Chapter 855: Living in Memories

Half a day later.

In the upper realm.

Within Su Yu’s heaven and earth.

King Yue strode with a dragon’s gait and a tiger’s step, his head held high, his expression cold, already clad in armor. Seeing Su Yu, he cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, “Yue Chuan pays respects, thanking the Yu Emperor for saving me!”

He bowed, performed a ritual salute, then raised his head, still defiant: “May I ask the Yu Emperor, when shall we go to the upper reaches to wage war?”

“…”

Su Yu looked at him and smiled. “King Yue, won’t you rest for a while?”

King Yue’s tone was icy: “With all races unsettled, how can there be rest? In days past, the Human Emperor struck the myriad races beyond time. For years, I, Yue, did not fight. Now that I am revived, I must once again battle the mighty foes and display our divine might!”

Su Yu smiled, watching him. King Yue’s face remained unchanged, but he felt a slight unease. He looked at Su Yu, somewhat reminiscent of King Wen, yet compared to his familiarity with King Wen, this man was a stranger to him.

From Firecloud Marquis’s account, Su Yu was domineering, petty, ruthless, and venomous—though he had many virtues as well. But undoubtedly, this young man in white robes with white hair, appearing gentle and kind, was in truth one of the rarest ruthless figures across the myriad realms.

According to Firecloud Marquis, Su Yu’s bloodlust was extreme, even surpassing King Yue’s own. The key point was that a scholar’s killings were insidious, leaving no glorious feats behind, yet he had slain his way from the myriad heavens to the upper reaches of the River of Time. It was said that in recent days, he had killed dozens of Rule Masters from the myriad races!

Such a ruthless man—King Yue had never heard of his like!

Indeed, never!

King Wen was ruthless, but King Wen had not killed much. In the days when he subdued the myriad races, King Wen had slain Rule Masters—not just one or two, but many. Yet compared to Su Yu, who killed dozens at once… that was unheard of!

If he killed like that, the myriad races would have rebelled long ago, not waited until later!

During the Human Emperor’s unification of the heavens, the total number of Rule Masters he killed might not have matched Su Yu’s count. Su Yu had not only killed before, but also during the Baizhan incident, where he slew another batch, and the ancient beasts emerging from the Gate of Hell were also killed in droves.

All told, the Rule Masters Su Yu had slain exceeded forty!

In the campaigns across the heavens back then, King Yue did not recall how many he had killed, but even combined, the total Rule Masters who died would not surpass forty.

Facing such a ruthless man, despite his youth, King Yue dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

Su Yu, however, looked at King Yue and smiled.

Toward King Yue… Su Yu held considerable admiration.

He had fought in life, and after death, he still remembered his mission, swallowing the Dao into his belly for the sake of a single strike. Such a man deserved respect.

“King Yue, once you leave this heaven and earth, do you still possess first-rank power?”

King Yue said solemnly, “No, but I can barely reach the peak of second-rank!”

Su Yu sighed softly and said gently, “You are like this, and the Book Spirit is the same—once outside this heaven and earth, neither can maintain first-rank… It was within my expectations, but still, somewhat disappointing!”

Then he quickly smiled again: “Within this heaven and earth, you barely reach first-rank, correct?”

“Yes!”

King Yue nodded. Su Yu smiled and nodded as well: “That’s not bad!”

It showed that King Wen was indeed quite terrifying; his heaven and earth could sustain first-rank powerhouses.

At this moment, Su Yu himself could not yet do the same.

Su Yu fell into contemplation. King Yue frowned slightly. “Does the Yu Emperor have other plans? Then I shall go ahead first…”

“What’s the hurry!”

Su Yu scolded: “Calm down!”

He frowned: “If you are a warrior, then obey orders! If not a warrior, then wait until I finish speaking! Impatient and rash—a few warriors like King Wu and Emperor Wu are enough. If everyone becomes a King Wu or Emperor Wu, how can I have the energy to manage them all?”

“…”

King Yue was momentarily speechless. I… I didn’t say much.

Indeed, just as Firecloud said, this Su Yu was overbearing beyond measure, tolerating no grain of sand, giving face to no one, because within the heavens, he had the greatest face of all.

What an arrogant man!

King Yue was also a defiant one, but the more defiant he was, the more he could not forget Su Yu’s life-saving grace. Now, though inwardly frustrated, he could only remain silent, waiting for Su Yu to continue.

He was very anxious, but since Su Yu was not, he had no choice but to wait!

Su Yu said unhurriedly, in a light voice: “You are second-rank, the Book Spirit is second-rank, Great Zhou King is second-rank… Book Spirit, can you channel the power of King Wen’s heaven and earth?”

The Book Spirit shook his head, then nodded: “I cannot, but my master can! Is the master not in some contact with Your Majesty through the Heavenly Gate? If needed, we could use the master and the Heavenly Gate, with Your Majesty as the critical point, to transmit the power of heaven and earth!”

Su Yu nodded, but quickly shook his head: “Better not. The situation with King Wen is unclear. If he frequently uses the power of heaven and earth, it will be easy for others to discover problems and find my existence… For now, I still do not wish to attract the attention of those so-called supreme beings!”

Even if the other side sent a first-rank avatar, Su Yu was not afraid, but for no reason, it was best not to provoke such existences now. If such beings appeared, Su Yu would have to abandon some communication with King Wen, and King Wen would have no way to borrow the power of heaven and earth.

This could be used in an emergency.

All were second-rank!

Su Yu sighed. The number of Rule Masters among the myriad races might be fewer than that of humanity, but they had far more first-rank powerhouses.

Among the myriad races, there were seven first-rank beings!

On Su Yu’s side, there were only four: King Ming, Queen Ming, King Zhenwu, and Su Yu himself—three fewer.

With three fewer, changes could easily occur, even if he had more people overall.

If the Book Spirit and King Yue could both unleash first-rank combat power, and if the Human Emperor could also recover… then the numbers would be balanced. Once the first-rank forces were equal, Su Yu would dare to launch a great war. Otherwise, losses were certain!

If the losses were severe, that was not the result Su Yu wanted.

Su Yu tapped the table, lost in thought.

Gui!

Yes, at this moment, he once again set his sights on Gui.

He was a first-rank!

The key was, he was hard to control!

If Gui would obey, and then call friends to bring some strong ones, kill a batch, intimidate a batch, and take them into his service, that would be perfect.

Or, if Gui did not come, it would be fine—send some cannon fodder over for me to kill, and then I could fill my heaven and earth?

Once I myself grew strong, why would I care how many first-rank the other side had?

Thought after thought flickered continuously.

Of course, the Book Spirit and King Yue could also be used as first-rank in critical moments.

“Your Majesty?”

Just as Su Yu was deep in thought, Great Zhou King called out softly: “Your Majesty, King Yue has something to say.”

He saw King Yue speak but Su Yu ignored him, knowing Su Yu was lost in thought, so he quickly interrupted to prevent King Yue from feeling uncomfortable and harboring resentment.

Su Yu looked up at King Yue. King Yue said solemnly: “Yu Emperor, is it because our combat power cannot match the enemy’s? That is why you hesitate to advance… I… though I can only maintain second-rank combat power, I can hold back one first-rank. If the enemy dares to fight to the death, I will swallow the Dao again and kill him. I have experience—at worst, I trade my life for his!”

“…”

Su Yu frowned, suddenly enraged: “Shut up! I integrated you into King Wen’s heaven and earth, spent a great price to revive you, just so you could trade life for life?”

Su Yu was somewhat furious: “Every single one of you—can’t anyone be less troublesome? If trading life for life were the way, I would have won long ago! Not just me—if King Wen and the Human Emperor had been willing in earlier years, they too would have defeated the myriad races! But after defeating the myriad races, who would deal with the beings within the Three Gates? A few reckless men are enough; too many become annoying, don’t you know that?”

King Yue was momentarily at a loss for words, choked into silence.

Su Yu let out a cold snort, his voice laced with irritation. "We need to set a limit for the future. The number of reckless brutes cannot exceed a certain threshold. Any extras will be packed off to the Human Emperor's World to be brainwashed... cough, cough, I mean, enlightened!"

"..."

The crowd fell silent, staring at him in sheer disbelief at such shamelessness.

King Yue, having been shut down multiple times already, felt a wave of gloom wash over him. "Then... what sort of opportunity are we actually waiting for?"

He was anxious, genuinely burning with anxiety!

On one hand, he desperately wanted to join the fray; on the other, he yearned to see his old friends.

Su Yu replied indifferently, "What is the rush? No need to hurry! Besides, if I do not go, they will not even be able to start fighting over there!"

It was as simple as that!

Without his presence, the Human Emperor would not dare to act recklessly.

And the myriad races would not dare to make a precipitous move either.

Therefore, this war could only be reignited when Su Yu finally arrived.

Rushing over now would only doom them to a fate of sitting around and shooting the breeze.

Su Yu rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment before speaking. "The best possible outcome would be for the Human Emperor's side to sever their paths and fuse into his world. During this period, the myriad races would stay their hands, waiting until the Human Emperor returns before commencing hostilities... Of course, that is the most ideal state, but the myriad races are not fools... they will not necessarily just stand by and watch!"

"The second most ideal outcome is for the Human Emperor to fuse with his world, rapidly ascend to the first class, and then return to join the battle. That way, he would possess first-class combat strength and could also intimidate the myriad races!"

"The third scenario would be summoning Gui to descend!"

"However, Gui might not necessarily be obedient!"

"Furthermore, does King Zhan stand a chance of entering the first class?"

As for Su Yu’s own side, there was no hope for the moment. For those who had fused into his path, they would have to wait until he elevated himself before others could even be considered. Otherwise, reaching the first class would be excruciatingly difficult, unless some extraordinary stroke of fortune could shatter those limitations!

He needed to win, yet he also needed to minimize losses... what a nuisance!

By now, the Great Zhou King had also grasped the source of Su Yu’s vexation. After a moment of deliberation, he spoke up, "Your Majesty, how about I give it a try?"

"You?"

Su Yu looked at him with skepticism. "Can you break through to the first class? If you were to break through in all your paths within the River of Time, there might indeed be a sliver of hope... but those paths are either occupied by others, or your control over them is simply insufficient. I am afraid it will be difficult!"

The Great Zhou King nodded and quickly countered, "Your Majesty, what I meant was that His Majesty the Human Emperor could lead his people back... preferably bringing along those weaker Rulers of Rules, especially those powerful experts who share the same paths as I do! Once they return, fuse into his world, and sever their paths, they will vacate those paths, giving me a chance to enter the first class! If I can step into the first class, sacrificing a few fourth-class and third-class Rulers of Rules is actually quite acceptable!"

Su Yu instantly caught his drift!

The Great Zhou King still commanded fifteen or sixteen different paths. This fellow was truly terrifying; on Su Yu's side, he had only severed his ten strongest paths, leaving the rest intact.

Because certain paths were already occupied by others, he had found himself unable to break through.

Even if he severed those paths to enter Su Yu's world, he still would not be able to reach the first class.

It was far better to keep them as they were for now!

Now, he wanted the Human Emperor to bring those Rulers of Rules back first to sever their paths. That way, he would have a chance to make a temporary breakthrough, vaulting into the first class and shattering the shackles of Su Yu’s world!

This particular strategy was something no one else could pull off!

There was no helping it; other people possessed far too few paths. No one else was so idle as to master the power of so many diverse paths for no apparent reason!

The Great Zhou King had lived for an eternity. Coupling that with his position as the commander of the Human Emperor's secret guards, he possessed the capability, talent, resources, and cultivation techniques required to achieve his current status of wielding dozens of paths.

Su Yu fell into a deep silence for a moment before asking, "You hold power over both my path and the path of the River of Time simultaneously. Is there no rejection?"

"There is some!"

The Great Zhou King replied, "But the River of Time actually does not exert a massive repulsive force. If it were the Necropolis Realm, doing this would be out of the question. However, the River of Time is not particularly sensitive to these matters... or rather, the River of Time is simply too powerful to care that we grasp the paths of both sides at once!"

Su Yu nodded in agreement. This was indeed the case; the River of Time was truly a peculiar existence.

This did present a viable alternative!

Nevertheless, he stole a sideways glance at the Great Zhou King, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips. "You certainly have a beautiful imagination, wishing for the Human Emperor to quickly drag those Rulers who share your paths away to sever their connections, while refusing to fuse these paths into my world all this time... Have you been waiting for this exact moment all along?"

The Great Zhou King looked immensely embarrassed. "Nothing of the sort."

Su Yu gave a cold snort, but soon smiled amiably again. "However... there is logic in that! True, these fellows who occupy the paths are slow to improve anyway. It would be better to just sever their paths and have them fuse into the Human Emperor’s world instead! Indeed, I should think of a way to see if I can get some people to yield their paths, so King Daxxia and the others can attempt a breakthrough..."

Take the Path of the Saber, for instance; it was currently occupied by the Saber King. Should he just give it up?

He could allow King Daxxia to reconnect with the path of the River of Time to see if there was any hope of a breakthrough.

Despite his calculations, Su Yu still felt a budding headache.

It was still not enough!

How irritating!

If the Great Zhou King, the Book Spirit, and King Yue could temporarily become first-class powerhouses, it would not be entirely impossible for them to face off against the Dragon Emperor, the Phoenix Emperor, and the Spirit Emperor.

As for the Underworld Emperor, King Zhan could be dispatched to handle him; that fellow was wounded, and recovery would not come easily.

As for himself, along with King Ming and a few others, they might even gain a slight upper hand against the Three Emperors.

One thought after another surfaced in his mind.

In the early stages, they could focus primarily on defense. Once the Human Emperor broke through and returned, they could then devise a plan to deal with the myriad races!

This was a workable solution!

But they had to move swiftly!

If they delayed any longer, Su Yu feared that everyone drifting downstream would truly arrive at the Cosmos of Myriad Realms soon, causing the Three Gates to open prematurely!

As for Gui’s side, they could afford to wait a little longer.

The efficiency over there was simply too sluggish!

Those old friends of his had still not arrived. These ancient relics truly dragged their feet when it came to getting things done!

By now, the Cosmos of Myriad Realms held no fortunes left to speak of.

Even if there were any, they were of the sort Su Yu had yet to discover. If he wanted to raise his strength rapidly in a short amount of time, it was a hopeless endeavor!

With this thought, Su Yu spoke up, "Great Zhou King, King Yue, Book Spirit, follow me to the front lines. Tongtian will come along as well! Yunxiao, Huoyun, Blue Sky, and the Tea Tree will continue to stay behind and guard our territory!"

Four powerful experts left to guard... well, in truth, there was also the Monitor of Heaven, though Su Yu had simply omitted his name.

Five guardians in total!

With this setup, their strength should be sufficient. Emerging from that rift in the Gate of Hell remained a difficult feat, and at present, it likely did not support the passage of second-class experts. Among the five guardians, the Monitor of Heaven also possessed second-class strength, which should be more than enough!

Adding Yunxiao and Huoyun made it even safer.

Yunxiao and Marquis Huoyun felt a bit uneasy. Yunxiao spoke with a hint of reluctance, "I want to go too!"

She looked at Su Yu, silently asking if he could just take her along.

She was far more reliable than Tianmie!

Su Yu chuckled and said, "Senior Yunxiao, holding down the fort in the Cosmos of Myriad Realms is where the true, heavy responsibility lies. Victory at the front lines is guaranteed, so there is no need to fret over that. The critical piece remains our backyard headquarters... Moreover, I must entrust you with an extremely vital task!"

"What is it?"

Su Yu said in a solemn tone, "When the Human Emperor returns, you must help me keep an eye on him. Do not allow him to encroach upon the territory of my world. This is of paramount importance! The Tea Tree does not understand these matters, Huoyun is an old subordinate of the Imperial Court, and Blue Sky has other missions to attend to... Therefore, you are the only one I can trust to watch him!"

Yunxiao gasped in shock. "Would the Human Emperor actually try to seize your territory?"

Su Yu nodded. "It's possible. So when that time comes, Senior Yunxiao must step in to stop it! That's the real issue—we can't afford to lose our home base."

Yunxiao hesitated. "But I... can't stop the Human Emperor!"

Su Yu chuckled. "No worries. You're a woman—just throw a tantrum, threaten to hang yourself, whatever it takes. Even the Human Emperor can't handle that."

"..."

Beside them, the Great Zhou King felt like crying. You're always up to no good!

Su Yu didn't mind, grinning. "Then it's settled. On the Myriad Realms side, there's probably no opportunity for me to advance for now. As for the rest, I'll figure it out when I get there."

The flow of time on Gui's side might differ from the Myriad Realms.

Su Yu noticed that Gui was painfully slow. As for finding King Wen, that was relatively fast—back and forth took only a moment. According to Gui, he was working nonstop, but Su Yu had actually waited quite a while in the Myriad Realms.

So, calling his friends over here might take some time. At least until Gui brought his teammates, Su Yu could make his move. Otherwise, just Gui alone wasn't enough for Su Yu.

Earlier, only Su Yu and Tongtian had returned. Now, Su Yu brought three more: the Great Zhou King, the Yue King, and the Book Spirit.

Su Yu stood up. "Since the Yue King is in a hurry, let's go. And the three of you... you're all on my side!"

Su Yu looked at the Yue King. "I resurrected you, so you owe me a life. Pay it back first. Same for the Great Zhou King! That makes thirty-nine of us on the front lines—no, with Xingyue, forty!"

Su Yu beamed. "Looks like my numbers are almost catching up to the Human Emperor's!"

The Human Emperor had lost a few in battle, leaving forty-eight. Four from the myriad races had joined him, making fifty-two. Maybe in the days Su Yu was away, one or two Heavenly Lords had broken through after someone died in battle, but at most one or two.

Su Yu realized that the Human Emperor's count of Rule Masters was nearly matched by his own!

And he had left five strong ones behind!

In the blink of an eye, he had almost caught up to the Human Emperor's accumulation of hundreds of thousands of years.

Su Yu's mood instantly lifted!

The Great Zhou King thought Su Yu was being childish. Sometimes Su Yu didn't care about big matters but enjoyed small victories like this. Did one more or one less really matter?

He was speechless, while the Yue King said solemnly, "I owe you a life, and I'll repay it. But don't dream of making me do anything against the Human Emperor and his people!"

"..."

Su Yu glanced at him, chuckled, and ignored him.

The Great Zhou King also smiled and transmitted, "Yue King, don't take it seriously. The Yu Emperor likes to joke. He has a close relationship with the Human Emperor."

Really?

The Yue King said nothing more, but looked at the Great Zhou King and suddenly asked, "You used to be the Human Emperor's scribe. How did you betray him?"

"..."

What kind of talk is that?

The Great Zhou King was at a loss for words. I didn't betray him! That's not right!

The Yue King didn't know how to speak. If you can't talk, say less. I had no choice but to merge with Su Yu's Dao. I'm still a loyal subordinate of the Human Emperor. Yes, I didn't betray him!

Su Yu overheard and grinned, squinting. "Great Zhou King, if the Human Emperor turns against me when we meet, whose side will you fight on?"

"..."

Fight your ancestors!

The Great Zhou King stayed silent. Don't pick a fight!

Su Yu chuckled again. "Great Zhou King, let me ask you something..."

"Speak, Your Majesty!"

The Great Zhou King quickly changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the previous one.

"Do the Human Emperor and King Wen have a master?"

Uh...

The Great Zhou King was speechless. "Yes."

"Are they alive? Why haven't I heard of them? Are they powerful?"

Su Yu was puzzled. The Great Zhou King thought for a moment, then said, "Is Bai Feng alive? Is he powerful? Many haven't heard of him!"

What a pointless question!

Geniuses are geniuses—peerless talents always surpass their masters. Think about yourself. Why ask?

Su Yu was taken aback. That made sense.

But if you're going to talk, why throw a jab at me?

Su Yu glanced at him. Getting a bit cocky!

Su Yu smiled and looked at him. The Great Zhou King said nothing. Look all you want. Can you kill me?

I'm used to being given a hard time.

...

After chatting for a while, Su Yu and his group set off.

Meanwhile, from the Heavenly Gate, Gui's voice came again: "Su Yu, my friends have all arrived. I need to entertain them. Try not to fight in the next few days..."

Su Yu was secretly delighted. Good news!

I've been waiting impatiently!

Excellent.

"Go ahead, take your time!"

Gui was speechless. The more casual Su Yu was, the more worried he became.

Too generous! He didn't seem to care how many friends Gui called.

Fortunately, his clone was in the Myriad Realms. He was a bit worried Su Yu might set a trap... but the Myriad Realms were vast. He didn't believe Su Yu could arrange everyone, especially with a great enemy still around!

These past few days, he had met many people, run around everywhere, and asked around!

Su Yu couldn't handle him.

Especially now that his friends had arrived—some of them were first-rate!

With countless thoughts in his mind, Gui soon probed, "Su Yu, I heard you're planning to take people to find Xingyu and the others. Is that true?"

Su Yu laughed. "Not sure. Why do you ask?"

Gui didn't press further. In his mind, he thought: Maybe because Su Yu is going to see the Human Emperor, he's not afraid of me descending. But my imprint isn't in the upper reaches of the River of Time. Su Yu doesn't think I'll descend from there, does he?

That would be a mistake!

I will descend upon the region where the brand is!

Even if Su Yu is upstream, I will descend upon the Ten Thousand Realms.

As for his thoughts, Su Yu neither knows nor cares—brand?

What brand?

Everything is within my world; I can move it wherever I please!

If Gui wants to descend, he can only do so before Su Yu.

And Gui wasted no time; he soon departed to find his friends and discuss matters. This was a great affair, a great opportunity. In these few days, he felt he was truly on the verge of descending!

Moreover, his understanding of the Ten Thousand Realms had deepened greatly!

Knowing himself and his enemy, with formidable strength, and Su Yu so careless, he believed that once he descended, he could swiftly suppress the Ten Thousand Realms, completing his own transformation before the Human Emperor and the others returned.

The path of the flesh… the human race’s path of the flesh was excellent—he would find a way to claim it for himself!

He too was a master of the flesh path, and having heard that no one now controlled the human race’s flesh path, he thought: let me try—perhaps soon I can become a top-tier powerhouse!

…

As for Gui, Su Yu adopted a laissez-faire attitude.

Do as you please, think what you will. Lan Tian was also having fun lately, and who knew—maybe there was some twisted fate between him and Gui.

At this moment, Su Yu once again went upstream against the current, with Tongtian Hou handling the teleportation; Su Yu moved with great speed!

…

In less than half a day, Su Yu returned again!

Not far away, the Human Emperor, who had been in seclusion, suddenly opened his eyes. As for the so-called seclusion… he had actually stopped long ago, merely waiting. He hadn’t expected Su Yu to return so quickly—barely a day had passed.

It was much the same!

In the eyes of the Human Emperor and the others, the great battle had only happened yesterday, just past, and now Su Yu was already back.

Over there, King Ming and the others, who had been chatting idly, were all stunned at the sight of Su Yu’s return.

What the hell?

Was that King Yue?

Well, they recognized King Yue, but the key was that Su Yu had gone back for just a moment, and yet it felt like he had grown even stronger. Moreover, the few newcomers he brought seemed immensely powerful!

King Zhan was especially bewildered. What the hell?

Was his second-rank peak no longer worth anything?

King Yue seemed about on his level, and Book Spirit and Great Zhou King didn’t feel far off either.

In just a moment, where had Su Yu found such experts?

And hadn’t King Yue died?

The Human Emperor, however, narrowed his eyes slightly. He understood how King Yue had been resurrected—had he been stuffed into Wen Lao’er’s world?

The Human Emperor could no longer sit still. He stood abruptly and walked toward Su Yu.

The others followed suit. The Human Emperor wasted no words; first, he looked at King Yue and sighed with emotion: “In the past, I asked you to stay, thinking you would surely die… but now you have turned misfortune into fortune. I saw you hold the rear and swallow the Dao, and I could only watch… I have nothing else to say. Follow Su Yu’s orders from now on. He is more cunning than I am—another Wen Lao’er. Following him will make it easier to stay alive… You have died once; do not die a second time following me!”

King Yue opened his mouth to speak, but the Human Emperor smiled and said, “Say no more. Everyone has seen your bravery! I heard you swallowed the Dao and guarded the breach for a hundred thousand years… Ah, I have failed you. Following me, I feel only shame!”

King Yue said solemnly, “I did not fight for you, but… we were comrades. In war, someone must hold the rear… It was my duty!”

The Human Emperor said nothing more. He knew King Yue’s situation.

Besides, he did not want to argue with Su Yu, who was petty about such matters.

He said no more, then looked at Book Spirit, his gaze somewhat strange, but he only glanced past and did not comment. Finally, he looked at Great Zhou King, who lowered his head in shame.

He… had failed the task the Human Emperor had given him.

The Human Emperor looked at Great Zhou King for a long time before sighing, “I have inquired about your affairs and listened. Though you achieved no great feats, you kept the human race alive for a hundred thousand years. The human race did not perish, and in the end, you waited for Su Yu. You succeeded. You have worked hard, guarding my physical body all these years, giving much…”

Great Zhou King lowered his head and said shamefully, “I am unworthy of Your Majesty! The lineage of the Flame Passers was ultimately destroyed by me!”

He sighed again, “If not for the rise of Emperor Yu, I… would have no face to see Your Majesty!”

Nearby, Su Yu stood with his arms crossed, watching with a smile.

The Human Emperor said nothing more, only patted Great Zhou King on the shoulder. For a moment, his feelings were complicated. How had this commander of his shadow guards performed?

It was hard to say.

If one called him successful, he had failed to unseal himself in a hundred thousand years and bring reinforcements as the Human Emperor had instructed.

If one called him a failure, in the end, he had kept the human race alive for a hundred thousand years, waiting for Su Yu. The Flame Passers passed the flame—the flame of civilization, the flame of humanity. Great Zhou King had actually fulfilled his mission perfectly.

How many hundred thousand years does a life have?

A hundred thousand years of perseverance… Whatever the Human Emperor said now would be inappropriate.

And Great Zhou King, at that moment, felt an indescribable complexity. He had countless words to say but didn’t know where to begin. After an unknown length of time, Great Zhou King suddenly said, “Your Majesty, in these hundred thousand years, I have failed… but in these hundred thousand years, I have also succeeded!”

He smiled, “I did not bring reinforcements to Your Majesty, but in these hundred thousand years, I accomplished one thing…”

At this, he glanced sideways at Su Yu, somewhat guiltily, and said cautiously, “I taught a disciple’s disciple—or perhaps a disciple’s great-grandson—who has some ability!”

The Human Emperor was momentarily startled, looking from him to Su Yu.

And Su Yu’s face was utterly calm.

Extremely calm!

Did it count?

It did.

He knew—he had suspected it for a long time.

Not far away, Wan Tiansheng walked over, looked at Great Zhou King, his eyes flickering. After a long pause, he said, “You admit it?”

Great Zhou King looked a little sheepish and embarrassed. He tried to force a smile but couldn’t.

Su Yu stood with his arms crossed, just staring at Great Zhou King. Great Zhou King was extremely awkward. He coughed lightly and said, “Back then… back then I wanted to use this crisis to see if a strong figure could emerge… and in the end… in the end… it succeeded…”

Su Yu said calmly, “You succeeded! But you ruined my Teacher Liu’s entire life! My targeting of you was partly for this reason. You know it in your heart, and you feel guilty! You didn’t dare admit it! Today, seeing the Human Emperor, you think you have backing, so you dare to admit it?”

Great Zhou King was silent for a moment, then said, “At the time, I thought… Liu Wenyan might be the hope… but I never expected…”

Su Yu said flatly, “Why didn’t you dare admit it later?”

Great Zhou King said bitterly, “Later… things went wrong. I… I had no face to admit it. I was always watching the side of the Forbidden Heaven, watching the lineage of Prison King, but then Fenghai slipped through…”

“Slipped through?”

Su Yu said coldly, “Maybe not. The Liu family was nearly wiped out. Perhaps you thought my Teacher Liu might rise from the crisis? But he couldn’t—he was crushed. Were you disappointed?”

Great Zhou King remained silent.

At this moment, those who understood began to grasp the situation; those who didn’t were utterly confused.

Soon, the others gathered around.

While some had no right to comment, one spoke in a low tone, "So, the King of Great Zhou is that cheap senior uncle of mine?"

Xia Longwu’s saber aura surged across the space as he muttered deeply, "Was there really a need for this?"

The King of Great Zhou fell silent.

Wan Tiansheng sneered, "Of course there was a need. In his eyes, what are we? We are nothing at all. As long as a powerhouse could rise, does the process matter? It doesn't! All he wants is the result!"

Wan Tiansheng added coldly, "One Ye Batian initiated this chaotic era of over fifty years! Had it not been for Ye Batian, the human race would have been far too peaceful, the myriad realms wouldn't have targeted us, and everyone would just be waiting for the upper realm to open... But with Ye Batian’s appearance, the human race’s situation became much harder! A chaotic era breeds heroes, right?"

His gaze was freezing and sharp, "It's fine if you don't admit it, I would have just treated it as you being long dead! But since you have admitted it, then there are certain consequences you ought to bear!"

The King of Great Zhou said nothing.

Wan Tiansheng took a deep breath, "How you treat me... that doesn't matter! How you treat others doesn't really matter either. You cultivated the Polytheistic Soul Martial faction in the manner of raising venomous bugs... that too is fine. But tell me, did Fenhai truly lose control on his own, or did you intentionally guide him?"

The King of Great Zhou said solemnly, "I did not guide Fenhai... At that time, the Prison King’s lineage was infiltrating... I had no need to guide a human Eternal to mutiny. Because the Firespreading lineage had lost almost all its members, I was truly stretched too thin, and I lacked a degree of control over the internal affairs of the human race... which led to some unexpected changes with Fenhai..."

"Hmph!"

Wan Tiansheng let out a cold snort, "Illogical! You must know that Ye Batian was attacked by Fenhai first. Since you are Ye Batian, you knew Fenhai had defected. Only after that did the extermination of the Liu family happen. Don't tell me that throughout this process, you didn't know Fenhai had defected!"

The King of Great Zhou sighed, "I knew, but at that time, I wanted to leave Fenhai for you to resolve..."

"Hmph!"

Wan Tiansheng snorted coldly once more, and after a long silence, suddenly sneered, "You refused to admit it all this time, yet today you suddenly confess. You know perfectly well that even if His Majesty and I had guessed this matter, we wouldn't have pursued it as long as it remained buried in your heart. Why must you insist on admitting it?"

"If you don't admit it, then Ye Batian lives on in our memories as a powerful genius who died at the hands of a traitor... He would have no blemishes. Today, you just have to break this tacit understanding. What exactly is it that you want to do?"

He looked at the King of Great Zhou and said coldly, "Do you want to prove that over these hundred thousand years, you succeeded? You successfully brought His Majesty into the Polytheistic Soul Martial faction, and under the pressure of the myriad realms, a powerhouse finally arose? Is this your grand achievement?"

At this moment, the others faintly understood as well!

On Su Yu’s side, everyone understood perfectly!

As for the Human Emperor’s side, they had also faintly heard some things about Ye Batian previously, and now, their eyes shifted with strange expressions as they all understood!

Ye Batian, who had started the Polytheistic Soul Martial faction and had been hunted by the myriad realms, was the chief culprit behind the human race's decades of turmoil!

Of course, perhaps he was also a contributor!

Had Ye Batian not initiated this chaotic era, the day the upper realm opened would have been the day the Human Emperor and the others returned, and perhaps Su Yu would have had nothing to do with it.

From everyone else's perspective, the King of Great Zhou had succeeded!

But from the perspective of those involved, the King of Great Zhou... was detestable!

Clearly, over fifty years ago, the King of Great Zhou must have grown anxious, and so he chose another, more radical method to ignite a chaotic era for the human race.

Regardless of the process, the result was that Su Yu rose to prominence during this period.

Otherwise, with peace across the realms, the Su Yu of this era would never have appeared, and people like Wan Tiansheng would not have risen in this age either; that a chaotic era breeds heroes was no empty phrase!

The King of Great Zhou fell silent again, and only after a moment did he speak, "I am not trying to prove that I was right or that I succeeded. In truth... I just want to give an account to His Majesty the Human Emperor, and also to His Majesty the Yuhuang!"

He had impersonated Ye Batian... or rather, he had deliberately fabricated a person like Ye Batian. It wasn't actually wrong; everything had developed toward the situation he anticipated. From Su Yu’s perspective, his greatest mistake was causing the extermination of Liu Wenyan’s family.

However, if viewed from the perspective of others, sacrificing one family to bring about the rise of Su Yu was a success!

Otherwise, far more people would have died across the realms, and far more of the human race would have perished!

At this moment, everyone else remained silent; this was not a matter they could easily interfere with.

Meanwhile, the Human Emperor took a light breath and spoke, "This matter was my arrangement..."

He had to shoulder this burden!

"I will give you, and your teacher, an account..."

Su Yu said indifferently, "No need!"

The Human Emperor frowned slightly, "Su Yu, I know..."

Su Yu raised his hand, cutting him off, and looked at the King of Great Zhou. After a long while, he said, "Today, here with the Human Emperor, you suddenly say these things. Your purpose isn't just this. Speak plainly, what is it you want to do?"

The King of Great Zhou fell silent once more for a moment, and after a long time, he bent his knee and knelt halfway toward the Human Emperor, "Your Majesty, the task you entrusted to me back then... I have completed it! His Majesty the Yuhuang has led reinforcements here! For a hundred thousand years... I think... I can take this opportunity... to leave the Firespreading lineage, and leave... the Human Emperor’s Palace!"

The Human Emperor’s expression turned complex as he said softly, "You..."

The King of Great Zhou bowed his head, "Your Majesty, I think, perhaps... the Yuhuang’s Palace is more suitable for the current me!"

The Human Emperor sighed, "You... in this matter, I have made things difficult for you..."

He looked toward Su Yu and said softly, "Just count this matter against me. Once the war is over, I will naturally give you all an account!"

"No need!"

Su Yu looked at the King of Great Zhou and said indifferently, "Forget it, I can’t be bothered to pursue it! As for this matter, wait until you see my Teacher Liu, then go tell him yourself! Ye Batian... heh!"

Su Yu curled his lip, "Do you really think Teacher Liu hasn't guessed anything at all? When your identity was exposed as the leader of the Firespreading lineage, the commander of the Human Emperor's secret guards, the one who secretly nurtured the King of Great Qin and the others... in truth, do you really think Teacher Liu didn't understand? Couldn't figure it out? It's just that he didn't really want to acknowledge you! Teacher Liu has a knot in his heart, and that knot lies in the fact that his teacher actually didn't die! If you were dead, he wouldn't have this knot anymore!"

The King of Great Zhou was momentarily speechless!

Revealing his identity and speaking of all this to Su Yu and the others here today was actually a way of telling the Human Emperor that he had completed his mission, and that he wanted to break away from the Human Emperor's system to join Su Yu’s system. Was this a form of repayment?

Su Yu didn't know, nor did he care to know.

He didn't really want to get involved in this matter; some things only became worse the more one interfered.

This was a matter between the King of Great Zhou and Liu Wenyan.

As for Wan Tiansheng, he also let out a cold sneer, "Forget it, the bond of senior and junior brothers between you and me ended long ago! If you were dead, I would call you senior brother. Since you are alive... you are nothing but a piece of trash, I can’t be bothered to deal with you!"

The King of Great Zhou felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

He knew that in truth, once his identity was exposed, clever people like Su Yu had already guessed a few things, but nobody had broken the silence. Now that he had pierced the veil himself today, his own feelings were highly complex as well!

He had completed his task, the task the Human Emperor had entrusted to him; he had finished it with absolute smoothness, even exceeding expectations.

And yet... he still owed a debt of guilt to some people after all.

Su Yu pressed down some of the emotions in his heart, and soon spoke in a deep voice, "Alright, I'll pretend I didn't hear any of this! Just let Grandmaster Ye Batian live on in my heart. The rest... has nothing to do with me, and I don't have a grandmaster like you, the King of Great Zhou... don't go claiming random relatives!"

"..."

The King of Great Zhou smiled bitterly, nodded, and said nothing more.

I didn't have that intention either; I merely confessed a few things. Everyone pretending to be ignorant while knowing the truth was actually quite agonizing.

Su Yu constantly targeting him was not without reasons related to this.

Behind Su Yu, the expressions of the others grew peculiar as well, and very quickly, no one brought this matter up again. Even Tianmie and Tongtian did not mention it; it was a matter better left unsaid.

Strictly speaking, it was an internal conflict within the Polytheistic Soul Martial faction.

Some people had actually harbored suspicions before, but none had brought it up.

After all, with an existence like the King of Great Zhou around, for a top genius like Ye Batian—someone with the potential to inherit the mantle of the King of Wen—to be assassinated by a mere traitor like Fenhai, there was a major logical flaw.

It was fine not knowing his identity in the early days, but once they knew it and realized the King of Great Zhou’s goal was to cultivate top geniuses, then Ye Batian should never have died back then. Now, everyone naturally understood perfectly clear.

The top geniuses of the human race were almost all alive because the King of Great Zhou needed them to live; how could he have abandoned Ye Batian, the greatest genius of the century.