Chapter 835: He's Here!

In the river of time.

Su Yu led his people upstream, and soon they reached a point. Su Yu knew where this was—the entrance to the ninth floor of the Starry Mansion!

Below this point, a rule master who had stayed behind and died in battle, King Yue!

This time, the Fire Cloud Marquis had not come.

Su Yu looked down at this node, gazed for a while, and said calmly, "Here is the point where they will ultimately return. When they arrive here, the myriad realms and they will overlap!"

"Going upstream, time slows. On that day, here, perhaps much time will have passed!"

"Thus, those who stay behind may progress even faster than us. So even if everyone reaches the level of rule masters, do not slack off!"

Behind him, over thirty strong figures nodded in unison.

But the Martial Emperor was unimpressed, muttering something. Su Yu’s eyes suddenly turned cold. He looked back at the Martial Emperor and said icily, "Usually, I can’t be bothered with you. Do you think that because you’ve stepped into the second rank, you can act without restraint? Martial Emperor, I repeat this once: orders must be obeyed! I govern you with military law. If there is any mistake, I will surely behead you!"

The Martial Emperor’s heart tightened.

He had entered the second rank, and Su Yu, without the cover of his world, was now roughly his equal. But under Su Yu’s cold severity, even the Martial Emperor felt a chill.

Su Yu… would truly kill!

This was not the first time on the battlefield that he had slain those who caused trouble.

Su Yu’s face was expressionless. He did not look at him again but gazed ahead. The river of time, flowing upstream—if the commotion grew too great, it might draw the attention of the myriad races and trigger a great war.

Though he had brought many people, even adding the current human race, there were only about eighty rule masters, while the enemy had over a hundred.

The Human Emperor’s combat strength was depleted. At this moment, suddenly erupting into a great war would not be good!

If the Human Emperor fell, humanity would surely collapse.

Because at this moment, Su Yu could not yet control the rule masters on the Human Emperor’s side. Those veteran rule masters had followed the Human Emperor through countless years of war; they were not easily controlled by anyone.

Even the Great Zhou King, who had been with them day and night, would choose the Human Emperor between him and Su Yu, let alone those others.

So if the Human Emperor died, Su Yu could not control those people. Moreover, some among them were surely stronger than Su Yu!

Not to mention others—

The second-rank Bright King of those days, had he not reached the first rank now?

Had War King and the others not reached the first rank?

These were all uncertain matters.

And on the opposing side, there must also be first-rank rulers. The emperors of the great races like Immortal, Demon, God, Dragon, and Nether—after so many years, had none of them reached the first rank?

If none had, that would be too pathetic!

The myriad races were not pathetic.

It was just that the myriad races were scattered, each harboring their own schemes. Only at the brink of life and death would they unite wholeheartedly. For example, Tian Gu and the others—only at the very last moment did Tian Gu achieve command over them.

Otherwise, if the myriad races were united, how could a single human race contend with them all?

Su Yu continued upstream, moving slowly.

He was drawing the power of his own world, trying to extend its coverage.

But… Su Yu also noticed that the farther he was from the myriad realms, the harder it was for his world’s power to reach him.

At this moment, he could still pull some power over, but Su Yu judged that perhaps before reaching the Human Emperor’s side, his world’s power would be completely unable to cover him.

There would be a node!

Beyond that node, he was merely an ordinary second-rank. Though everyone’s strength had been enhanced by him, they were still just a group of ordinary fourth-rank rule masters.

Yes, fourth-rank!

Even if they had summoned their past selves, even if some fourth-rank could exert third-rank power within Su Yu’s world, without the support of that world, they could only exert fourth-rank power.

But once they had the world’s support, many could unleash the power of third-rank rule masters!

Even stronger possibilities existed!

Su Yu did not tell everyone not to place too much hope in the world, but he himself kept measuring: at what point would he no longer feel the world’s covering power?

Liu Hong had helped him connect to the river of time, but Liu Hong’s strength was only average; the power he channeled was insufficient, and the range of influence was small.

If Liu Hong were stronger, he could extend the range further.

Su Yu continued forward, and the others followed. The entire group was very quiet.

Su Yu moved slowly, and no one minded. Perhaps when they arrived, it would be a fierce battle.

The group was too quiet, and some were uncomfortable. Tian Mie looked around, saw that no one was speaking, and chuckled, "Your Majesty, with so many rule masters on our side, are we not more than the Human Emperor’s side? When we get there, should we seize the Human Emperor’s authority?"

Hong Meng heard this and scolded, "Shut up!"

But Su Yu said calmly, "No need to seize authority; it’s meaningless. But we cannot blindly follow either. Everyone remember this: you only need to obey my orders! I don’t care whose subordinates you were in the past, but when we get there, you must only listen to me! Nanxi Marquis, Zhennan Marquis, Yingwu, Giant Axe… you were all once subordinates of some human king. I know that, and I won’t ask you to betray your lords!"

"The Human Emperor and I will not have too great a conflict… but the Human Emperor and I are different. The Human Emperor’s decisions and thoughts may not represent mine!"

"Our goals are the same, but the paths may not be. So you must listen to me, not to the Human Emperor when we arrive!"

Su Yu had no interest in seizing power from the Human Emperor, and the Human Emperor would likely not try to seize power from Su Yu either.

But… both were leaders; they could not be completely identical!

If they were completely identical, then Su Yu would not be Su Yu, and the Human Emperor would not be the Human Emperor.

Thus, small conflicts could still arise.

Who would make the decisions?

Who would have the final say?

When war broke out, whose people would be the vanguard?

Whose people would cover the rear?

These matters could lead to disputes. At such times, Su Yu did not need others to act; he would negotiate with the Human Emperor. What he feared was that the subordinates would act recklessly.

Some things, Su Yu had to clarify in advance.

Tian Mie laughed heartily and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. We only listen to Your Majesty. After all, we all became rule masters thanks to Your Majesty. Besides, our great paths are all within Your Majesty’s world!"

Tian Mie laughed boisterously, "Whoever dares to disobey, I’ll break their legs for Your Majesty!"

Sometimes, a ruler needs someone like Tian Mie.

Or someone like Long Eyebrow!

Perhaps you find them annoying, but you need such people to voice your intentions at the right moment.

Su Yu said nothing. Clearly, not rebuking meant he approved of Tian Mie’s words.

Wan Tiansheng naturally changed the subject: "Your Majesty, if we start a war as soon as we arrive, wouldn’t that be very troublesome? Could we not go directly but instead meet the Human Emperor at an intermediate point first? Reach some agreements… to avoid going in blind and clashing immediately."

Su Yu nodded slightly, "That is necessary. Not only that, but we should also think of a way… to ambush the myriad races!"

Su Yu looked around and said, "The river of time in the myriad realms, when torn open, leads to the myriad realms! Here, if we tear open the river of time, does it lead to chaos? If it is chaos… the myriad races would have torn it open long ago… I have always been curious about one thing: the myriad races and the Human Emperor have been at a standoff for years. Why haven’t they torn open the river and left? Is there something unusual about it?"

Tearing the river allows one to leave.

The myriad races did not tear the river and leave. Either they could not tear it, or the outside was even more dangerous, and they would easily fall.

And at this moment, Su Yu, unaware of the situation, dared not rashly tear away—if he fell, it would be disastrous!

The others, too, were unaware.

They had never journeyed upstream either!

But Su Yu, at this moment, was pondering a question: Xingyue!

Not that he expected Xingyue to do anything, but because Xingyue was the core point within his world—the Great Dao of Life and Death, always controlled by Xingyue, and that Dao could also extend somewhat to her side.

Then... could I, through Xingyue, directly extend my own world's power over there as well?

Xingyue was a very special point.

She was connected to Su Yu's Great Dao of Life and Death, and likewise, she held the Great Dao of Life within the River of Time. Through these three paths, she, like Liu Hong and like Lan Tian, could bridge the two sides.

Moreover, Xingyue was stronger than them.

As for Su Yu himself, he had only fused a bit of power into the Great Dao of the Flesh; his fusion there was not extensive, nor was he particularly strong—purely in terms of the Flesh Dao, he might not even match Liu Hong.

Thus, for him to cover this side on his own was no easy task.

Of course, this time Su Yu carried the core imprint of the Human Sovereign Seal; in a critical moment, he could summon it, but each summoning came at a great cost, and unless absolutely necessary, Su Yu was reluctant to call upon it.

Thought after thought flickered through his mind.

Around him, the sound of heavy breathing gradually arose—first from exhaustion, second from a mix of trepidation and excitement.

Whether it was the ancient marquises or Xia Longwu and the others, they had never met figures like the Human Emperor, the War King, or the Bright King—some had only heard of them, and they still looked forward to the meeting.

Yet they also worried that the encounter might not be pleasant.

And Su Yu, meanwhile, was contemplating the might of the Human Emperor.

How, back then, had he led a group to forcibly drive the myriad-race experts deep into the River of Time?

The further upstream, the greater the pressure!

Now, they were nearly overlapping with the myriad realms—yet back then, the gap had been immense. How had the Human Emperor managed to force the myriad races to flee desperately forward?

This Human Emperor... Su Yu was also filled with curiosity.

On one hand, he was curious about his power; on the other, he admired his infallible scheming—though he was often ensnared by it.

He also respected his profound sense of responsibility—something Su Yu could not match. Su Yu had that sense too, but as he himself said, he only protected what he deemed worthy, while the Human Emperor embodied a greater love.

The Human Emperor...

At this moment, Su Yu felt both anticipation and a touch of helplessness, hoping... that he was not another Baizhan!

Or rather, he hoped his illusions would not shatter.

In Su Yu's eyes, the Human Emperor was powerful, benevolent, kind—in short, an excellent person. Perhaps Su Yu could never become such a man, or he felt that such a life was too exhausting; he did not wish to be that kind of person!

But such a person should exist, and must exist!

Yet if the Human Emperor turned out to be more contemptible than Su Yu expected, he would be deeply disappointed.

"I hope... you live up to that title."

Su Yu thought to himself: the Human Emperor, the emperor of humanity.

This sovereign, who once unified the heavens, should not be so base. But he hoped even more that the other would have fewer schemes—or at least fewer schemes and calculations aimed at his side. Schemes, the other surely had and knew how to use; if he had none at all, he would be an imbecile, and an imbecile could not rule humanity for countless ages.

At this point, Su Yu was also anxious.

He... was leading a group of Rule Masters!

Many had come only because they believed in Su Yu, trusted him.

Including himself, thirty-six had come together, and Su Yu hoped that when they returned to the myriad realms, there would still be thirty-six, with none missing.

The loss of any one of them would be a blow to Su Yu.

Thought after thought surfaced. At that moment, Su Yu's Great Dao of Life and Death rippled slightly, telling Xingyue: I... am coming soon!

...

At the same time.

On one of the two opposing continents, Xingyue was healing several elderly men who had been injured for years when her expression suddenly shifted.

The next moment, she abandoned the old man she was treating and bolted away.

The old man looked baffled. What's wrong?

Am I beyond saving?

You run so fast—does that mean I'm about to kick the bucket?

I don't feel it!

"Your Highness, how much longer do I have to live?"

He called out, wanting a straight answer—why are you running?

"I don't know!"

"..."

Xingyue's reply made the old man sigh. What did that mean?

Was she comforting him, or was he about to die at any moment?

How confusing!

He got up, stopped worrying, and shouted, "Brothers, I'm about to die! Is there anything to eat? It's been so long, my mouth is as bland as a bird's backside. Anyone got a bite to give me..."

Too miserable!

Here, there had been no food for ages.

Of course, someone quickly joked, "Food? No food left, but the Dragon Emperor across the way is still alive. Slaughter him and have a full dragon feast—anyone want to go kill him?"

"..."

The old man was speechless. Of course I want to, I want to eat, but that Dragon Emperor is too strong—I can't beat him!

They were still chatting.

Not far away, a phantom hovered by the side of the river. The Human Emperor's phantom had been suspended there for many years, tasked with intimidating the enemy. The Human Emperor did not wish for war, but he was also helpless.

Though he did not want war, with no reinforcements arriving from the rear, if this continued, he would sooner or later erupt into a great battle with the enemy!

Now, the myriad races feared only him.

Once they returned to the myriad realms... some things could no longer be hidden!

In truth, by now, he was nearly at the end of his strength.

The phantom stared ahead, as it had for so many years, silently watching the opposite side, lost in its own thoughts. Sometimes it would glance at the old brothers beside him—those who had followed him without hesitation back then, driving the myriad races into the River of Time.

Over the years, many old brothers had fallen in battle.

Of the thirty-six ancient human kings, quite a few had died.

Later, some ancient marquises were promoted to fill those gaps.

When they left, they had brought over three hundred people!

Now, there are only a little over 120 left.

More than half are dead or wounded!

Of course, the other side has also suffered heavy losses. In the past, the other side had over a hundred Rulers of Order, bringing nearly 500 to 600 ancient marquises, and now only about 200 remain.

The number of ancient marquises on both sides is roughly the same, but the gap in Rulers of Order is still vast.

The other side has over 120 Rulers of Order, and about a hundred ancient marquises.

On the human side, there are over 40 Rulers of Order and over 80 ancient marquises.

Together, they barely match the number of Rulers of Order on the other side.

The Human Emperor’s thoughts flickered one by one.

What is happening in the rear now?

After all these years of blocking… if nothing has changed in the rear, then all this effort has been in vain. So many have died, yet no change has come about behind.

Sometimes, the Human Emperor feels deeply weary.

Back then, at such a great cost, they drove away the elites of all races. The humans left behind many strong warriors, fought for countless years, yet still failed to win… Sometimes, it is truly frustrating to the point of explosion.

In the past, he had swept away the foundations of all races, and the humans had deep reserves, yet even so, he could not foresee everything!

King Wen and King Wu had not returned for so long, clearly indicating that something had gone wrong within the Heavenly Gate.

Thoughts flickered, and as he was still pondering, he sensed his sister’s arrival. Turning his head, he smiled lightly and said, “What is it?”

“He’s coming!”

“Hmm?”

“That subordinate of mine, Su Yu—didn’t I tell you?”

Xingyue was displeased. “I told you, but you didn’t take it seriously, did you?”

The Human Emperor was momentarily stunned. Su Yu… is coming!

This newly risen youth, said to be only in his twenties, who opened the heavens of sun and moon, and often caused him trouble—he was coming?

Hadn’t he just opened his heavens not long ago?

Not long ago indeed. Here, the flow of time was different from the myriad realms. Xingyue had left the myriad realms less than half a year ago.

And here, though close to the myriad realms, the flow had accelerated somewhat, but in reality, only about seven days had passed for the Human Emperor.

Roughly one day to a month!

One day here, a month in the myriad realms.

Of course, the deeper one went, the slower time became.

But fast or slow mattered little; in truth, this place was gradually drawing closer to the myriad realms.

For others, Xingyue had only been here a few days. At their level, a few days or a few months made no difference.

The Human Emperor thought to himself, but his phantom form let out a laugh: “It’s good that he’s coming, it’s good! You sent your will back before—how strong is he now? Can he bring three or five Rulers of Order as reinforcements?”

He felt… earlier, he had sensed the birth of a Ruler of Order, but it seemed to have fallen quickly!

Xingyue, on her part, had been vague and unclear.

The Human Emperor truly did not know much about Su Yu’s situation.

His only channel of communication was Xingyue.

But Xingyue…

Sure enough, Xingyue was her usual self, brushing it off: “Who knows? I didn’t bother asking about his situation. He’s my subordinate, so his strength is just so-so!”

“…”

The Human Emperor sighed inwardly. You’re really… perfunctory with me.

You went to join the battle, and then you come back and tell me you don’t know how things are on his side, don’t know his strength, don’t know anything.

Should I believe that?

Is there any need to hide it from me?

The Human Emperor felt weary, but asked again, “When will he come?”

“I don’t know, but he’s probably set out already. It should be soon.”

The Human Emperor fell into thought. Xingyue added, “Oh, and last time he said that when he comes, he wants to keep it a secret first, to avoid a sudden outburst from the myriad races. Also, brother, do you need any help? He said if you need it, you can tell him…”

Help?

The Human Emperor sighed inwardly. How strong was Su Yu?

He made a judgment. He couldn’t be too weak.

Maybe… he had reached the third rank.

In his own heaven, he might have reached the third rank, right?

If he came, he certainly couldn’t bring his heaven with him, so he would only be at the fourth rank—the conventional power of a Ruler of Order.

Even if a pseudo-Ruler of Order had been born in his heaven, when they truly came, they would probably only be at the fifth rank.

Assuming his luck was decent, and he had five or six fifth-rank Rulers of Order under him—that wouldn’t be of much use. A fourth-rank Ruler of Order, plus five or six fifth-rank ones—the Human Emperor thought he was already overestimating Su Yu.

The main thing was that Su Yu himself had broken free from the River of Time, and his subordinates had all chosen to merge their paths with Su Yu.

The Human Emperor could only judge based on that.

Judging that there were five or six Rulers of Order was not even underestimating Su Yu.

“Still not bad…”

The Human Emperor thought to himself. It was acceptable, better than having none at all.

After so many years, the first batch of reinforcements had finally arrived, perhaps the only batch. It would help boost morale, at least. After all, Su Yu had pacified the chaos of the myriad realms!

From that point alone, the boy was worthy of his title as the Human Sovereign.

The tenth Human Sovereign… the previous nine had all failed. The Human Emperor felt helpless. Well, one shouldn’t be too greedy. At least the tenth Human Sovereign had arrived at the final moment!

“Brother!”

Xingyue spoke again. “He’s asking if you need any help!”

“…”

The Human Emperor was exasperated. At your brother’s level, even you, a third-rank Life Sovereign, can’t help me, let alone Su Yu. Besides, Xingyue had recently made some progress and felt… close to the second rank?

The Human Emperor’s thoughts began to drift again. Second rank… what a pity, I won’t live to see it. If Xingyue reached the first rank, she might still be able to help me, but she hasn’t even reached the second rank yet.

His thoughts scattered…

The Human Emperor’s heart tightened!

Had it come to this?

Now, a single sentence easily plunged him into deep thought. Clearly, this was not a good sign!

Quickly, he steadied his mind and said with a smile, “I don’t need any help. Your brother is immensely powerful. What help could a newcomer like him offer? It’s good that he’s coming; he can contribute some effort.”

Xingyue raised an eyebrow: "Who do you think you're looking down on? That subordinate of mine does have some skill!"

I didn't like hearing that!

The Human Emperor chuckled softly: "Fine, skill he certainly has; without it, he couldn't have opened the heavens. I'll grant you that. Since he's your subordinate... go and greet him. I can't just leave abruptly..."

He couldn't get away!

After a moment's thought, he added: "Take the War King with you. The Bright King can't leave either—if he does, we'll be easily discovered."

The strong ones here couldn't just leave either.

They were blocking the other side from leaving, but the other side was also keeping them pinned down. If they let the Human Emperor's people slip away downstream, wouldn't the myriad realms be doomed?

Over the years, both sides had been entangled like this.

If someone left for even a short while, the enemy might probe. If your man didn't show up, a large-scale war could break out. Once a strong one departed, the entire battlefront could tip out of balance.

"Brother, you can't go?"

Xingyue hesitated: "He's very proud. If you don't go, and he thinks you're slighting him, what if he just turns around and leaves?"

"..."

The Human Emperor felt weary!

I am the Human Emperor, for heaven's sake! In the midst of this tense battle, I'm sending you and the War King to welcome a few weak Rule Masters—I've already given plenty of face!

And you're saying that's not enough?

I have to go greet him in person?

Give me a break!

The Human Emperor said nothing. If my front gets breached because of a few weak Rule Masters, that would be a crying shame!

Of course, he couldn't say that. Instead, he smiled: "He's a Human Sovereign too. He should understand how dangerous this battle is. Explain it to him for me. Once we've taken the myriad races, I'll treat him well..."

Just polite talk!

But Xingyue took it seriously and nodded: "Alright. I'll talk to him, so he doesn't hold a grudge."

The Human Emperor couldn't help himself: "This Su Yu you speak of... his heart... isn't very big!"

Xingyue looked puzzled: "It's not big, is it? Didn't I mention that?"

Was Su Yu big-hearted?

No, he had no heart at all!

Not even a small heart—he had none. That guy never let a grudge last past the night; he was as petty as they came!

The Human Emperor felt weary again. Suddenly, he thought this fellow might not be easy to deal with. Not that he feared him—the man was weak—but he was afraid this Su Yu thought himself the best in the world, having roamed the myriad realms with a bunch of Heavenly Kings. Coming here, he might think Rule Masters were nothing special... and end up annoying people. That would be bad!

Such things were common.

In the myriad realms, where there were no Rule Masters, one could claim to be the best in the world!

Think you're amazing!

But here, you become just a speck. That's normal. Yet if you still act arrogant and provoke strong enemies... the Human Emperor especially dreaded such useless teammates!

Because he'd been burned before!

Now he was terrified of getting another bunch of troublemakers!

Xingyue seemed to know what he was thinking and quickly said: "Su Yu is very capable! If he weren't, how could he have conquered the Death Realm, taken the Upper Realm, driven out the myriad races, and dominated the Three Realms? His achievements are even greater than yours, brother..."

The Human Emperor laughed dryly!

Go on, keep boasting!

Good heavens, now he's better than me? Hmph, as if I'm not impressive!

Conquered the Three Realms?

I admit Su Yu has skill, but look at the state of the myriad races now—they might have destroyed themselves!

Bah!

I can tolerate boasting, but boasting that he's better than me—that I can't stomach!

The Human Emperor said coolly: "Is that so? Well, we'll see. A Yue, you never witnessed my conquest of the myriad races... After you fell, your brother and a band of old comrades marched across the myriad realms, sweeping all before us, unbeatable!"

Do you know?

Too bad you missed my era. Xingyue fell early, before the Human Realm was fully unified.

By the time the Human Realm was unified and the heavens taken, those glorious deeds—Xingyue never saw them, never experienced them!

Xingyue nodded. Her brother was indeed formidable. She said casually: "Brother, how many years did it take you to conquer the myriad realms?"

"A little over a hundred years..."

"Oh!"

Xingyue said nothing more. The Human Emperor, seeing her indifference, seemed to recall something. His phantom trembled: "It was different back then! Every realm had its strong ones, especially the Immortal, Demon, Divine, and Dragon races—each had powerful rulers. Conquering each realm was extremely difficult..."

"Oh!"

Xingyue nodded and said: "Then I'll go call Brother War King."

"No, listen to me!"

The Human Emperor was annoyed!

Your attitude is too dismissive!

I'm angry!

"In those days, I..."

"I know, brother. I'll listen when I get back!"

Xingyue nodded. I heard you. I'll listen later—I need to satisfy my brother's urge to show off. But Su Yu seems to be arriving soon, so I'd better go call the War King first.

The Human Emperor fumed!

"Wait a moment!"

Xingyue obediently stood still.

The Human Emperor snorted, satisfied, and continued: "In those days, those fellows across from us—they trembled at the sight of me! No matter how many of them there were, they still knelt and begged for mercy! Too bad... your brother's luck ran out!"

He sighed: "Your brother Wen—he was a pitfall! He was actually okay, but your brother Taishan—he was a giant pit, a divine pit!"

He didn't want to say more!

That big fool, probably egged on by that bastard Prison King, had spread the news of Wen King's departure far and wide.

Otherwise, give me another thousand years, and I wouldn't fear the myriad races!

But back then, undercurrents were stirring. To eliminate future trouble, I had to give up on opening the heavens and take a drastic measure.

Now, I'm badly wounded and unlucky.

Wen King and the others still haven't returned, and the myriad realms are unreliable. Nothing has gone right!

If it were not so... I would have led my forces to storm the Three Gates long ago!

The Human Emperor looked up at the sky, a touch of sorrow in his eyes.

A hero at the end of his road!

What of the Three Gates?

I shall still suppress them!

But time was not on my side, leading me to defeat after defeat, failure at the brink of success!

In years past, I even wished to measure myself against the Lord of Time, but now, that hope is dead.

At this moment, his thoughts wandered again—he was not like this before, but time had been too long; his sea of will had loosened, crumbling, and at this point... he truly could not hold on much longer!

"Man will conquer nature... conquer nature, but cannot conquer man!"

A sigh of endless regret escaped him!

At this moment, Xingyue vaguely sensed her elder brother's sorrow. After a moment's thought, she said solemnly, "It's all right, my subordinate has arrived!"

"..."

To hell with you!

You tell me with a straight face that your subordinate has arrived—what bloody use is that!

"Go, go!"

The Human Emperor waved his hand, pretending not to hear.

Soon, the Human Emperor sent a telepathic message to the distant War King: "Accompany Xingyue on a trip to meet Su Yu, the tenth-generation Human Sovereign, that Sun-Moon Opener of Heaven... He seems not to be narrow-minded; be courteous. Though his strength is ordinary, his willingness to aid is a blessing for our race! Unite all forces that can be united... If he has any requests... agree to what you can; if excessive, say you cannot decide and await my word!"

In the distance, the fierce-auraed War King's eyes flickered at the words. He replied telepathically, "Your Majesty, will there be trouble? I fear these newcomers from the rear may be too proud, unable to help and only causing chaos..."

"It's fine. I subdued you all back then; how much harder can he be? Just be polite. Ming King cannot leave; otherwise, he would suit this better—he knows how to handle these youngsters... As for you... just play dumb a bit!"

"Your Majesty says that, but I am an old senior after all—playing dumb before juniors... how embarrassing!"

"Less nonsense!"

The Human Emperor sent another message: "Also, when you go, give a general outline of the power dynamics—not too detailed, but don't let them think that once they arrive, they are safe. You have the measure of these things!"

After a few more instructions, he added, "Oh, and if he says he won't take orders... just ignore him. Tell him we'll arrange a king's seat for him, and he can roam with his own subordinates... as long as he doesn't provoke a major battle, let him be."

His attitude toward Su Yu was welcoming, but he was reluctant to incorporate Su Yu into the current system—that would only cause problems.

Putting himself in Su Yu's shoes, this man had conquered the Three Realms, his ambition soaring to the heavens; he likely would not be willing to bow to another. That was fine—as long as he wasn't too foolish overall.

War King nodded silently, committing it all to memory.

Soon, he laughed telepathically: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I'll make him know what reality is! I'll give them a scare! I'm even worried they won't make it—that would be a joke..."

At this, the Human Emperor was startled—surely not?

If they couldn't even reach here... well, that would be rather embarrassing!

"Wait at the border for a while, but not too long, lest the myriad races discover you. If they haven't arrived yet... come back first!"

Perhaps they truly couldn't make it.

After all, Xingyue had recovered her strength and carried the Star Universe Seal, barely managing to arrive. If Su Yu's strength was poor and he lacked the Star Universe Seal... heavens, if he really couldn't make it, that would be truly shameful!

War King chuckled: "Alright, I understand, Your Majesty. I'll go take a look first! If he does come and sees me... he'll probably be scared to death. I'll let them know what a true strongman is, so they don't think themselves too high and mighty, fearing no one, and cause trouble for Your Majesty!"

"Mind your limits!"

"Your Majesty, rest assured!"

War King was carefree—rest assured!

I've got it!

These young sprouts—how could I not handle them?

This Su Yu, he had heard a few words about from Xingyue—said to be from Daxia Prefecture... Daxia Prefecture, supposedly founded by his own descendants, though he knew not which generation.

Come to think of it, perhaps I am the ancestor of Su Yu's ancestor's ancestor...

A moment later, War King and Xingyue departed quietly, heading toward the rear.

Some noticed but paid no heed; the rear was often patrolled to prevent surprise attacks from the myriad worlds.

As for the myriad races, they too paid little attention.

War King leaving for a short while was no great matter.

But if his aura was absent for two or three days, the myriad races would launch an assault, lest War King and his ilk had left to return to the myriad worlds!

Meanwhile.

Su Yu had arrived at the region where Xingyue had broken the seal last time—not too far from the Human Emperor now.

He looked back, frowning slightly. He could no longer sense the range of his own heaven-earth radiation—a bit troublesome!

"What a pity!"

Su Yu muttered to himself—indeed, a pity!

If it could spread a little further, perhaps it might reach the Human Emperor's area—that would be wonderful!

Soon, Su Yu looked ahead.

The Great Path of Life and Death rippled faintly; Xingyue was sending a message. The distance was not great, so the transmission was clear. The Human Emperor could not leave, and now Xingyue was accompanying War King, advancing this way.

War King!

Su Yu thought to himself, then turned to Xia Longwu with a smile: "Your ancestor is coming!"

Xia Longwu's face was stern; he nodded slightly.

He didn't care much!

No help for it—too many generations apart. Kinship was nonexistent; perhaps with time it might grow, but for now, clearly not.

Everyone had their own stance, their own lord!

A hundred thousand years—who knew how many generations had passed!

A hundred years a generation—you'd be a thousand generations!

Even among cultivator clans, with centuries per generation, there would be hundreds. The ties were too distant; Xia Longwu truly didn't pay it much mind.

Others, however, were excited: "War King is coming?"

Someone snorted: "And the Human Emperor himself didn't come to greet us..."

Su Yu snapped, "Shut up! A little courtesy is enough. If he really came and the front line fell, would you go hold it?"

"..."

Well, that flattery backfired.

Su Yu ignored them and turned to Wu Huang, smiling: "War King was a Third Rank back then, but now... at least a Second Rank! I understand the Human Emperor's mind—and mine too—both afraid of each other! It's necessary to intimidate me into obedience... but we also need to show our muscle! Wu Huang, when War King erupts with his aura, don't mind him—the moment he does, you, the Dead King, and March—all three of you—jump him first and give him a beating to show our strength!"

The Dead King was now roughly at the Third Rank.

And as for March, he too was at the third rank, even strong third rank—no help for it, he had obtained the bamboo pole, and Su Yu had directly integrated it into his Great Path; March's strength now surpassed that of South King and the others.

Two third-rank, one second-rank—if War King was below first-rank, in a spar they could probably take him down!

"Beat up War King?"

March bared his teeth. "Is that appropriate?"

The Martial Emperor's eyes also flickered. This... can I hit him?

Beating War King once—that would be satisfying too!

Su Yu squinted and smiled: "All of you, suppress your auras to the utmost. War King will definitely take the initiative to erupt and intimidate us... We won't start trouble or provoke anything, but if he tries to overawe us with his pressure... I won't say a word. You lot... go and hit him!"

The group understood tacitly. Soon, a burst of snickering arose, and in an instant, everyone converged their auras.

Understood!

Su Yu wanted to save face and wouldn't bully War King, but we as subordinates must share our master's burdens—we understand this principle!

War King started the trouble; if he gets beaten, it's a wasted beating!

Off to the side, Xia Longwu's mouth twitched slightly. After all, he's my family's ancestor... This... forget it, I won't interfere!

This was also a test and a confrontation between the two sides.

On one hand, it was for the right to speak; on the other, to prevent the other side from underestimating Su Yu's group, lest they think Su Yu's side was weak and could be manipulated at will—that would cause problems later.

...

"Hmph, hmph..."

At that moment, War King rubbed his nose, feeling it was a bit itchy!

As he walked ahead, he laughed: "Sister Xingyue, tell me, should I intimidate them with thirty percent of my strength, or fifty percent? You speak, sister—they're your subordinates, so you decide!"

War King chuckled. He hadn't seen newcomers in years; suddenly he was a bit excited!

Xingyue hesitated. Su Yu seemed to be saying something. She hesitated again, then quickly said: "Use full strength! If not... then don't intimidate them. Brother War... I'm afraid..."

"Afraid I'll scare them?"

War King laughed heartily: "Don't worry, I know my limits! I'm not that kind of villain—I just want them to understand the danger at the front..."

Alright!

Xingyue nodded. As you wish. I think you're going to get into trouble. Oh well, I'll heal you later, don't worry!