tian—they opened their own paths later on. I'm judging by strength... Don't think I'm being biased."

The crowd nodded, saying nothing.

Wan Tiansheng and the others, including Fei Qiu, had all opened their own paths. That was indeed the case—they had always been judged by strength, not realm. Wan Tiansheng governed the Human Dao, but it wasn't a single path. In Su Yu's world, he had merged over a dozen Daos, yet none were fully mastered. So now, Wan Tiansheng's true strength was hard to gauge!

Wan Tiansheng smiled and spoke up: "Your Majesty, I won't speak for others... but I see Tian Mie is eager. How about I spar with Brother Tian Mie for a bit?"

Su Yu thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Go ahead!"

Below, Tian Mie grinned, laughing!

I am a Rule Master!

You, Wan Tiansheng, may have many Daos under your belt... but what use is that? Not a single one has reached the Rule Master level, and you want to fight me?

They all say I, Tian Mie, never win a fight—but this time, I'll teach you a lesson!

"Come, fight!"

Tian Mie laughed loudly and shot out instantly. Wan Tiansheng smiled, adjusted his robes, and followed him out.

Su Yu didn't watch.

No one else bothered to either. Since Wan Tiansheng had chosen Tian Mie, the outcome was already decided—no doubt about it.

Su Yu continued his inspection, turning to the Fate Clan. There, Tian Ming had become a Rule Master, having done so outside.

As for the Fate Emperor, Su Yu raised an eyebrow: "You're not walking the path of divination?"

The Fate Emperor smiled: "Your Majesty, the Fate Clan isn't limited to divination. I walk the path of observing fortune!"

Su Yu nodded slightly: "You've taken a shortcut. Your combat strength isn't great, but you've indeed become a Rule Master. Did Tian Ce give up?"

He looked at Tian Ce, another member of the Fate Clan, who had assisted the Fate Marquis in the upper realm. Normally, when the Fate Marquis was absent, Tian Ce governed the clan.

Hearing Su Yu's words, Tian Ce stepped forward and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, I still walk the conventional path of the Fate Clan. I will merge with the Fate Marquis!"

Su Yu nodded: "That works too."

This was the fifth person to voluntarily give up. He hadn't chosen another path but opted to merge into the divination Dao governed by the Fate Marquis.

Among the thirty strong, Wan Tiansheng aside, Su Yu hadn't mentioned Lan Tian either. At this point, five had failed.

The others, including General Yingwu, had all succeeded.

As for those who had defected from Bai Zhan, Wu Ji needed no mention—he quickly stepped into the Rule Master realm, as did Nanxi Hou and Zhennan Hou.

As for Tong Tian, his situation was similar to Wan Tiansheng's. He hadn't even merged into Su Yu's world, but after digesting the gates he had devoured earlier, he vaguely possessed the combat power of a fifth-rank Rule Master. In Su Yu's eyes, this didn't truly count as a Rule Master, but he relaxed the requirements for Tong Tian.

Dou Bao, Chui Bing, Jiu Yue, and the others had also stepped into the realm. Though they didn't walk the Devouring Dao, the gap was small, and they all crossed the threshold.

Fu Tu Ling was the same—he had gotten lucky. The entire Five Elements Clan was merging into this Dao, pushing him to the Rule Master level.

As for Hou Huang, Su Yu saw he was weak and deliberately handed him the Devouring Dao. The pressure was immense, but fortunately, Su Yu gave him extra help, and he barely broke through.

By this time, the others, including Cha Shu, had all entered the Rule Master realm.

Just then, Wan Tiansheng drifted back. Moments later, Tian Mie returned with a bruised face, looking helpless. Everyone held back laughter, and Su Yu smiled too—it wasn't unexpected. Wan Tiansheng had likely merged his past self, mastering over a dozen Daos. Though not fully mastered, it was more than enough to handle Tian Mie.

Thirty people, five failures, gave birth to twenty-five strong who had reached the Rule Master level.

And Xia Longwu had just become a Rule Master, making twenty-six.

In truth, that was already a great many!

Su Yu then looked at those not on the list, glancing at Dingjun Hou, who had once spoken boldly. Dingjun Hou looked dejected: I don't walk the Spear Dao—how could I advance so easily?

He hadn't succeeded.

Twenty-six strong with Rule Master-level strength, plus the previous twelve, made a total of thirty-eight!

Adding Su Yu himself, that was thirty-nine.

Yun Xiao had taken up the Sword Dao and might break through soon. If she did, that would be forty.

According to Xing Yue, the Human Emperor's side had only a little over forty.

Su Yu took a deep breath and said solemnly: "Then this is the roster! Has Wu Huang returned?"

"Here!"

In a corner, Wu Huang had been hiding somewhere, and now, seeing everyone look at him, he puffed out his chest. He wouldn't admit he had almost fallen asleep just now!

Su Yu furrowed his brow slightly, nodded, and continued: "Since everyone is here, let's do one last thing: merge your past selves to strengthen yourselves. Once you're done, we'll set out for the upper reaches!"

"Of course, we can't leave the myriad realms without a single strong guardian—that would be too risky!"

Su Yu looked over the crowd. After a long pause, his gaze fell on Wan Tiansheng and the Great Zhou King. Usually, when he left, he would leave one of these two behind.

He glanced at the Great Zhou King, thought for a moment, and said: "Great Zhou King, you'll stay behind to guard the myriad realms!"

The Great Zhou King was surprised: I'm staying?

Su Yu looked at him and said sternly: "You stay! I trust that nothing will happen to the myriad realms before I return. Even if someone emerges from the Hell Gate temporarily, you can handle it. Great Zhou King, don't disappoint me again! I can understand some things, but if you disappoint me once more, you can leave!"

The Great Zhou King's expression tightened, and he replied solemnly: "Your Majesty is right. Before Your Majesty returns, I will not let the myriad realms fall into trouble!"

Su Yu nodded slightly. With the Great Zhou King here, even if a few strong emerged, it wouldn't be a big problem.

"Great Xia King, Xing Hong, Huoyun Hou... you all have switched paths, but your strength is still considerable. Assist the Great Zhou King well and guard the myriad realms! There may be plenty to do even in the rear!"

Su Yu said gravely: "Perhaps, if the front line faces a crisis, I'll need reinforcements from the rear. I hope that after I leave, you all can become Rule Masters and come to rescue me!"

"Yun Xiao, you walk the Sword Dao and may soon step into the Rule Master realm... but this time, don't follow. Don't rush, and don't make mistakes in haste!"

Without the Great Zhou King and excluding Yun Xiao, there were exactly thirty-eight strong—an auspicious number!

Su Yu hesitated for a moment, then added: "Lan Tian, you stay too!"

In the crowd, Lan Tian's eyes flickered, and he nodded: "Your Majesty, I understand!"

The Great Zhou King's expression shifted, suspecting that Su Yu didn't trust him. In truth, Su Yu wanted Lan Tian to coordinate with Xia Huyou and the others, ensuring a powerful force was always ready to support him in critical moments.

"Cha Shu, you stay too!"

The girl incarnation of Cha Shu was startled: I'm not going either?

Even Fei Qiu was puzzled: "Cha Shu isn't going either?"

Su Yu nodded: "Cha Shu... I may have other important uses for her later. It's best not to show her too much now. With Cha Shu, Lan Tian, and the Great Zhou King not going, counting myself, that makes exactly thirty-six!"

Su Yu smiled: "Thirty-six—I like that number better!"

The crowd was speechless. So you're picking a number you like!

Thirty-six strong would head to the front line!

The rear was not weak either. Besides a few Rule Masters, there were still many He Daoists and Heavenly Kings.

And Su Yu said quickly, "Let's go. Merge with the past self, one last strengthening, then... to the front lines!"

...

This time, everyone followed Su Yu to merge with their past selves.

Su Yu, however, had other matters to attend to. He had promises to fulfill. On one hand, he began helping Xia Longwu strengthen his blade path; on the other, he handed over that page to Xia Longwu. Xia Longwu didn't care much, but since Su Yu gave it, he accepted it.

As for sharing fortune, Su Yu did so as well. As for enfeoffing kings, Su Yu hadn't done it yet—it was too early, no rush.

In truth, Su Yu didn't mention that there was another strong one truly left behind in the rear: the Heaven-Watching Marquis.

Su Yu was strong, and so was he!

Now that Su Yu had stepped into the second rank, the Heaven-Watching Marquis, as the incarnation of Su Yu's entire world, was not weak either. After breaking the seal's shackles, the Heaven-Watching Marquis could now be considered a strong fourth-rank or a weak third-rank.

He was even stronger than the Tea Tree and Blue Sky, who stayed behind!

As for the Great Xia King, Su Yu didn't have him merge his path into Su Yu's world again. Instead, he took the Great Xia King and quietly left, once more entering the River of Time, choosing to merge with the great path within the River of Time.

The Great Xia King was also the commander of the shadow guards Su Yu had appointed!

Blue Sky was the deputy commander Su Yu had appointed.

The Great Xia King was more suited to be the leader than Blue Sky; Blue Sky was better at hiding in the shadows, delivering a fatal blow to the enemy.

As for Liu Hong and the others, Su Yu made no further arrangements.

...

After everyone finished merging with their past selves, they all made some progress.

Especially the Martial Emperor, who formally stepped into the second rank.

At this moment, Su Yu's forces could finally be said to be strong and numerous!

Liu Hong was also responsible for connecting Su Yu's world, the River of Time, and the River of the Dead, radiating the influence of Su Yu's world into the River of Time.

This allowed Su Yu to draw power from his own world even within the River of Time.

Thus, another five days passed.

More than three months after the end of the Myriad Realms War, Su Yu led a group of people, quietly heading upstream against the current of the River of Time!