Chapter 845: Testing the Waters

In the blink of an eye, Su Yu’s side had slaughtered all those Rule Masters!

The cost was small!

Well, actually, not so small.

The Human Emperor’s flesh was even more shattered, the War Emperor fell from second rank to first, the Human Ancestor’s bamboo staff burst apart…

These things, to Su Yu, were not really that important.

What mattered was that, shortly after the battle began, he had achieved an incredible score: 0 to 29!

When the last wave, in despair, had no choice but to self-destruct, Su Yu’s side could almost be said to have reached a pause.

Of course, at this moment, the Nether Emperor was still alive!

In the distance, a group of myriad-race strongmen stared in shock, their hearts chilled—were these people from the myriad realms?

They recognized many!

That… that person impersonating King Wen, who was he?

He was not King Wen!

At this moment, everyone was certain: that was not King Wen!

Now, the Nether Emperor’s expression also changed drastically, his heart growing cold.

After years of war, they had grown accustomed to losses, accustomed to death; self-destruction had been done by both humanity and the myriad races. Back when the Human Emperor was not yet gravely wounded, the myriad races had also had strongmen self-destruct to harm the enemy to deal with him.

But ever since the Human Emperor was injured and existed only as a phantom, such large-scale self-destruction had never been seen again.

The Nether Emperor was now somewhat dazed.

The battle had actually only just begun—less than three minutes!

Such was the way of battles between the mighty.

Either they lasted for days, or the outcome was decided in an instant. Battles that dragged on for days were usually between evenly matched forces that could not decide a victor, and in the end, losses were generally minimal.

In battles between the mighty, the longer they lasted, the smaller the losses—that was the norm for great wars.

A battle that ended in a short time meant that one side had definitely collapsed!

Collapsed!

If not a collapse, then unless it was a probing skirmish, it would not end so quickly.

At this moment,

the Nether Emperor’s expression completely changed.

Trouble!

Those people were all dead; the others were momentarily stunned, and now no one dared to come here, including those myriad-race strongmen who had earlier blocked the Human Emperor’s flesh—they were now all retreating in fear!

They dared not advance, dared not join the battle!

The Nether Emperor knew that he was at his most dangerous moment; once those outer strongmen attacked, he… would surely die!

A first-rank was very strong!

A peerless expert of the myriad realms!

But here, this fake King Wen also possessed first-rank combat power, along with a War King at second-rank peak, and more than thirty other strongmen—he absolutely could not match them.

At this moment, the Nether Emperor suddenly roared: “If I die in battle, you lose a first-rank, and the myriad races will surely collapse!”

At these words, everyone understood his meaning.

Reinforcements!

Just then, the Divine Emperor, who was fighting the Human Emperor, suddenly shouted coldly: “Let the Nether Emperor withdraw! If the battle continues, the Human Emperor will surely die!”

The Nether Emperor was a first-rank; at this point, the myriad races were dazed, but the Divine Emperor and a few others knew that this strongman could not be killed.

After speaking, the Divine Emperor roared: “Kill! We have not yet fallen behind! The Human Emperor’s flesh has collapsed, his Sea of Will is in turmoil. Kill the Human Emperor, and no matter how many die, it will be worth it!”

Boom!

As he spoke, a great seal appeared in his hand, seemingly the seal of the Divine Clan!

With one strike of the seal, it suppressed all directions; waves of sacred power erupted, shaking heaven and earth. The Divine Emperor bellowed, “Immortal Emperor, stop playing dead! Do you really want us to collapse?”

At these words, in the distance, the Immortal Emperor, who had just been severely wounded, shifted his gaze for a moment, then suddenly let out a low roar. In the void, a great tree like the Tree of Life instantly pierced through the river of time!

All the myriad-race strongmen who had just been injured suddenly felt a surge of powerful life force pour into their bodies, their wounds rapidly healing!

The Immortal Emperor’s long hair flew, his face pale; in an instant, he healed everyone’s injuries. He coughed once, a mouthful of golden blood spurting out, but he ignored it and shouted lowly: “Kill! As long as you do not die, I will surely save you!”

This immediately restored some morale to the wavering myriad-race strongmen. They all roared and, in the blink of an eye, pushed humanity back step by step!

Even though Su Yu had killed so many strongmen and five had betrayed them, the myriad-race strongmen still far outnumbered humanity.

In an instant, a thunderous roar shook heaven and earth.

One human strongman was surrounded and killed on the spot by six Rule Masters!

The Divine Emperor’s angry shout rose again: “Kill! Fight to the death! Otherwise, once he kills the Nether Emperor, he will not spare us. Our losses are so great that even if we retreat, we will collapse at the next stop!”

At this point, several myriad-race strongmen no longer held any hope—hope for peace.

Clearly, humanity would not wait until they returned to the myriad realms to decide the battle.

This scheme was obviously meant to end the fight early and return to the myriad realms ahead of time.

With a furious roar, the Divine Emperor suddenly erupted with an intensely powerful sacred light. In that moment, the sacred light covered all the myriad races; everyone’s spirits were suddenly lifted, and their fear vanished!

Sacred blessing!

With the Divine Emperor’s sacred blessing and the Immortal Emperor’s healing of injuries, the two supreme experts, to prevent the myriad races from collapsing, were paying a great price to ensure this battle did not quickly fall apart.

Once they collapsed, even with numbers, it would be useless.

Only by continuing to fight!

Either Su Yu’s side would release the Nether Emperor, or they would fight to the bitter end—even if it meant one for one, they could still weaken humanity’s strength!

…

Behind the lines.

Su Yu frowned slightly.

It was always like this!

When the myriad races were strong, they were easier to deal with, but once they fell into a disadvantage, they became a bunch of madmen. At such times, they actually united!

It was always like this!

Never an exception!

That the myriad races had not been destroyed and had fought humanity for countless ages was not without reason. These creatures, when strong, turned on each other; when weak, they united—just like humanity.

This also made it extremely difficult to wipe out the myriad races!

And at this moment, the Human Emperor shouted coldly: “Kill! Su Yu, kill the Nether Emperor! I want to see how long they can fight!”

“Sacred and fearless? Then let us fight!”

The God Emperor let out a mighty roar, the power of the Dao spilling forth, bolstering all the mighty ones. With a thunderous crash, another human stronghold was slain on the spot!

Under the sacred blessing, with their wounds healed, the myriad races fought with unparalleled ferocity!

And the Human Emperor, too, bellowed in fury: "Do you truly think I am nothing?"

These two great powers, even while locked in battle with him, could still lend aid to others—clearly, they were taking advantage of his ravaged flesh and wounded Sea of Will, knowing he could not stop them!

The Human Emperor's phantom trembled, and he roared in anger. In that instant, the flesh of the Human Emperor, which had just fallen into the River of Time, suddenly pierced through the void and appeared before him.

The Human Emperor's phantom plunged into it in the blink of an eye!

It turned out he had not been unable to summon it to his side instantly; rather, he had been coordinating with Su Yu's plan all along.

But the moment his flesh merged with his true self, Su Yu's expression shifted. Not only him—the God Emperor also roared: "Do you truly seek death?"

Boom!

In that instant, all sensed something amiss. The Human Emperor's flesh and Sea of Will, which had been sharing the burden of his injuries to barely sustain him, now, upon merging, worsened—some injuries even doubled.

His flesh began to collapse rapidly!

His Sea of Will withered swiftly.

Yet, at the moment of union, the Human Emperor's aura surged beyond measure. In a flash, he erupted with blinding radiance, gripping the Human Emperor's Seal. With one strike, he suppressed heaven and earth. A thunderous crash—the God Emperor, about to counter, was smashed, his flesh split apart!

The God Emperor fled swiftly, and the Immortal Emperor hastily retreated. The Demon Emperor, still entangled, was struck on the head by the Human Emperor's Seal, his skull bursting open!

At this moment, the Human Emperor was boundless in power, unmatched in valor!

But his flesh was rapidly collapsing.

The Demon Emperor roared, regrowing his head, and fled in panic—madness!

The Human Emperor had suddenly gone berserk!

Had he lost all regard for his life?

The Human Emperor snorted coldly, glanced at his own flesh, and sneered, "Fools seeking death—do you truly think I can do nothing to you?"

With that, his flesh burst into flames!

"I said, if I die, you will tremble in fear!"

Boom!

In an instant, he tore through the void, appearing before a Rule Master. With a strike of his seal, he crushed the Rule Master into a pulp. His figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he stood before another mighty one, slapping him into pieces!

He was burning his flesh!

Just making use of waste!

His flesh was nearly ruined—nurtured for years, the Dao wound never healed, and now, after enduring the force of a self-destruction, it had become useless.

At this point, the Human Emperor cared not whether he could recover.

First, he would make the myriad races fear him!

Behind him, Su Yu's expression shifted.

The next moment, he roared: "Come, surround and kill him!"

He did not go to aid the Human Emperor. With so many mighty ones, it was better to surround and kill the Nether Emperor first. Killing a First-Class was no easy task—even Su Yu, now a First-Class himself, found it difficult to slay the Nether Emperor.

Every First-Class was exceedingly hard to kill!

Look at the Human Emperor—he did not pursue the three gravely wounded great powers. Why? Because they were truly hard to kill.

Rather than chase them, it was better to kill some Rule Masters first!

At this moment, in the distance, the three fleeing great powers wore grim expressions. The Immortal Emperor roared: "Retreat! He has only one battle left in him. Once his flesh collapses, we fight again!"

There was no need to clash head-on with the Human Emperor now.

As for the Nether Emperor... there was no help for him.

Deep within, surrounded by many mighty ones, his chances of escape were slim.

A vast number of myriad-race strongholds retreated, while the Human Emperor bellowed: "Pursue them!"

While his flesh still burned, he would kill as many as he could!

Once his flesh was utterly destroyed and the three great powers counterattacked, he would be helpless.

At this moment, the Human Emperor had cast aside all fear of death.

Why? Because Su Yu—damn, that man was truly cunning, truly powerful, truly ruthless!

A fierce one!

If this battle could cripple the myriad races, even if he himself died, Su Yu could carry on.

He had wanted to test Su Yu, but found... damn, this guy could really fight!

His decisiveness was terrifyingly strong.

The Human Emperor even thought: If I truly die in battle, before my death, I must merge heaven and earth into Su Yu's world. This guy is absolutely certain to become a First-Class. With the boost of heaven and earth, as long as he guards this path, the myriad races will never return to the myriad realms. As Su Yu's world expands, the myriad races will have no choice but to enter his world.

Thus, sooner or later, the myriad races will be wiped out!

With all these calculations, the Human Emperor suddenly realized that even if he died, this guy could hold the line!

A formidable figure!

The Human Emperor, now utterly mad, burned his flesh as he fought.

He swiftly slew powerful enemies!

Meanwhile, Su Yu's face turned cold. He roared: "All of you, abandon your power! Merge your power into the world and suppress him!"

Tongtian and the others, hearing this, exchanged glances. Without hesitation, they poured all their power into the Dao. Chains of Dao, countless in number, were manifested by Su Yu, swiftly pressing down upon the Nether Emperor!

The Nether Emperor tried to flee, but found over thirty Dao powers encircling him from all directions.

Despair crept into his eyes. He roared: "If you kill me, your world will be shattered too! You..."

"Silence!"

Su Yu paid him no heed. Countless Dao powers descended. The Nether Emperor howled, his yin-death energy erupting violently, corroding all things, corroding all Daos. His Nether Realm expanded rapidly, trying to burst this world apart!

But though he snapped several Daos, the power of the Daos only grew stronger. Despair filled his eyes. Am I going to die?

No... I don't want to die!

In that moment, the Nether Emperor seemed to recall something. His expression shifted, and he suddenly shrieked: "I'll take you down with me!"

His aura swelled to its peak!

As if about to self-destruct!

On the periphery, Su Yu frowned slightly. Self-destruction... that would be troublesome.

But he was prepared.

Let it come, then.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened. The Nether King glanced around, then suddenly charged at War King. War King’s face turned purple. “No!”

“I’m leaving!”

“Damn it, don’t do this—I’ll be blown to bits!”

“Why am I so unlucky!”

He fled swiftly. A first-rank self-detonation—even if he was a second-rank peak, that bastard would kill him!

War King fled deeper, fleeing into the depths of the heavens. Running wasn’t shameful; not running would get him killed!

He ran like the wind!

And the Nether King, a flicker of struggle in his eyes.

Drinking poison to quench thirst!

Or rather, to survive, he had to… do this, to have any hope of escape.

So many strong men, the heavens suppressing him—there was only one path for him to escape!

Yes, he still had one way out.

At his level, even without opening his own heaven, he understood something of the heavens.

He saw War King flee, then looked around. Those rule masters were all merging their great path power with the suppressing force. At this moment, all that might converged on Su Yu alone…

The next moment, the Nether King made his decision!

I… don’t want to die!

As for drinking poison to quench thirst… I can’t care anymore!

No choice!

Perhaps this was walking into death, but it was better than dying right now!

“Let’s die together!”

The great path collapsed. A roar shook heaven and earth. Su Yu’s face changed—he really did self-detonate! These myriad-race powerhouses were all ruthless bastards, worthy of having fought alongside the Human King for years.

Yet in the next instant, he suddenly sensed something wrong!

He saw the Nether King sever his great path power, but not completely—about ninety percent, still faintly connected to the path. And in that moment, an incredibly powerful force of nether death suddenly surged into Su Yu’s heaven!

That formidable power didn’t destroy; instead, it merged into Su Yu’s heaven in the blink of an eye—actively merging!

Too strong!

The influx of such immense power made Su Yu momentarily unable to bear it—a first-rank existence!

He had to quickly suppress that power, forcibly absorb it!

But the power was too great. The heaven trembled, expanding violently!

Su Yu had no time to attend to anything else. As he suppressed that mighty force, the Nether King’s eyes lit up. In an instant, with a hum, he tore through the void. Su Yu couldn’t stop him at all, watching helplessly as that madman fled his heaven at breakneck speed.

Not only that—once out of the heaven, the bastard roared: “Immortal King!”

In the distance, the Immortal King’s face shifted slightly. Suddenly, a surge of powerful life force poured into the Nether King.

Borrowing that life force, the Nether King expanded his Nether Realm. In a flash, the Nether Realm spread before the Human King and the others. With a hum, his true body appeared among the fleeing myriad-race powerhouses!

The Human King instinctively punched, shattering the Nether Realm, but the Nether King flickered, guided by the Immortal King’s great path, and instantly reached the Immortal King’s side!

He escaped!

…

The Human King couldn’t help turning back to look at Su Yu. “Damn it, how did you let him escape?”

And Su Yu was stunned too!

At this moment, his heaven kept expanding, his strength rapidly growing. He opened his mouth, speechless for a long time.

How did I let him escape?

It wasn’t that I let him go—it was that bastard… holy shit, he actively merged over ninety percent of his great path power into my heaven, stuffing me so full I couldn’t handle it! My heaven was stuffed!

That left me utterly unable to stop him!

Holy shit!

Su Yu was dumbfounded. What a lesson—this was like nursing me into a stupor!

That move was incredible!

If the Nether King had self-detonated or struck with a death blow, Su Yu wouldn’t have feared. Fight to the death—even if his heaven was damaged, he’d definitely kill the Nether King!

But… but the bastard knew he’d die that way, so he nursed me instead!

“Nether King…”

Su Yu murmured, full of admiration.

You’re betraying your own myriad races just to survive!

He must have known—that merging his great path power into Su Yu’s heaven would make Su Yu stronger soon. But compared to dying now, let Su Yu grow strong—at least he still had a chance.

Once dead, all chances were gone.

At this point, Su Yu truly respected these old-timers. They had far more wisdom and cunning than the myriad races of the myriad realms. In that situation, if it had been Su Yu himself, it would have been a dead end.

Because he’d never considered merging his own great path into someone else’s heaven, helping an enemy grow stronger, nursing the enemy into a stupor, and escaping alive!

For most people, it was a certain death trap!

But… the Nether King escaped!

Severing ninety percent of his great path was a severe injury, but no matter how severe, it was better than death!

Under the siege of over thirty rule masters, he escaped alive. That feat, even a million years later, would leave a heavy mark!

“Nether King, what a talent!”

At that moment, Su Yu sighed in admiration. What a damn talent!

And now, his heaven kept expanding, his strength growing. In the heaven, a great path power instantly strengthened—the Nether King cultivated the path of nether death, similar to the path of death.

How strong was ninety percent of a first-rank powerhouse’s great path?

Just look at that path power—it instantly surpassed all other great path powers in Su Yu’s heaven. In a flash, that path felt to Su Yu like it could even support a second-rank powerhouse!

This might be the first second-rank great path in his heaven!

Su Yu had no second-rank great path; he had drawn from the source of all paths to reach second-rank peak here. But now, Su Yu felt that after digesting this power, he could definitely exert first-rank combat strength within this heaven!

Outside the heaven, he could also exert mid-to-peak second-rank combat strength.

At this moment, Wan Tiansheng and the others also sensed it, all dumbfounded. What a talent!

A true talent!

They were all stunned. This works?

Aiding the enemy!

A first-rank powerhouse, just to survive, came up with this trick—damn, that was no easy feat!

Meanwhile, the Tongtian Marquis and the Chaos Dragon and the others had not actually merged into Su Yu's world and still retained their combat power, but they too had been stunned just now, frozen for a moment, which allowed the Nether Emperor to escape.

Who wouldn't be stunned?

And the fleeing War King, far off, also froze for a moment, then began cursing wildly!

Damn it!

He was bluffing me!

He had been scared off by the Nether Emperor; otherwise, with a peak second-tier powerhouse like him present, the Nether Emperor would never have escaped. But just now, the Nether Emperor's attitude of self-destruction, his willingness to drag him down to death, had startled him—how could he not flee?

At this moment, he was filled with regret!

He had been careless!

No wonder the Nether Emperor had been chasing him all along before fleeing—just to force him to run.

Su Yu was still digesting that immense power, watching the Nether Emperor escape. On his side, everyone was receiving the gift of the world's power. To be honest, with the Nether Emperor's stunt, it was hard for them to even give chase.

Everyone was a bit overwhelmed!

Su Yu had to shout: "Don't pursue a cornered foe!"

Stop chasing!

If they kept it up, something might go wrong. Meanwhile, the Human Emperor's physical body was now nearly burned away. He let out a roar, smashed another Rule Master with his seal, and quickly commanded: "Retreat, retreat into Su Yu's world!"

He swiftly ordered everyone to withdraw!

Don't chase anymore!

If they did, they might be counter-killed.

Once his physical body completely collapsed, without his deterrence, the myriad races might strike back.

Soon, the group retreated, one after another.

In the blink of an eye, they had withdrawn into the bounds of Su Yu's world, all of them as if in a dream. The great battle... was over?

Just like that, in an instant, it was over?

It hadn't even lasted five minutes!

Yet the number of fallen powerhouses might have exceeded the total number of Rule Masters who had died over so many years.

In this battle, Su Yu's side had killed 29 Rule Masters.

On the myriad races' side, they had killed one defector among themselves, making it 30.

The Human Emperor had gone mad for a while, killing a full five Rule Masters, and during the pursuit, others had killed two more. In one battle, they had slain a total of 37 Rule Masters from the myriad races.

And there were four more powerhouses who had defected from the myriad races earlier, now standing in the distance, unmoving.

That made 41 in total!

Of the 125 Rule Masters of the myriad races, only 84 had escaped.

However, in the fierce fighting, Su Yu's side had suffered no losses. On the Human Emperor's side, because they were outnumbered, four Rule Masters had been killed. The myriad races were no pushovers; under the empowerment of the Immortal Emperor and the Divine Emperor, those kills had almost all happened then.

On the Human Emperor's side, 48 Rule Masters survived, a loss not too severe.

A 4-to-41 kill ratio, and with the four defectors from the myriad races, it could be said there was no net loss.

Of course, the dead were dead.

But with the battle raging, no one could dwell on that.

As for those below the Rule Master level, both sides had suffered considerable losses, with the human side taking heavier casualties. Of the more than 80 powerhouses below Rule Master, over 20 had died in this sudden and fierce battle.

Now, only about 60 ancient marquises remained.

On the opposing side, there had been nearly a hundred ancient marquises, a few more than the humans. Their losses were slightly fewer, with just over a dozen dead. Below the Rule Master level, the gap wasn't large, and no one had specifically targeted the weak, so their losses were even smaller.

The enemy still had nearly 90 powerhouses below Rule Master.

In one battle, many strong warriors on both sides had fallen.

But at the Rule Master level, the enemy had lost ten times more than the humans!

Yet, just as the Human Emperor and his forces retreated, the humans, who had been jubilant moments before, suddenly stopped smiling. With a thunderous crash, the Human Emperor's physical body completely collapsed. His mighty flesh instantly merged into Su Yu's world.

The Human Emperor's phantom appeared again, somewhat dissipating, but barely holding together, not yet fully gone.

The Human Emperor was carefree, not too concerned, but a bit speechless and frustrated: "Damn it, I want to curse. My body is gone, and I only managed to gravely wound the Divine Emperor and the others, kill a few Rule Masters—and it turns out... you killed more than I did?"

He was in a bad mood!

As for his body collapsing, so what? He was still alive, wasn't he?

No big deal!

He just felt a little annoyed. A formidable figure like him, and he hadn't killed as many as they had?

That stung!

Of course, he didn't bother to consider how many powerhouses he had held back—the Divine Emperor and the others were all stronger than the Nether Emperor.

He didn't care!

Because he was the Human Emperor!

Dealing with these mighty beings was his duty.

But his nonchalance couldn't change the atmosphere.

At this moment, the powerhouses on Su Yu's side all retreated behind Su Yu. The warriors under the Human Emperor showed grief on their faces. Losing a few Rule Masters in a great battle—well, they were dead, and that was that!

In war, there was no avoiding death.

They were used to it!

But the Human Emperor's physical body had completely collapsed, and even his Sea of Will was violently trembling, with the constant risk of death—that was what truly saddened everyone.

If their leader died, their spiritual faith would crumble. They couldn't imagine what would come next.

Su Yu's expression also turned grave.

The Human Emperor's injuries were indeed too severe!

Only now did he realize that if the Human Emperor hadn't been so immensely powerful, he would have long since dissipated between heaven and earth. He had maintained this state for years, unwilling to die.

Because he couldn't die!

If he died, the human race would have collapsed long ago.

Soon, Su Yu relaxed his brow and said with a chuckle: "The Human Emperor was still quite fierce. Though a bit less than my side, you faced more powerhouses, so it's a draw!"

The Human Emperor laughed heartily: "That's one way to put it... Am I too proud to admit defeat?"

Then he laughed again: "Yes, I am too proud! So let's call it a draw!"

"..."

Su Yu smiled. At this moment, he looked around at the fierce warriors under the Human Emperor—truly valiant!

They had fought at nearly a one-to-two ratio, yet these men had killed without mercy!

Compared to Su Yu's side, these veterans were no less ferocious—if anything, they were more so!

Su Yu preferred to be absolutely certain before engaging in battle.

But they never had that chance. Every battle was a fight to the death, and those who survived were fierce and fearless!

At this moment, they too suppressed their grief, unwilling to mention the Human Emperor, and turned their gazes toward Su Yu.

The Human Emperor laughed heartily. "Ah, I forgot to introduce you all! Su Yu, the tenth generation Human Sovereign, in his twenties, a World Opener! Now he's about... first rank, I'd say! He pacified the chaos of the myriad realms, executed the traitors of humanity, drove the myriad races' strong into the Gates of Hell, seized the Upper Realm, the Myriad Realms, and the Dead Spirit Domain, unified all realms, and now he's come with his people to rescue us—haha, how embarrassing, we need a junior to save us!"

He laughed heartily, showing no sign of sorrow.

He listed Su Yu's achievements, then laughed again. "You all probably know him. Xingyue was resurrected by him—a formidable figure! This time, it was his idea: while he's here, the myriad races don't know, so let's trick them!"

"Heh, I have to say, the kid's got skills. I thought I'd send thirty strong men his way, see how many he could kill, whether he could manage a one-to-one ratio... But damn, this kid, brilliant, bloodless, took them all out in one go! Underworld Emperor, that fool, just to save his own skin, even helped him expand the heavens and earth..."

"Hahaha!"

The Human Emperor roared with laughter. "Impressive! Disguised as Old Wen, I almost didn't recognize him. With that move, you're a sly... ahem, a cunning and resourceful fellow! I figured you might really kill thirty Rule Masters, and if you didn't lose twenty of your own, that'd be lucky... But you came out unscathed, even improved yourself in the process—I'm in awe!"

"Though you're still a bit weaker than me—I fought three emperors alone—but being too fierce as a commander isn't useful either. I was fierce, and look at me now, heh... my physical body is ruined!"

The Human Emperor kept laughing heartily.

Su Yu looked at him and suddenly said, "No need to gild the lily for me! Your old brothers know the truth in their hearts. If you think that by dying, these few words will make them submit to me... you're thinking too simply! So the best way is to live! Live—and there's hope!"

The Human Emperor wanted to pave the way for him.

But Su Yu didn't need it!

Su Yu said calmly, "I don't need you to pave the way for me, nor do I want to take over these people under your command. They've followed you too long, too many years; they may not mesh well with me. Instead of having them follow me, it's better for you to lead them yourself. It's just your physical body that's shattered. You are the Human Emperor, the sovereign of humanity—you won't be defeated by such a trivial matter!"

Trivial?

The Human Emperor felt bitter inside. It's not trivial, what do you know!

If it were trivial, why would I be like this?

If I could recover, I wouldn't even bother with you, you little brat!

Pave the way for you?

What are you thinking!

Su Yu stared at him, frowning. "It's nothing serious. Dying is easy; living is hard. Since you've opened your own heaven and earth, why not merge into it and become its spirit? What's so hard about that? You know about beings like Doubao and Chuibing—you're not ignorant. If I were you, as long as I could live, I wouldn't care about having a physical body or not. You, the Human Emperor, need a twenty-two-year-old like me to admonish you?"

"... "

The Human Emperor was stunned. He looked at Su Yu and suddenly laughed. "You... when you scold people, you really have something of Old Wen's manner..."

Su Yu said flatly, "He's not as good as me. Don't put me on the same level as King Wen. At least I don't betray people—my brothers who follow me know that. I betray enemies, not my own. Of course, I can understand him saving his sister... but before he left, he didn't settle the troubles first... In that regard, he's inferior to me."

Such arrogance!

The Human Emperor laughed. "With that tone... if Old Wen heard you, he'd probably be unconvinced!"

Su Yu smiled too. "So what? I've met him before. I once entered the Heavenly Gate and encountered King Wen and King Wu. I told him to his face that he betrayed people—what could he do? I speak the truth. If he can't even accept that truth, then he's even less worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as me. I inherited his brush path, am half his disciple, and half a disciple of Time Master... My relationship with him and Time Master is complicated. I admire him, and I don't admire him—is there a problem with that?"

He admired his strength and his carefree spirit, but he didn't admire the mess he left behind back then!

If you knew that the myriad races might rebel after you left, you should have resolved some problems before leaving, not just walk away, leaving humanity and the Human Emperor in the lurch.

As for King Wu... King Wu was a fool, and you knew that. Before you left, you should have told him not to run around. You probably didn't say anything, which is why King Wu went looking for you—that's also your fault!

So Su Yu had mixed feelings about King Wen: admiration on one hand, dissatisfaction on the other.

The Human Emperor laughed now, and the people around him—some looked at Su Yu with obvious discontent. King Wen was also one of their idols!

Su Yu belittling King Wen didn't sit well with them.

And Su Yu knew they were unhappy—that was normal. People have their favorites. He wasn't close to these people; King Wen was their second brother who fought alongside them across the heavens. But... I'm not going to indulge you!

Before they could speak, Su Yu quickly said, "Alright, enough about King Wen and the others! Talking more is useless. We still need to rescue them; we can't count on them to save us!"

Su Yu said calmly, "This battle counts as a small victory. We didn't kill a single first-rank, and the myriad races' strength is damaged. But now they still have eighty-four Rule Masters. And with so many Rule Masters dead this time, some Heavenly Lords might break through—maybe quite a few. Soon, the enemy might have ninety Rule Masters!"

"And us... on the Human Emperor's side, only forty-eight remain!"

Su Yu shook his head. "I have even fewer—counting Xingyue, only thirty-seven!"

"... "

The Human Emperor looked at him and said after a long pause, "Xingyue... is my sister!"

She's my person!

Su Yu smiled. "So what? Xingyue's Life and Death Great Dao is mine! Wasn't she resurrected thanks to me? Is the Human Emperor trying to steal her from me?"

Together, both sides had eighty-five strong warriors. Of course, there were also four from the myriad races standing awkwardly to the side.

Counting them all, there were still eighty-nine Rule Masters. This time, humanity lost four strong warriors. Who knew if any of the survivors could break through?

Even if they did, maybe just one or two.

So the numbers would roughly balance with the enemy.

In terms of quality... the Human Emperor was now half-crippled, maybe even fully crippled. Strictly speaking, they might not be as strong as the enemy.

But at least the gap in combat power was no longer enormous!

The enemy's first-rank strong warriors were all severely wounded, especially Underworld Emperor—recovering wouldn't be easy. Divine Emperor and the other two were also badly hurt!

As Su Yu and the Human Emperor were talking, suddenly one of the Human Emperor's men stepped forward. He had a fierce aura, holding a cleaver, and glared at Martial Emperor, saying coldly, "Martial Emperor?"

Martial Emperor's face turned ugly!

He... seemed to recognize who that was.

At that moment, nine female warriors, all strong, stepped forward together!

Martial Emperor's face grew even more unsightly. He had fallen to third rank!

Not to mention the first-rank strong warrior—even the second-rank one was beyond him. Were these the family members of Mount Tai?

He gritted his teeth, his expression dark.

But Su Yu said indifferently, "Enough! Let men settle men's affairs! If King Wu can't even resolve this matter and needs his family to do it for him, then King Wu is a waste—though he's always been a waste!"

"Bastard!"

Town-Suppressing King roared. Su Yu's eyes turned cold. "How dare you! King Wu has dragged down too many people, and you all know it. If you dare act recklessly in front of me again, I will kill you without mercy! Even if the Human Emperor is here, I will kill you!"

Su Yu was majestic and imposing. For a moment, Town-Suppressing King was intimidated. His face darkened, he muttered something, snorted, and stepped back.

Su Yu snorted coldly. "Everyone, calm down. The Human Emperor is severely wounded. If you want him to live, if you want yourselves to live, then all of you calm down! The grudges between Martial Emperor and King Wu—let them settle it themselves. Everyone else, stay out of it! Otherwise, don't blame me, Su Yu, for not respecting you elders!"

Su Yu's aura was fierce, intimidating all around. He stood proudly above the long river and said flatly, "I respect the Human Emperor, I respect all of you. But I am the overlord of this heaven and earth. If anyone thinks they can stand on equal footing with me, go kill thirty Rule Masters first, then come talk to me about it!"

One sentence silenced everyone.

They remembered—this young man might be young, but he was a true ruthless character!

Among the crowd, Martial Emperor bared his teeth. Damn... it felt... a bit embarrassing.

But also... a little satisfying!

Really satisfying!

Just now, he thought those crazy women were going to attack him. He never expected Su Yu, that madman, to directly rebuke a first-rank strong warrior, forcing him to back down.

Right in front of the Human Emperor, Su Yu was so domineering. In the past, he would have found it unpleasant, but today... it felt refreshing!

Across from him, the Human Sovereign smiled. "Alright, the Pacifying Martial King is a straightforward man, very direct! As for Mount Tai's matter, let Mount Tai and the Martial Sovereign settle it themselves. Who knows if he'll even return? No need to make a fuss over this! That Martial Sovereign—I've wanted to kill him myself. But forget it, this time he's earned quite a merit, and he's turned over a new leaf. Good thing!"

The Martial Sovereign looked sheepish. What did I do to provoke you? Why do you want to kill me?

I didn't even offend you!

Honestly!

Su Yu dropped the subject, soon breaking into a smile and flicking his robe. "Just a joke. I wouldn't mind giving the Martial Sovereign a beating either, hahaha. I don't like him much either. But let's wait—at least until I help him recover his strength. This time, he broke through the Heavenly Gate and severed the Great Dao. I may not boast much, but I value loyalty above all!"

His smile was radiant, and the Human Sovereign chuckled as well. The matter was thus put to rest.

Both sides turned to gaze at the distant Myriad Races Continent. At that moment, qi mechanisms crisscrossed with extreme caution. Suddenly, Su Yu burst into loud laughter. "Rebels of the Myriad Races, surrender at once! Your foundations in the Myriad Realms have already been uprooted by me. I've left you a few remnants—don't force me to annihilate your entire Myriad Races' roots!"

Su Yu was now overwhelmingly domineering, and he shouted again, "Thanks to the Nether Sovereign! If you come to pledge allegiance, I will surely spare your life! Thanks for helping me ascend to the pinnacle of the First-Class Realm!"

As these words fell, silence reigned on the opposite side for a moment. Then, a powerful being's voice rang out, tinged with coldness and anger: "Who are you?"

"Su Yu!"

Su Yu smiled. "Remember this name. In the Myriad Realms, when Tiangu and the others hear my name, they tremble in fear! When the Divine Empress hears my name, she will tell you: provoke anyone but me. In the final war to pacify the Myriad Realms, they helped me slay mighty foes and crush rebels, then fled through the Gates of Hell rather than stand against me. I think they must be worried about you—because I, Su Yu... have come here!"

"They... went to the Gates of Hell?"

The voice carried a tremor.

Su Yu laughed heartily. "Indeed! They went to scout the Gates of Hell for me! If you think you can stand against me, then try. This battle is but a small test of my blade. Within three months, I will surely quell the scourge of the Myriad Races!"

"Arrogant!"

A furious shout came. Even among the human side, some found it odd—this kid... sure could boast!

But when they looked at the people behind Su Yu, each one was utterly calm, as if to say: not three months—soon, you will be pacified!

At that moment, the expressions of these people were striking.

Especially among the crowd, some strong warriors saw familiar faces. Snow King saw his daughter, Reverent King saw his descendants. Everyone's heart trembled slightly.

These people... seemed to have absolute faith!

As if they believed in the Human Sovereign, they believed without a shred of doubt!

In the crowd, Tianmie chuckled darkly. "Three months? Pacified in one month!"

Each one more arrogant than the last!

And at this moment, the Human Sovereign smiled but said nothing. Yet he transmitted to Su Yu: "I'm about to fail!"

Su Yu's heart tightened, but his face remained unchanged as he transmitted back: "Hold on even if you can't! Losing strength doesn't matter—if you die, that's the real trouble. As long as you live, your people won't fall into chaos. With me here, at least I can deter the Myriad Races from making a rash move!"

Then he added, "The Human Sovereign went to his death, fighting to the end and killing five Rule Masters, then collapsed... If you kick the bucket now, I'll inscribe a heavy mark upon you in the annals of eternity! The noble Human Sovereign, in a death-defying battle, killed fewer than a fraction of my own tally!"

"..."

The Human Sovereign stared at him, laughed, and then stiffened. "Are you serious?"

"I don't joke!"

The Human Sovereign thought for a moment, then nodded.

Damn!

This bastard loves recording things. If he says he'll engrave it for eternity, it might be true.

Then... that would be too humiliating!

At that moment, the Human Sovereign sighed and transmitted: "I love fame, not fortune—don't ruin me!"

I'm a man who only cares for a good reputation, and you're really tarnishing it!

The noble Human Sovereign, in a death-defying battle, killed five trashy Rule Masters... If that gets out, everyone will think my fame is just hot air. That won't do! I gravely wounded three supreme powerhouses and blocked the self-destruction of ten Rule Masters—why don't you mention that?

Su Yu smiled, as if understanding his meaning. He shrugged. I won't say it—I don't count achievements without kills!

For a moment, the two exchanged glances. Under the somewhat surprised eyes of the crowd, they suddenly chuckled together, laughing so heartily that everyone was baffled. What are those two chatting about now, so happily?