Chapter 840: Choice

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Two continents, the atmosphere tense.

Years of confrontation, but after the Human Emperor was gravely wounded, major battles grew rare, also to avoid exposing his true condition.

The myriad races, relatively passive, though holding the advantage, rarely launched active attacks; even when they did, they were small-scale skirmishes.

Yet now, the tension between both sides was extreme.

Was something amiss in the rear human territory? That was the question on everyone’s mind.

……

Further back.

At this moment, Su Yu was chatting with Xingyue; for this battle, he might still need her help.

“Can you draw my World Force over here to cover this area?”

On this point, Su Yu himself wasn’t certain. His World Force, though stretched far, still needed to reach further behind. But with battle imminent, if he retreated too far, the myriad races might not believe it.

If he could draw it here, things would be different.

Using Xingyue as a medium was the only hope for success.

Xingyue governed the Path of Life, a path-force within the River of Time; there was still hope she could complete the transfer.

Xingyue frowned: “That far?”

She thought it difficult!

She also knew that if Su Yu’s World Force covered this area, their side would be empowered and the enemy weakened. If successful, it would be remarkable, but the effort to draw it would be immense.

After a moment, Xingyue said, “I’ll try, but I can’t guarantee success!”

Then, looking at Su Yu, she frowned: “You just arrived, and you want to start a war?”

Su Yu was truly a war maniac.

Su Yu smiled, eyes narrowing: “Isn’t this to bring you glory? We’re all your subordinates. If we come here and make no stir, won’t we be looked down upon?”

“……”

Xingyue saw right through him and wanted to curse, spitting in his face!

Big liar!

What bringing me glory,

As if I’d believe that.

Su Yu laughed, then quickly said, “Try to channel the World Force over here. I’ll attend to other matters!”

Xingyue nodded slightly.

Su Yu glanced at Tongtian not far away and beckoned. Tongtian Hou hurried over.

……

Soon, Su Yu led Tongtian Hou toward the rear.

Tongtian Hou was a bit bewildered—why call me alone?

But the first words out of Su Yu’s mouth startled him. Su Yu said gravely, “For this battle to be won, you are the key!”

“……”

Tongtian wanted to gasp—you overestimate me, Your Majesty, don’t do this!

“Whether we suffer many deaths or none at all, you are also the key!”

“……”

Tongtian Hou tensed instantly: “Your Majesty, I’m only Fifth Rank… the weakest among those who came!”

“You are the Gate!”

Su Yu said calmly, “You are a unique existence—one who can teleport and open gates even within the River of Time!”

“I didn’t have you merge into my world because I know too little about gates. Your path, I don’t understand!”

Su Yu’s voice deepened: “The River of Time restricts many abilities, including suppression of certain teleportation paths. But for you… there is no such suppression, is there?”

Tongtian thought for a moment, then nodded.

Su Yu was silent for a while, then said, “I’ll find a way to draw out some power from the Heavenly Gate. If you devour it, you might break into Fourth Rank!”

That was no small feat.

Tongtian considered it, but the idea of consuming the Heavenly Gate’s power appealed to him!

Seeing him lost in thought, Su Yu hesitated, then said, “Tongtian, the Three Gates of Heaven, Earth, and Man are all immensely powerful. You are the same. I believe you will become such an existence in the future!”

Tongtian Hou gave a dry laugh—he dared not think so.

Because Su Yu praising him now meant he was in great danger!

Tongtian Hou understood that logic.

Su Yu… might want him to do something extremely perilous.

I’m so scared!

My heart is racing!

“Your Majesty… what exactly do you want me to do?”

He asked anyway—hurry up and tell me, I’m really panicking.

Su Yu said solemnly, “There are many things I want you to do!”

Many?

“First, conceal us!”

“The myriad races aren’t fools. After being tricked so often, they’ll surely consider the possibility of the Human Emperor setting traps. Over thirty Rule Masters—if they were so easy to hide, they’d have been ambushed long ago! So I need someone to hide us… You’re perfect. Open your gate and let us hide inside… I don’t even know what’s inside your gate—it can’t be probed. The gate is too special!”

Tongtian’s face twisted in struggle, conflicted.

Hide inside my gate?

This… this was essentially like Su Yu and the others opening their Sea of Will for others to observe. For Tongtian, even this alone was hard to accept.

He fell silent.

Moreover… Tongtian said with some reluctance, “Your Majesty, with so many strong ones entering… if I try to seal off the aura, I might be burst apart myself!”

Su Yu replied, “No, I’ll first suppress everyone’s path-force. If you open the gate, it shouldn’t burst. If it’s truly dangerous… I won’t enter!”

If he didn’t enter, the greatest burden would be gone.

Tongtian was helpless, and after a long pause, said, “Alright then!”

Though hard to accept, he still relied on Su Yu to grow stronger.

Su Yu spoke nicely, saying he came to discuss, but in truth… Tongtian Hou was shrewd. If you weren’t willing to contribute, why would Su Yu keep you? No question—either Su Yu would kill you, or you’d be abandoned.

Su Yu was a very practical man.

Now, out of respect, I've come specifically to discuss it with you.

Su Yu broke into a smile. "Then I'll trouble the Marquis of Tongtian! The Marquis of Tongtian is exceptional—not only can you conceal yourself, but you can also dive to the riverbed without much hindrance! That way, even if the Marquis of Tongtian is discovered, it's no great matter—just a Rule Lord, not even a third or second rank..."

The Marquis of Tongtian nodded. Fine, since he couldn't resist, he might as well... take the initiative!

The Marquis of Tongtian forced a smile. "Your Majesty, you said this is the first step—what else must I do?"

"Second, once the great battle erupts, you will be in charge of the overall situation..."

Tongtian quickly let out a dry laugh. "Your Majesty, you jest!"

"I am not jesting!"

Su Yu said solemnly, "It is you! Because I will be joining the battle, I may not have time to manage it. Even if I did, I wouldn't be as effective as you! You, along with Tianming and Wuming, will not participate in the battle!"

The three of them would not fight!

Tongtian's heart stirred slightly. Su Yu continued gravely, "You three will oversee the overall situation, mobilize forces, and rescue those in combat! Once a crisis arises, you will swiftly teleport our people away!"

"Either we don't fight, or if we do, we fight brilliantly! Can you imprint a mark on everyone, so you can teleport them away at any time... even if the enemy self-destructs?"

Tongtian drew a sharp breath. What a daunting task!

Now he understood. Su Yu wanted to fight a brilliant battle, so he didn't want any deaths. If a crisis occurred, even if the enemy self-destructed, the Marquis of Tongtian had to teleport them away quickly, while Wuming and Tianming would observe fortune, calculate crises, and make predictions!

Su Yu continued, "Your task is heavy—not just rescuing people, but also judging the situation and summoning strong warriors at any moment to encircle and destroy the enemy! For instance, if someone hides their true strength and proves too powerful, you must observe the entire battlefield, redeploy forces, and surround them!"

"Also, after redeploying, you must ensure no local instability leads to casualties..."

The more the Marquis of Tongtian heard, the more alarmed he became. This... was too difficult!

In this way, the entire battle would be under his control. If he made a wrong judgment or operational error, it could change the whole situation, even lead to total annihilation. If he harbored any disloyalty, with the immense authority Su Yu granted him, he could easily transfer some strong warriors together, letting the myriad races' elites surround and kill Su Yu's people...

One misstep, and they could truly be wiped out!

Such battlefield decision-making power had always been in Su Yu's hands before, but now he was giving it to Tongtian.

The Marquis of Tongtian suddenly felt a pressure so immense he could barely breathe. He stammered, "Your Majesty... this... I... I feel... some... some pressure... I'm not skilled in large-scale warfare, and I don't fully understand the methods of Rule Lords. If I misjudge... I... I can't bear this responsibility!"

Over thirty Rule Lords!

No, there was also the Human Emperor's side—if Su Yu's forces were annihilated, the Human Emperor's side might also collapse. Entrusting the fate of over eighty Rule Lords to him, Tongtian... the Marquis of Tongtian was nearly breaking down, trembling.

Su Yu said solemnly, "As a Gate Clan, the three gates of Heaven, Earth, and Man sealed an era! And now, you face the destiny of merely two hundred Rule Lords. If you can't bear even this pressure, how can you hope to surpass the three gates?"

Tongtian was almost in tears. "Your Majesty, I... I lack a strategic vision! I may not be able to judge the situation, and are Tianming and Wuming reliable? If they give bad directions... then I... I can't take that responsibility either!"

In this battle, Su Yu had actually placed his hopes on him—Tongtian was truly about to collapse!

Su Yu said coldly, "I hope everyone under my command has the ability to stand on their own! I've been playing nanny for everyone for too long. Do I have to handle everything every time? Are you all just here to play a supporting role?"

Su Yu's voice deepened. "You are a Gate Clan—are you really so much inferior to the three gates?"

Tongtian inhaled sharply, again and again, and finally said after a long while, "Your Majesty... what if... the myriad races target me..."

"You can redeploy forces to protect yourself! With Tianming, Wuming, and you, if you think it's not enough, I'll assign another strong warrior to protect you—even the War Emperor!"

Su Yu said firmly, "You... are the key to this battle. So even if the War Emperor comes to protect you, it's acceptable! That way, even if a first-rank Rule Lord wants to kill you, it will take time—enough for you to muster your forces!"

The Marquis of Tongtian was truly about to cry!

How terrifying!

Don't do this!

The War Emperor, a second-rank, was to be sent to protect him—suddenly, the pressure on the Marquis of Tongtian was so great he felt like self-destructing!

The next moment, Su Yu laughed. "If that won't do, I'll come protect you myself—how about that?"

"...Forget it!"

The Marquis of Tongtian let out a dry laugh. That was out of the question—my heavens, with you watching over me, the pressure would be even greater; I'd collapse.

After a moment's thought, the Marquis of Tongtian spoke, "Your Majesty, what if... what if we can't match these opponents? What do we do?"

Su Yu smiled and said in a low voice, "Then at the critical moment... retreat!"

"Retreat?"

Flee?

Tongtian was startled—that would really screw people over; the Human Emperor would be devastated.

Su Yu laughed. "Not fleeing—retreating to the Human Emperor's side. You'll handle the teleportation, instantly sending us there to kill the other group! Of course, you'll need to judge the timing for that too!"

The Marquis of Tongtian bared his teeth. Again, it's me!

Su Yu patted his shoulder. "You can do it! Tongtian, this time, I'm placing the lives of over thirty Rule Lords—no, over eighty Rule Lords, and dozens or hundreds of Heavenly Lords and Heavenly Kings—all in your hands!"

"All entrusted to you!"

Tongtian smiled bitterly. You really think highly of me!

But at this point, he had no choice. Su Yu had made up his mind, and he couldn't argue.

...

Tongtian soon went to prepare.

His strength was not great—at least not here—and he had to plant marks on others. Only if they didn't resist could he teleport them easily; otherwise, he couldn't forcibly teleport those stronger than himself. If he could, it would be simple—Su Yu would have him scatter the myriad races' strong warriors everywhere, then pick them off one by one. Since he couldn't teleport the myriad races, he would teleport their own people instead.

After arranging Tongtian's tasks, Su Yu soon summoned Tianming and Wuming, explaining their previous assignments. After a moment of silence, Su Yu spoke, "Both of you are clever. As for the Fate Clan... I haven't asked how the Fate Emperor chose back then, but the Fate Emperor has already fallen... and I don't care about his choice!"

"This battle is of great importance!"

"As for Tongtian, though I trust he won't act recklessly, I won't place all my hopes on him alone!"

Su Yu's voice grew ethereal. "One or two mistakes don't matter much, but if there are too many... you two know what to do."

Tianming and Wuming exchanged glances and nodded in unison.

They understood!

That was Su Yu's way—even if he trusted someone, he never placed all his hopes on them not acting recklessly. And it was precisely because of this that Su Yu could win battle after battle.

...

After instructing these three, Su Yu summoned the War Emperor.

The War Emperor was still somewhat resentful and unconvinced, but he didn't dare to bristle at Su Yu.

Seeing him arrive, Su Yu laughed. "Help me with something."

"What is it?"

"Do you know Taishan?"

“……”

The Martial Emperor was speechless: “I’d recognize him even if he turned to ashes!”

“That’s good!”

Su Yu chuckled: “Impersonate him! You and I together—I’ll play the Civil King, you the Martial King. We’ll intimidate the myriad races, make them tremble for an instant, their hearts and livers split with fear, and seize the chance to slaughter them. With one impersonation, we might even kill three to five Rule Masters!”

“I won’t do it!”

The Martial Emperor was furious. Make me impersonate Mount Tai to scare others?

No way!

This was non-negotiable!

Su Yu smiled. “Then do you think you alone can intimidate the myriad races?”

The Martial Emperor opened his mouth…

Su Yu said calmly, “You don’t have that prestige. Why? Because you’re weak! As a weakling, now is not the time to be stubborn like a dead duck, nor to charge in mindlessly. You’re not stupid. Impersonating Mount Tai can yield greater results—and greater results bring greater rewards. Only then do you have hope for revenge!”

“I asked. The Martial King still has nine living Dao partners: one first-rank, one second-rank, and seven third-rank. And you? You’ve just entered the second-rank; you might not even match his second wife. Do you want to take revenge on Mount Tai? I promised to help you hold off the Civil King and the others, but I didn’t promise to hold off his wives!”

The Martial Emperor opened his mouth again. After a long pause, he struggled: “His… Dao partners are that strong?”

“Exactly that strong!”

Su Yu said calmly, “So what you need to do now is not cling to face, but find a way to improve yourself! Only if the battle goes smoothly can we hope to advance. Otherwise… if you meet the Martial King, you’ll be killed with a single punch!”

The Martial Emperor fell into deep thought.

Su Yu continued, “Also… are you willing to pay some price?”

“Price?”

The Martial Emperor looked at Su Yu. What did he mean?

Su Yu was silent for a moment, then said, “At a critical moment, if there’s trouble, summon your Heavenly Gate and let Tongtian devour it.”

“What?”

The Martial Emperor was dumbfounded. Are you joking? That would cost me dearly!

Even if I could recover, I’d be as badly wounded as those who opened the Hell Gate!

Su Yu looked at him and said after a while, “Because at that point, we might need Tongtian to turn the tide. And if it comes to it, self-destruct your second-rank Great Dao. Later, in my world, I’ll leave you a martial path.”

The Martial Emperor could barely contain himself: “The strongest in your world right now is only third-rank, not even second-rank! If you make me merge into that… then how can I ever catch up to Mount Tai?”

Let him blow up his Heavenly Gate and his Great Dao—what would he have left?

Even if Su Yu left him a path, it would at most reach third-rank, never second-rank. As of now, aside from Su Yu himself, his world didn’t support others reaching the second-rank level!

He was already inferior to the Martial King. If he fell to third-rank, he’d be even worse!

Su Yu watched him, letting him rage. When his anger subsided, he continued, “No reward without sacrifice. You still owe me four Rule Masters… If you’re unwilling, then find a way to kill four Rule Masters—no matter how weak. Once done, you can leave. If you want revenge on Mount Tai, I’ll keep my word. I’ll handle the Civil King and the Human King for you. After this battle, we can part ways. I won’t stop you anymore.”

The Martial Emperor stared at him, frowning: “You won’t stop me?”

Su Yu said calmly, “No need.”

The Martial Emperor was at a loss for what to choose. After a long while, he said, “Then… do you think you still have a chance to improve significantly?”

“I don’t know.”

“…”

The Martial Emperor was torn. “You… can’t even give me a promise?”

Su Yu said flatly, “I usually keep the promises I make. If I can’t, I don’t bother promising. Those who trust me will believe firmly. If they don’t, no amount of promises will matter.”

“But at least give me some hope!”

The Martial Emperor was furious. “Saying that, a second-rank like me has no hope at all. You want me to blow up my Great Dao and Heavenly Gate—how can I be happy about that?”

Give me a way out, don’t you understand?

Can’t you talk properly?

If you don’t give me a way out, how can I step down?

Su Yu smiled. “Then there is hope. I’ve always felt my chances are great. If we really kill dozens of Rule Masters this time, and merge their bodies and Daos, I’ll definitely have a period of advancement.”

“Not to mention others—you were already second-rank. If I reach first-rank, it won’t be hard for you to step into second-rank again.”

The Martial Emperor struggled for a while, then muttered, “I… I’ll see how the situation develops before considering it. What do you think?”

“Fine. Consider it a backup plan.”

Su Yu didn’t mind too much. A second-rank Rule Master, once a Four-Pole Human King—hesitation was normal, especially for someone like the Martial Emperor.

The Martial Emperor felt utterly dejected.

Damn it, merging into Su Yu’s world meant being under his control!

A little humiliating…

After sending the Martial Emperor away, Su Yu called for another person.

March.

Looking at March, Su Yu was silent for a moment. “January isn’t here.”

March nodded.

“Is he among the myriad races?”

Su Yu asked. March shook his head. “I don’t know. I asked Bright King earlier, and he wasn’t sure either… I don’t know the specifics. He might be there, might not.”

He didn’t know either.

January?

Was he among the myriad races?

But from what he understood, January was clearly aligned with humanity. If January were among the myriad races, wouldn’t they have long been wary of him, even expelled or killed him?

It was very strange!

Even if the Human King wanted to plant a spy, planting someone else might work, but planting January—the myriad races would never believe it!

Su Yu fell into thought.

January?

The probability of him being among the myriad races was actually low.

The Human King wasn’t an idiot. Sending January as a spy was almost like offering him up to be eaten.

He hadn’t asked about this before, and the Human King hadn’t mentioned it.

Could he really be among the myriad races?

Were the myriad races foolish enough to take such a person into their ranks?

Su Yu wasn’t sure. Now, he quickly said, “This matter might be part of the Human King’s hidden schemes. He may have more than what’s on the surface. I called you here for nothing more than this: at the critical moment, blow up the Human Ancestor’s bamboo pole.”

"Good!"

March nodded, understanding.

Though reluctant... Su Yu clearly intended to create a major victory this time, and snapping the bamboo pole was hardly surprising.

...

Su Yu kept making arrangements.

He only arranged matters on his own side; as for the Human Emperor, he didn't need to worry. The Human Emperor had unified the myriad realms for countless years, a wily old fox who seemed honest—but the truly honest had long since perished.

Thus, since he was confident enough to start a war, lure the enemy deep, and cut them down piece by piece, the Human Emperor surely had his own methods and means.

And Su Yu's only task was to ensure minimal losses on his side while achieving the greatest gains.

...

At the same time.

On the Human Continent, the atmosphere was tense, swords drawn and bows bent!

The Human Emperor seemed truly intent on war.

Yet he also held back somewhat.

It appeared he was merely issuing a deterrent, not truly seeking war, but still aiming to intimidate the myriad races.

...

Now, the myriad races could no longer sit still.

On the Myriad Races Continent.

In the void.

Several top-tier strongmen gathered, all gazing toward the Human Continent. An aged voice rang out: "What does the Human Emperor mean? By his nature, if he truly wanted war, he would have attacked directly—no need for this. Now, it feels like he's trying to scare us!"

Having dealt with the Human Emperor for so long, everyone knew his temperament.

This was somewhat out of character.

There was a hint of hesitation.

"Why not just attack... We outnumber them, what's there to fear? The Human Emperor might already be a spent force; we should have struck long ago!"

This was the voice of the Demon Emperor—not the Flamefire Demon Emperor, of course.

Flamefire... was practically the previous generation's Demon Emperor.

The others ignored him. Nonsense—if you had the ability to make everyone fearless and charge together, then you could attack!

"Why does it feel like the Human Emperor is bluffing, trying to intimidate us?"

Someone else spoke. This time, the Human Emperor indeed seemed to be putting on a show.

"Is he trying to do something and doesn't want us to interfere, so he's scaring us off?"

...

They speculated.

Another voice: "Is the Human Emperor truly gravely wounded? Where is his true body? We haven't seen it in years!"

"Hard to say. Perhaps he's luring us into a reckless attack... The Human Emperor is full of tricks. Now, the situation across the myriad realms is unclear. Soon—I can sense it—we'll return to the myriad realms. The Human Emperor might want to minimize our threat before that return..."

One by one, the strongmen debated, but they could never reach a decision to launch an attack.

Here, there were many strongmen and many races.

But precisely because of that, consensus was even harder to achieve.

For now, they could only choose to defend, stay vigilant, and be cautious—giving the humans no opening!

...

At the same time.

The myriad realms.

The upper realm.

The Human Mountain.

The Human Mountain stood as always, towering in the upper realm.

But now, it trembled slightly. The Great Zhou King's figure instantly appeared atop the Human Mountain. Seeing it tremble, his expression shifted.

What was happening?

What had occurred?

It seemed... the Human Emperor was summoning!

The Human Mountain would not tremble lightly. When it did, it meant the Human Emperor's call. The Great Zhou King knew that the Human Emperor's injuries had not healed. This... this couldn't be a desperate last stand, could it?

The Great Zhou King's face turned green.

Su Yu had probably only just arrived there, right?

And now the Human Emperor was ready to fight to the death?

At that moment, the Great Zhou King's expression shifted again and again. This was no good omen. Su Yu should know the danger, and the Human Emperor should too—if something went wrong, it would be a colossal disaster!

Yet the Human Mountain continued to tremble, as if about to step into the River of Time.

"Is it time to return?"

The Great Zhou King murmured. The Human Emperor was still summoning—calling his spirit to merge with his flesh, meaning spirit and body would unite.

But after years of recuperation, the flesh had not recovered, and the sea of will was still severely wounded. Even if they united, disaster would strike soon!

And as for himself... should he go?

At that moment, the River of Time suddenly split open!

The Human Mountain shook violently!

It was about to leave!

The Great Zhou King's face shifted, uncertain, constantly changing. Logically, he should escort the Human Mountain there—but Su Yu, before leaving, had ordered him to stay and guard the myriad realms.

Now, as the Human Mountain trembled, the river surged violently.

And in the distance, the Gate of Hell suddenly seemed to stir faintly.

Could it be that the river's turbulence was affecting the Gate of Hell?

If he left now and the Gate of Hell erupted, releasing some strongmen, what then?

At that moment, in the distance, the figure of Blue Sky appeared, silently watching, not approaching the Great Zhou King, keeping a distance, just gazing at him.

He knew something of the Human Mountain's affairs.

Su Yu had given a few instructions before leaving.

Would the Great Zhou King leave?

Blue Sky did not know.

He didn’t want to know, either.

He only knew one thing: the Great Zhou King had left, which meant defying Su Yu’s military orders. Even if Su Yu, out of respect for the Human Emperor, wouldn’t kill him, from then on, the Great Zhou King would vanish from Su Yu’s system.

Because before Su Yu departed, he had entrusted the safety of the entire myriad realms to him—not to Blue Sky.

The Great Zhou King was now the mightiest guardian of the myriad realms!

And the Great Zhou King’s face shifted with uncertainty. Something had gone wrong at the front lines—a major crisis!

The Human Emperor was summoning his physical body back!

Yes, his physical body.

The Human Emperor’s physical body lay within the Human Mountain.

Back then, after the Human Emperor was gravely wounded, his physical body drifted along the River of Time and returned to the myriad realms. It was the Great Zhou King who retrieved the body and hid it in the Human Mountain, silently waiting for it to heal.

But even now, it had not fully recovered.

The Human Emperor was too powerful!

Even draining the power of the entire Path of the Physical Body might not suffice to complete his restoration.

Now, the Human Emperor was summoning his physical body. So… should I escort the Human Emperor to the upper reaches or not?

The Great Zhou King was torn with indecision!

In the distance, the Gate of Hell indeed trembled slightly. Would powerful beings emerge the moment I leave?

Now, in the myriad realms, there were still Blue Sky and the Tea Tree; Yunxiao was also on the verge of stepping into the Rule Master realm. If one or two Rule Masters appeared, there was still hope, but if two or three emerged… Blue Sky and the Tea Tree would be unable to withstand them!

It couldn’t be that coincidental, could it?

He kept thinking.

He worried that something might happen to the Human Emperor’s physical body along the way. If some accident occurred mid-journey, the body was completely unconscious at this moment—once disaster struck, there would be no stopping it!

Now, there was no time left for him to ponder!

The entire Human Mountain seemed to be rising faintly, about to step into the River of Time!

At this moment, the Great Zhou King suddenly sighed, bowed toward the Human Mountain, and said, “Your Majesty… may you have a smooth journey. I must still… guard the myriad realms, guard the Gate of Hell… Your old servant… cannot escort you!”

His voice was bitter. Could this be a deliberate dilemma set by that fellow Su Yu?

At this moment, it truly felt like the conflict between loyalty and filial piety.

On one hand, the Human Emperor’s physical body might be in danger; on the other, the myriad realms might face catastrophe. The choice was unbearably difficult!

With a long sigh, the next moment, the Human Mountain suddenly cracked!

Right then, a gleaming golden physical body suddenly flew out from within the Human Mountain!

In that instant, the body appeared before the Great Zhou King. He sighed with emotion, let out another sigh, and then, in a single step, merged with the physical body. In the blink of an eye, his aura surged!

Above the body’s head, seven strands of Great Dao power manifested!

And above the Great Zhou King’s own head, two strands of Great Dao power appeared!

That made nine in total!

And at the moment of fusion between the body and the Great Zhou King, among these nine strands of Great Dao power, another strand suddenly emerged!

With the union of both, his aura soared, and his comprehension of the Great Dao deepened.

In an instant, one more strand of Great Dao power appeared!

Ten!

The Great Zhou King sighed again. Now, he was completely different from before.

Young, refined, gentle—yet his physical form was robust, his aura powerful, shaking the entire world!

The Great Zhou King gave a bitter smile, grabbed the Human Mountain, and let out a low shout. Strand after strand of Great Dao power sealed the Human Mountain. The next moment, he sent the Human Mountain into the River of Time, bowing once more: “Your Majesty, may you… return in triumph!”

The Human Mountain, following a pulling force, drifted against the current toward the upper reaches of the river.

The Great Zhou King watched for a long time, silent.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of emptiness… Did I do the right thing?

Your Majesty, do you know? I have been by your side for so long that I have been influenced by you. That Path of Responsibility of yours has suddenly… sunk deep into my heart. Humanity… heritage… responsibility…

The Fire-Bringer!

I am to carry the torch of human civilization, and so, Your Majesty, I cannot escort you back!

In the distance, Blue Sky saw his melancholy expression and his overwhelmingly powerful aura, grinned, and quickly vanished. But just then, as if the Human Mountain’s presence had been removed, the Gate of Hell suddenly trembled violently.

Vaguely, behind the gate, the shadow of a giant beast appeared, and not only that—some human figures also emerged!

They might be powerful beings from the Prison King’s lineage.

The Great Zhou King furrowed his brow slightly. They really might break out… This… it’s fortunate I didn’t leave. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable!

The next moment, the Great Zhou King shot forward, instantly arriving before the Gate of Hell. He did not attack but instead unleashed his aura, shaking heaven and earth, and shouted coldly: “How dare you! Withdraw at once!”

He had no intention of letting them out to fish or enforce the law. With Su Yu absent, if a great battle erupted, disaster would be too easy to invite!

Behind the gate, those shadows trembled slightly.

A powerful being!

A top-tier powerhouse!

So the myriad realms still had a top-tier powerhouse. Clearly, some intelligence was inaccurate. Behind the gate, a faint, cold laugh came: “It seems… that Su Yu… did not go against the current?”

Evidently, those inside knew something of the situation, but the intelligence they had received seemed to indicate that Su Yu would go upstream.

Yet now, a top-tier powerhouse stood guard outside the gate!

The probe had failed!

The next moment, the icy voice faded: “Withdraw!”

Soon, one shadow after another disappeared behind the gate.

Outside the gate, the Great Zhou King’s face shifted uncertainly. The seal of the Tongtian Realm was too weak; the Gate of Hell was already on the verge of opening. These beings might not even need an external guide to break out directly!

Now, he was even more unable to leave.

The Great Zhou King sighed, gazing into the distance. Su Yu’s world hovered faintly, and the power within that world radiated vaguely toward the depths of the River of Time.

A great battle… might truly be about to erupt!

Otherwise, the Human Emperor’s physical body would not have departed, and Su Yu would not have drawn the power of his world over so quickly.

The Great Zhou King gave a bitter smile. What a madman!

How long has it been since you left?

You probably just arrived there!

And the Human Emperor—why are you joining him in this madness?

If war breaks out now, can they truly deal with the myriad races?

“Sigh…”

He sighed, helpless and resigned.

Then he looked upon Su Yu's world... the Great Zhou King hovered in the void, lost in thought: Should I merge the remaining eight paths into Su Yu's world?

If merged, Su Yu would grow stronger.

But from then on, I, a ten-path powerhouse, would be utterly controlled by Su Yu!

At this moment, the Great Zhou King was also caught in a struggle!

Now, with ten paths converged, he was actually a bit stronger than the Martial Emperor.

Not only that... at this moment, he also had other paths that might yet be successfully mastered.

Over the years, he had cultivated far too many paths!

An unimaginable number!

Silence, Space, Endurance, Seal, Break Attack...

Some paths could not be broken through; others, whose masters had died, still held a chance.

At this moment, the Great Zhou King was in a celestial battle within himself.

He might soon ascend to an even higher level!

Even... sixteen paths!

If he mastered six more paths' power, he would truly be first-class, becoming one of the most supreme beings across all realms!

Now, the Great Zhou King closed his eyes and said nothing.

Every choice in life leads to a different path—even he could not make a decision lightly.