Chapter 837: Su Yu Sees the Human Emperor

"The Human Emperor is coming!"

At this moment, Su Yu also waited, awaiting the arrival of the Human Emperor.

This legendary figure—he was still extremely eager to meet him.

He looked forward to their first encounter, wondering what impression the other would leave on him.

Majesty?

Domineering?

Refined?

Sinister?

Or something else?

Behind him, many others also anticipated, including some ancient marquises. In the ancient era, these people were actually marginal figures, having seen the Human Emperor only rarely—just as now, on Su Yu's side, those of Sun and Moon Eternity seldom saw Su Yu.

Perhaps to Wan Tiansheng and the others, Su Yu could be seen daily, but to those of the middle ranks, Su Yu had long ceased to pay much attention.

Even Wan Tiansheng himself was now full of anticipation.

As for the Martial Emperor, he felt somewhat uneasy.

He worried... that the Human Emperor might cause trouble for him. He stole a few glances at Su Yu—you did say you’d help me deal with the Human Emperor and the Literary King.

Toward the Human Emperor, for all the Martial Emperor’s bluster, he was still rather intimidated.

Su Yu paid no mind to this.

At this moment, the Human Emperor likely had no interest in bothering with the Martial Emperor’s affairs.

Now, he had already faintly sensed the presence of the War King.

The War King was coming!

Sensing no one else’s presence, Su Yu was not surprised. At this point, the Human Emperor probably couldn’t come in person, nor even as a phantom; most likely, he would split off a small clone.

Behind him, Tian Mie transmitted a message: "Your Majesty, shall we give him another show of force?"

Su Yu waved his hand.

A show of force for the War King was enough—to let them know our strength. For the Human Emperor, there was no need for that.

A moment later, ahead.

Before the War King, two figures suddenly appeared. One wore a golden robe and a crown, quite formal.

The other was clad in brocade,

somewhat resembling a wealthy landlord.

Though Su Yu had never seen them, he knew they were the Human Emperor and the Bright King. No need to sense their auras—just their bearing sufficed.

Now, Su Yu also stepped forward.

A brilliant smile spread across his face!

From a great distance, Su Yu smiled radiantly, his voice soft and refined, taking the initiative to say with a bow: "Junior Su Yu pays respects to His Majesty the Human Emperor, and to the Bright King and War King, seniors!"

With nearly a thousand meters still between them, Su Yu bowed deeply. From afar, the Human Emperor quickened his pace, laughing: "You are too polite. Su Renhuang is the master of the human race; there is no need for such formalities..."

"No," Su Yu said, his expression solemn and earnest, gazing across the void at the Human Emperor with grave intensity, "Your Majesty the Human Emperor is the paragon of our race, and the person I, Su Yu, admire most in this life..."

At this moment, Su Yu’s face was stern and reverent. He looked at the Human Emperor with utmost seriousness—you are the one I worship most!

He studied the Human Emperor’s face, somewhat illusory, but still faintly revealing majesty.

A square face, with a short, neatly trimmed beard. His eyes seemed slightly lackluster—likely the original’s gaze was not like this, but now, as a clone of a clone, it lacked some vitality.

He moved with the stride of a dragon and the step of a tiger, bearing the dignity of a sovereign and the decisiveness of a warrior.

Sometimes, first impressions matter greatly.

From afar, the Human Emperor smiled, extending both hands in a gesture of support: "What paragon? You’ll make a fool of me!"

The Human Emperor approached swiftly, his laughter hearty: "I have long known of you—the tenth master of the human race, Su Yu! The Opener! Well done!"

With that, the Human Emperor looked at the line of powerful figures behind Su Yu, his laughter still bright: "All of you are well done! After so many years, some old comrades have now become masters of laws. I see many familiar faces—Giant Axe, Red Moon, Wu Ji, March, Sky Splitter... all here!"

These people, who had been shouting fiercely earlier, now, upon actually seeing the Human Emperor, quickly bowed in salute, their hearts both excited and uneasy.

The Human Emperor!

Though Su Yu’s authority was not weak, compared to the Human Emperor—who had ruled the ancient era for tens of thousands of years and become a myth and legend—he still fell short.

The Martial Emperor, who usually dared to trade barbs with Su Yu, now felt utterly uncomfortable at the sight of the Human Emperor.

The Human Emperor, however, said nothing and did not even glance at him. Soon, he stepped forward to support Su Yu, still smiling: "What a fortunate thing! To think that at this final moment, Su Renhuang has come with reinforcements—a blessing for the human race, for the allied races, for all living beings!"

The Human Emperor sighed with emotion several times. Then, his laughter rang out: "Today, my true self cannot come; only a clone has arrived, which is somewhat remiss. But... since you are all here, let me host a welcome feast for you—let us drink and be merry!"

Su Yu smiled: "You are too kind, Human Emperor. These are trivial matters. We have come to resolve the calamity of the myriad races as soon as possible!"

"No rush!"

The Human Emperor laughed: "The myriad races... mere scratches on the skin!"

Good heavens, such bold words.

They had been beaten to this state, and he still called them mere scratches?

The Human Emperor seemed to read Su Yu’s thoughts and laughed: "I am old, so let me call myself old. Indeed, I have been entangled by the myriad races for many years, even paying a great price. But the myriad races... they are but scratches on the skin!"

The Human Emperor smiled frankly: "Their strength is not weak, but they lack effective action! Internal divisions are too great, problems severe. With several times our strength, they dare not risk a decisive battle, waiting passively... Are the myriad races a great threat?"

Speaking of these formidable enemies he had faced for countless ages, he now uttered words that dismissed them as no great threat!

Was he putting on a brave face?

No!

Even at this moment, the Human Emperor truly looked down on them!

Now, meeting face to face, the Human Emperor spoke freely, laughing: "The myriad races are not to be feared! Of course, they have strength, and they are hard to deal with—but being hard to deal with does not make them a great threat! To use a crude analogy: you are only three years old, and a ten-year-old child bullies you with his height—that does not make him a strong man or a great threat. So, the myriad races are not a major problem..."

Su Yu smiled!

At this point, the Human Emperor said that over a hundred masters of laws on the opposite side were no great threat... Well, that was truly bold.

But unfortunately, bold as you are, you still lost the fight!

Not exactly a loss, but the Human Emperor’s side was indeed suppressed and unable to move.

"Scratches on the skin can still kill a man!"

Su Yu also smiled: "These fellows lack effective execution. But I know one thing about the myriad races: once pushed to the brink of life and death, they will quickly unite, select a core leader, and seize the reins of power over all races... So the myriad races are like a spring—the more pressure you apply, the stronger they become!"

The myriad races could be underestimated, but not too much.

The more unfavorable the situation for them, the stronger they grew!

Just as before, when the myriad races were a scattered mess, once Su Yu’s side created enough of a crisis for them, they were no longer scattered!

Having fought the Human Emperor for countless ages, they had not been destroyed but had instead grown much stronger...

So Su Yu felt that the Human Emperor was only trying to reassure him, afraid that he might be intimidated.

Big talk is useless!

Strength is what truly matters!

A ten-year-old beating a three-year-old is simply stronger than you—no use crying foul!

The Human Emperor laughed heartily: "Well said! Never underestimate an opponent—that's only right! I was worried that Lord Su, being so young and having just triumphed over mighty foes in the Myriad Realms, might grow arrogant. But now I see I've underestimated him!"

Su Yu smiled: "Your Majesty, just call me Su Yu. 'Lord'... before the Human Emperor, you are the true lord of men, not I!"

"You jest!"

The Human Emperor sighed, then quickly laughed: "The future world belongs to you! We are old, and I am old too."

At that moment, he seemed somewhat wistful, then added: "You are young, full of drive, with prospects and a future! Perhaps before long, my old comrades will have to rely on Lord Su for their care."

Su Yu raised an eyebrow: "Your Majesty, you flatter me!"

"No!"

The Human Emperor laughed, glancing at Ming Wang, who looked like a country squire and was still smiling. He patted Ming Wang's shoulder, then looked back at Su Yu: "Talk more with Ming Wang. Over the years, he has handled everything here. He knows all the old brothers, manages all logistics. Ming Wang is good at everything except one thing—he tends to falter at critical moments..."

At this, the Human Emperor chuckled himself: "Otherwise... I would have let him take full charge here long ago."

Perhaps only Su Yu and Ming Wang understood the implication.

Su Yu suspected that Ming Wang knew the Human Emperor's condition.

And the Human Emperor might have guessed that Su Yu also knew, so his words suddenly carried a tone of entrustment.

Ming Wang kept smiling, saying nothing.

Now, he casually sized up Su Yu.

As for Su Yu, his smile was radiant: "Your Majesty truly flatters me. I came here to follow your orders. I am young, straightforward, and have no other demands—only that my brothers not be used as cannon fodder. Beyond that, I defer to you completely!"

"I know nothing of the myriad races here—their strength, tactics, or temperaments. War is about intelligence, knowing yourself and your enemy. Here, I am in the dark, relying entirely on the guidance of my seniors!"

Su Yu was now quite humble, smiling: "So, from now on, whatever Your Majesty commands, I shall do."

"Haha, Brother Su is too modest!"

"..."

Suddenly, everyone was taken aback.

That's not right!

Don't call him "brother"! You're a man hundreds of thousands of years old, calling Su Yu "brother"—even Su Yu feels awkward.

Don't force a connection like that!

The Human Emperor laughed himself, glanced at those behind Su Yu, then back at Su Yu, and said with some emotion: "I'm in a good mood, happy, so don't mind the details. I'm very glad you've come!"

At this, the Human Emperor showed more sincerity, sighing: "You are better than I imagined."

Su Yu looked puzzled, smiling: "What did Your Majesty imagine me to be?"

"Hard to say... arrogant? proud? looking down on the world? Perhaps all of that."

Now, the Human Emperor spoke with deep feeling: "Back then, when I conquered the Myriad Realms and established the Imperial Court, I was exactly like that—believing myself invincible, with no one to challenge me. But then the Imperial Court collapsed, and the myriad races rebelled..."

He shook his head, not dwelling on it, then looked around: "Let's talk privately for a bit. Ming Wang, War King, entertain these brothers. It's not suitable to go over there now—the myriad races are watching the front lines. If everyone goes, it might trigger a major battle!"

Su Yu nodded.

He also wanted to speak with the Human Emperor alone.

...

Soon, Su Yu and the Human Emperor walked aside.

The waters of the long river still flowed.

The Human Emperor's smile gradually faded: "You are a wise man, a man of understanding. The moment I saw you, I knew that those under your command hold you in awe and respect, and even before me, the Human Emperor, they did not overstep in the slightest."

Su Yu was about to speak, but the Human Emperor raised a hand: "This is only an avatar; it cannot last long, so I'll make it brief."

"Please speak, Your Majesty."

"My condition—you may know something, or nothing—it doesn't matter."

The Human Emperor said calmly: "In earlier times, even before that, when I first led the myriad races away, I was already wounded, gravely wounded!"

"Do you know why I chose to lead the myriad races away back then?"

Su Yu grew interested: "Were the myriad races about to rebel?"

The Human Emperor laughed: "Rebel? Was I afraid of their rebellion?"

At this, the Human Emperor suddenly turned domineering, sneering: "A bunch of disunited fools—was I afraid of their rebellion? Even if they rebelled, I could kill one to warn a hundred, divide and conquer, and eventually pacify the myriad races!"

Su Yu frowned.

True!

So, the Human Emperor's departure with the myriad races had another reason?

The Human Emperor didn't keep him in suspense; he said directly: "But I didn't. Instead, I took the myriad race experts away, because I didn't want war or conflict to erupt in the Myriad Realms!"

The Human Emperor said gravely: "The Myriad Realms are not as simple as you think. To put it plainly, I brought the myriad race experts into the upper reaches of the River of Time with the intention of suppressing the Heavenly Gate!"

Su Yu's heart stirred.

He looked at the Human Emperor, who gazed upstream and said calmly: "Ahead, at the end, lies the Heavenly Gate. I brought the myriad race experts here, sealed the upper reaches, slowed the river's flow—all to suppress the Heavenly Gate and prevent it from opening too quickly."

"At that time, signs had already appeared. The entry of King Wen and others into the Heavenly Gate was one omen. And just then, the myriad races stirred... as expected, it was connected to certain beings within the Heavenly Gate."

The Human Emperor said solemnly: "Time was too short. I wasn't afraid of the myriad races... but at that moment, I could not allow the Heavenly Gate to open. Once it opened, we would truly have no chance!"

Su Yu asked gravely: "If the Heavenly Gate opens, are they necessarily enemies?"

"Yes!"

The Human Emperor said coldly: "They are necessarily enemies! Su Yu, remember this: when the Three Gates open, everyone is an enemy!"

Su Yu raised an eyebrow: "Even Star?"

"Even Star!"

The Human Emperor seemed unsurprised that Su Yu knew of Star, or even that he might have met Star.

The Human Emperor said solemnly: "Just remember one thing: within the Three Gates, all may be enemies... remember, 'may be,' but treat them all as enemies. The Three Gates, the Three Eras—they are not of the same age!"

"The past is past!"

"The past wishes to return—it is difficult!"

Su Yu was inwardly astonished. According to the Human Emperor, conflict with the beings within the Three Gates was inevitable.

Why?

Su Yu asked intently: "What exactly are the Three Gates?"

The Human Emperor was silent for a moment, then finally gave an answer: "Janitors!"

"Huh?"

Su Yu was shaken—what did that mean?

The Human Emperor said calmly, “Scavengers! Whatever is past, decayed, those who occupy a latrine without shitting—anything that hinders those who come after—must be swept away! The Three Gates are such scavengers! They sealed away that rotten era, to open a new age, to begin a new civilization!”

The Human Emperor sighed. “But the Myriad Realms are crucial—they are the key to the decayed revival! The fall of the new age, the return of the old era—if we cleanse the new, then the old, rotten age can be reborn anew!”

Su Yu’s gaze grew stranger. “So… we are the new age, and the beings within the Three Gates are destined to be our enemies?”

“One might say so.”

The Human Emperor said calmly, “Back then, the Heavenly Gate was about to open, but we were not ready. With no other choice, I could only drag the myriad races into the River of Time. The River is also key—remember that! The River of Time is the core of the Myriad Realms, the crux of it all… All Three Gates lie upon the River, including the Earthly Gate.”

“We entered the upper reaches, froze the River of Time, and effectively delayed the Heavenly Gate’s revival.”

“The fools of the myriad races may know it, or may not, but their existence did help us hinder the River… Yet when we return to the Myriad Realms, the freeze on the River of Time will thaw, and the Heavenly Gate’s revival… will be unstoppable!”

Su Yu seemed to understand. “So, back then, Your Majesty the Human Emperor dragged away the myriad races not solely because of the rebellion?”

The Human Emperor nodded. “It was a convergence of many factors. On one hand, the departure of King Wen and the others; on the other, the imminent revival of the Heavenly Gate. After much deliberation, I thought—perhaps only by dragging the myriad races along to help me suppress the Heavenly Gate could I prevent it from opening too soon.”

He sighed again. “But I overestimated myself. The myriad races were not weak. At that time, I even spurred their resolve to unite against a common foe. In the end, they sought to join forces against humanity, and I had no choice but to fight with all my might… The result: my physical body was nearly destroyed, my Sea of Will shattered, and my strength reduced to less than a tenth…”

A sigh, tinged with regret.

Scheming and plotting—some things are beyond your control.

Su Yu said gravely, “Was it severe?”

“Very severe.”

The Human Emperor nodded slightly. “You have also opened your own world, so you must understand: when you open a world, the Great Path of Time will reject you somewhat. The Paths I once mastered now hold a certain enmity toward me. Thus, recovery is far more difficult.”

“What if you severed the world?”

Su Yu frowned. “Sever the world and cultivate only the Path. Or sever the Path and cultivate only the world.”

The Human Emperor shook his head. “Too late. Had you come earlier, there might have been hope… Now, I cannot sever my Path. If I did, I might soon fall, unable to withstand the backlash.”

Su Yu frowned. “Is there no hope of recovery at all?”

“There is.”

The Human Emperor smiled, looking at Su Yu with amusement. “If you could reach my level, with Xingyue’s Path of Life and Death second only to yours, then I might have hope.”

“First-class or above first-class?”

Su Yu inquired.

Their conversation was now very direct.

The Human Emperor laughed. “Do you know how the ranks of First-class, Second-class, and so on were defined?”

Su Yu thought for a moment, then shook his head, but still said, “It feels like there is a kind of shackle-force; each ascension brings some sensation.”

“King Wen and I, based on our own strength and that of others, made that classification back then. We used ourselves as the blueprint.”

He explained the basis of the classification: “At that time, we defined the levels of Rule Masters according to the rule-force and explosive power of a normal Great Path—it was merely a rough division.”

“Such power we called the Force of One Path. This was actually the standard from the ancient times, or even earlier.”

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. “So, in the ancient or even earlier times, they measured by the Force of One Path?”

“Correct.”

The Human Emperor nodded. “The Fifth-class we defined was the Force of One Path. Fourth-class was the Force of Two Paths. Third-class was the Force of Four Paths. Second-class was the Force of Eight Paths.”

Su Yu’s brow lifted. So, Great Zhou King hadn’t lied to him after all—the so-called Seven-Path Sovereign was indeed the peak of Third-class.

I thought he had deceived me.

But now, Great Zhou King counts as Nine-Path Force, which would be Second-class.

He has definitely reached Second-class now.

That means… Xing might not have been that strong after all. Seven Paths, peak of Third-class—calling himself a supreme—how narrow-minded!

“Then First-class—does it double again, to the Force of Sixteen Paths?”

Su Yu asked. The Human Emperor smiled. “One could say so. Anything beyond the Force of Sixteen Paths counts as First-class. In those days, no one in the Myriad Realms was stronger than us, so further classification was meaningless.”

There was a hint of arrogance in his words.

We stopped at First-class not because we couldn’t go further, but because no one existed stronger than us.

Why bother with empty ranks?

But… Su Yu frowned. “Then how could King Wen and Your Majesty, with such power back then, not subdue the myriad races?”

Why wait until King Wen left to solve the problem?

The Human Emperor sighed. “As you said, when the myriad races are pushed to the extreme, they tend to unify, which is detrimental to humanity’s unity. Moreover, a full-scale war would incur heavy losses. In truth, given a little more time, the myriad races would have been no threat.”

“As for King Wen’s departure…”

The Human Emperor sighed again. “It was forced. Something happened to Wen Jue, and he had to leave. Before he left, he asked me whether he should eliminate the threat of the myriad races before his departure.”

Su Yu was startled. So King Wen wasn’t that unreliable—he asked the Human Emperor before leaving, clearly worried about trouble.

But the Human Emperor must have refused.

Why refuse?

The Human Emperor smiled. “I disagreed at the time. There were many reasons, but the main one was this: if a great war broke out then, King Wen and I would surely be severely wounded… though we could subdue the myriad races. But if both of us were gravely injured, the Heavenly Gate would open, Wen Yu would die, and he would have no strength left to rescue her… The gain would not outweigh the loss.”

So he gave up acting when King Wen left.

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. “Was it the Prison King’s scheme? He deliberately caused the Time Master’s accident, knowing that you two would not choose a fight to the death at that moment, and thus brought about the present outcome?”

“The Prison King played a part.”

The Human Emperor nodded slightly. “But he was not the chief conspirator. The schemer came either from the Human Gate or the Earthly Gate. The Three Gates also have conflicts of interest. At that time, the Heavenly Gate was about to open, and they knew it held many powerful beings. So they deliberately set a trap, harmed Wen Yu, with the aim of making us clash with the Heavenly Gate, or else suppress it…”

The Human Emperor chuckled. “But we didn’t let them off easy. Before leaving, I reinforced the Earthly Gate, and by reaching the upper reaches of the River of Time, I also affected the opening of the Human Gate. I insisted on dragging all Three Gates to open simultaneously… so none of them could gain an advantage.”

Su Yu was surprised. This man… was truly formidable.

Before leaving, he had arranged everything for the Three Gates.

None of them would emerge first.

The events of that year indeed had hidden depths. The Human Emperor dragged away the myriad races not primarily for their sake, but to delay the opening of the Three Gates.

This was something Su Yu had not considered before.

“So, unless I reach First-class, or even stronger, Your Majesty’s injuries can be healed?”

“Yes. It is only a hope.”

The Human Emperor sighed. “It is difficult. You… have risen too late. In my expectations, it should have been much earlier. I set many obstacles for the myriad races and left many hidden cards for humanity…”

Somewhat sorrowful.

In the end, you only appeared now. Had you risen a few hundred or thousand years earlier, things would have been different.

Seeing Su Yu’s unconvinced expression, he smiled lightly. “You are advancing quickly now, but do you not feel you have reached a bottleneck?”

Su Yu thought for a moment and nodded. “Indeed.”

At this point, he had hit a bottleneck; to improve further would be far too difficult!

Su Yu didn't pay it much mind, and said with a smile, "All that is for later. As for the Human Emperor's contingency plans... they were all wasted by the Great Zhou King, Zhou Tian. That's not my fault, and I didn't inherit much benefit from it. That Zhou Tian, day in and day out, keeps things hidden from me. The main issue is that the candidate Your Majesty chose was not up to par!"

"..."

The Human Emperor was speechless. Was this... a complaint?

Perhaps it was?

He laughed. "Zhou Tian... is actually a capable minister! My intention was for him to assist a powerful human sovereign. Now it seems there have indeed been some problems."

Su Yu continued, "He said he was a fifteenth-path supreme. Why didn't he just wipe out all the myriad races from the start..."

"Fifteenth path?"

The Human Emperor was slightly taken aback. "Has he reached the fifteenth path? Before I left, he was only on the seventh. Such rapid progress? But... back then, I sealed a segment of the River of Time, so it should have been difficult for him to improve as well... At the time, to restrict the myriad races, I sealed everything indiscriminately, to avoid any mishaps."

Oh!

So back then he was truly on the seventh path!

But recently, he had advanced by two more paths. The key point was... that old fox's seventh path hadn't been severed!

This meant that Great Zhou King had two paths in Su Yu's world and seven in the River of Time—he was profiting from both sides!

Very impressive!

Indeed, the Human Emperor was an honest man; as soon as he asked, he told him.

Su Yu then asked, "So before, was he also sealed?"

"In a sense, yes. But in a critical moment, he could unseal himself. However, if he did, the entire myriad realms would be unsealed!"

The Human Emperor nodded.

Su Yu was speechless. He understood now: Great Zhou King was also a key to the unsealing. That old fox could really endure!

He simply refused to unseal himself!

He held out until the very end!

The Human Emperor didn't dwell on Great Zhou King and quickly said, "I must also emphasize to you the strength of the myriad races!"

Su Yu listened attentively.

Xingyue had only given a rough number, not the specific strength.

"In the past, the myriad races were not as powerful as now. Currently, the myriad races have a total of 125 Rule Masters!"

Seeing Su Yu's calm expression, the Human Emperor cursed inwardly. Don't ask—my sister told him, otherwise this kid wouldn't be so composed.

"Among them, a few were close to first-class back then but didn't reach it. Now, however, several have achieved it!"

"The Immortal Emperor, the Demon Emperor, and the Divine Emperor have definitely reached first-class. As for the Dragon Emperor, the Nether Emperor, and others, even if they haven't, they are close!"

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "So many first-class? What about our human race?"

Was there only one Bright King?

Even War King, known as the sixth man, hadn't reached that level.

"On our human side, naturally there are first-class as well. Bright King is not only first-class but among the strongest. As for me... those three first-class ones also fear me. I could suppress all three of them alone... though now I am actually powerless," the Human Emperor said with a self-deprecating laugh. "Besides Bright King, there are other first-class ones. Martial King's Great Dao Companion is also first-class..."

Great Dao Companion?

Su Yu was startled.

What kind of title was that?

Seeing his confusion, the Human Emperor explained, "It means his first Dao companion. Martial King liked to dally with flowers and willows; he married eighteen Dao companions in total."

"..."

Su Yu was speechless.

So his Dao companion was here too?

Martial King was doomed!

Forget about Martial King—his wife was here and had reached first-class. You're finished!

You still want revenge on Martial King?

Hah!

The Human Emperor continued, "Bright King's Dao companion is also first-class."

Su Yu was stunned again. What the hell?

He looked at the Human Emperor, who coughed lightly and said, "It's normal. Back when we enfeoffed the Four Extremes Human Kings and the Thirty-Six Kings, that wasn't the entirety of the human race. Some women from that era were very strong and held up half the sky, but they weren't keen on showing their faces, so they weren't enfeoffed."

"Also, War King's Dao companion might be even stronger than War King himself..."

Su Yu was taken aback.

Wow! That... that's tough. They all must be henpecked, right?

No, wait—Martial King's wife was so powerful, yet he still married over a dozen!

The Human Emperor smiled. "So the human race is also very strong; otherwise, we couldn't have held on, couldn't have endured. Especially Martial King—he actually made contributions. Of his eighteen Dao companions, nine are still alive—half of them! Among these nine, one is first-class, one is second-class, and the remaining seven are third-class..."

Su Yu gasped. "So out of the human race's forty-two Rule Masters, his family alone has nine?"

Wow!

That was a bit terrifying!

Most families had one or two at most, but his family, not counting Martial King himself, already had nine!

"Forty-two?"

The Human Emperor was momentarily stunned, then quickly laughed. "It's not just forty-two. Now it's fifty-two. There are still several patrolling the front lines and the rear. Xingyue probably forgot to count them."

Alright.

He immediately knew that his sister had leaked the information.

But Xingyue, a homebody, hadn't run around much since arriving here. How would she know that there were many strong ones secretly patrolling the front and rear?

The Human Emperor laughed. "In total, there are fifty-two. Counting you all, that makes eighty-eight. It's still fewer than the myriad races, but not by much."

Su Yu thought for a moment and nodded. That was acceptable.

But then he suddenly felt a strong urge to gossip and said with a grin, "Martial King has nine wives. Do they ever fight?"

"..."

The Human Emperor was speechless. You... you're asking me this?

That's not appropriate!

At such a young age, how could you be so gossipy!

This question, I'm not sure how to answer you!

After a moment’s thought, the Human Emperor gave a soft cough, then suddenly produced a small booklet and tossed it to Su Yu. “Read it yourself—I’m not much interested in these things, but someone recorded some images for me, and this is a copy… just look it over yourself, don’t pass it around!”

As he spoke, he added, “Those nine Dao companions of his—don’t go provoking them… they’re… fierce!”

The Human Emperor coughed again. “Quite fierce!”

“…”

Su Yu took the booklet, momentarily speechless.

So you’re a gossip hound too?

Fine!

Indeed, every emperor loves gathering intelligence and playing the gossip, right?

As for “someone else collected it”—I don’t believe that.

They say the Martial King’s wife is top-tier—could anyone else have gathered that?

No need to say more—it was you yourself!

The key is nine… heavens, the Martial Emperor is doomed!

If he dares retaliate, Su Yu shuddered at the thought—nine of them, swarming at once, the Martial Emperor would surely be beaten to death!

At that moment, he glanced back with some sympathy toward the Martial Emperor, who happened to be looking at him too. Seeing Su Yu’s expression, the Martial Emperor was slightly taken aback—that look… wasn’t friendly!

The Human Emperor noticed as well and chuckled. “The Martial Emperor… still alive—that’s no small feat!”

He naturally knew the grudge between the Martial Emperor and the Martial King, and laughed. “As for the feud between him and the Martial King, you and I should stay out of it. The Martial King had his reasons for dealing with him back then…”

Su Yu smiled. “The matter of the Martial Emperor sleeping with his childhood sweetheart?”

The Human Emperor grinned. “You know about that too?”

“…”

Well, the two exchanged a knowing smile—everything unspoken between them!

Of course, the Human Emperor added an explanation: “It’s more than that! Mainly, the Martial Emperor is reckless and somewhat foolish—that’s the truth. But… Heaven sometimes has no eyes, blind, and opened the Heavenly Gate for him! Once he opened it, he neglected his duties, fixated day and night on his own little patch of land. That might have been tolerable, but then he suddenly took an interest in the Heavenly Gate… nearly caused it to be forced open… sealing him was partly for that reason!”

Su Yu was somewhat surprised now. “Your Majesty means that sealing him was because he nearly opened the Heavenly Gate?”

The Human Emperor nodded. “Otherwise, there was no need to seal him—just afraid he’d cause more chaos. If we wanted him dead, we’d have killed him long ago! But he didn’t do it on purpose, and we never brought it up. If we did, that fool might deliberately try to open the Heavenly Gate! All day long, he thinks too highly of himself, believing he’s invincible. Tell him opening the Heavenly Gate is dangerous, and he might just try it out of spite. His boasts are immense—he doesn’t even put the Lord of Time in his eyes…”

Su Yu thought for a moment and nodded.

Back then, when Su Yu asked about the Lord of the Dead, the Martial Emperor had been arrogant—just a fool who hadn’t fully opened his path…

With that attitude, if the Lord of the Dead had been around, he’d have been wiped out in one breath!

At this moment, Su Yu laughed—so the sealing of the Martial Emperor was the real key!

No wonder!

I thought, why didn’t the Human Emperor and the others just kill him? Why seal him? It turns out they only wanted to stop him from opening the Heavenly Gate again, not truly kill him. If it were just the Martial King affair, he’d either have been killed or let go long ago—no need to seal him.

Nearly opened the Heavenly Gate… Su Yu filed that away.

It could be very useful!

Now, Su Yu and the Human Emperor were having their first face-to-face conversation, and it was going rather well.

They seemed to share a common interest—gathering gossip.

That was good!

Meanwhile, the Human Emperor quietly observed Su Yu, a faint smile on his face.

This brat… didn’t seem so troublesome after all.

Not bad!

He’d been worried about a difficult one, but now it looked manageable—just don’t cause me any trouble!