Chapter 874: I Want to Take It All!

In the void.

A humanoid figure, faintly visible.

On its body, 720 acupoints, brilliant like stars.

Countless great paths spread outward!

Very weak, yet with a foundation.

Not a rootless duckweed!

The great paths spread, like bamboo shoots after rain, gradually growing, and little by little, these paths wove into a sphere, and this sphere enveloped Su Yu.

After a while, the sphere began to deform...

Gradually, it transformed into a door!

Su Yu, who was incubating the great paths, suddenly opened his eyes, eyes like sun, moon, and stars, he abruptly opened them, his gaze filled with shock, the sun and moon blazing.

A door?

720 acupoints could form the Human Door.

720 acupoints could form the Heavenly Door!

Of course, these 720 acupoints were different—one set was entirely physical acupoints, the other had 360 physical acupoints and 360 divine acupoints.

The Earth Door did not seem so complicated.

Regardless, 720 acupoints were related to doors—this Su Yu knew.

Yet at this moment, Su Yu’s expression changed drastically.

720 acupoints, 720 paths, weaving heaven and earth, following the natural direction—Su Yu did not interfere, but now, these great paths began to weave toward a door!

Su Yu was horrified!

A door!

Acupoints!

Great paths!

Heaven and earth!

No, it can’t be—

Su Yu murmured,

Eyes like sun and moon, gazing into the void, it can’t be.

A door, the door of the end times!

I seem to be transforming into a door.

A door, the beginning of calamity, the end of calamity.

My heaven and earth seem to be weaving a door, a door perhaps different from the Three Doors—what exactly are the Heaven, Earth, and Human Doors?

Beings?

Weapons?

Or people?

Cultivating to the most natural state, transforming into a door, becoming the one who seals an era.

The Human Door, the Three Doors—

Su Yu’s gaze was complex. What does all this mean?

Does it represent that the Three Doors were actually three powerful beings transformed?

And before, the Heavenly Gate told Su Yu that this door could be cultivated, meaning the door might have some connection to bloodlines—for instance, Su Yu and his kind could cultivate the Heavenly Door, suggesting it might be related to the human bloodline.

The Hundred Battles could cultivate the Human Door, suggesting it might be related to the Hundred Battles lineage.

The Prison King lineage could cultivate the Earth Door, suggesting it might be related to the Prison King or the Flame Fire lineage.

What kind of relationship?

A bloodline relationship?

Is a door a person?

Just like Doubao, an incarnation of the great path—what was Doubao’s former self?

Doubao always remembered Tiangu; perhaps Doubao was once a powerful being of the immortal race, the master of the Long Life Path?

Perhaps so!

King Wen must know this.

Beings like Doubao might have been humans, immortals, or demons in their past lives—

Then, is a door also a kind of being?

A person, cultivating heaven and earth, taking form as a door?

At the center of his brow, the Path of Calamity flickered faintly. At this moment, Su Yu quietly watched the great paths grow, gradually weaving them into a door.

What kind of door is this?

The Door of the Universe?

The Door of Su Yu?

Or something else?

Years later, in this era, will it be me who seals it, or Tongtian? Can Tongtian truly seal this era? No, perhaps I am the door of this era!

Su Yu murmured, and suddenly, some thoughts arose, some ideas.

In my era, who will ultimately end it?

But why must I end my era?

One thought after another surfaced in his mind—does every era produce someone like me?

Does every end of an era see someone transform into a door?

Before the Three Doors appeared—for instance, in the era of the Heavenly Door—did the Earth Door and Human Door also appear?

And now, is this era about to end, so the Three Doors have appeared?

When the next era begins, if I transform into a door and seal my own era, will the next era see four doors appear simultaneously?

Thus, cycle after cycle.

Again and again, ending the next era!

For what?

To allow a new era to be born?

Because classes have become rigid?

So, the previous era must be overthrown to usher in the next?

At this moment, Su Yu's heart was a torrent of a thousand words.

Had it solidified?

Perhaps so!

For instance, in this era, without Su Yu, few could truly rise, few could cultivate to the level of King Wen or the Human Emperor.

Were those three gates the failures of an age that sought salvation, ultimately transforming into portals?

Did these portals seal the era, or protect it?

At the very least, their existence preserved this age, did it not?

One association after another surfaced in his mind.

Su Yu's eyes were open, fixed on the gradually forming gate. He smiled. How intriguing, truly intriguing.

By this day, he seemed to have uncovered something extraordinary.

The Great Path continued to spread, drawing from everything Su Yu had—his willpower, his physical strength. Just like the last time he opened the heavens, Su Yu now felt as though he was being drained dry.

The heavens and earth, or rather the gate, had not yet taken shape.

Because Su Yu knew the tribulation was not over.

The Way of Tribulation shimmered with radiance now. Opening the heavens inevitably brought tribulation—this Su Yu understood.

He looked into the distance at the locust-like swarm of Devouring Locusts hurtling toward him, and fell into deep thought.

Was this the tribulation of opening the heavens this time?

When the Lord of the Dead opened the heavens, there was a tribulation: countless lords of forbidden lands attacked—that was the greatest tribulation.

Though Su Yu was weak, could these Devouring Locusts truly harm him?

He gazed far off. They filled the sky, countless in number.

Vaguely, he sensed the auras of many Rule Master realms. There were probably quite a few Rule Masters, indeed troublesome. But if this was all, they underestimated him!

When I open the heavens, I possess first-class combat power. For a tribulation to be worthy, it must surpass my current realm!

Last time, in the end, came the Chaos Dragon, a fifth-class Rule Master, while at that moment I only had the combat power of a Celestial Venerable...

Su Yu felt such a tribulation was not strong enough.

And not strong enough often meant there was another wave to come.

At this moment, Su Yu could sense his strength increasing—not from the power of the myriad realms, but from the strengthening of this local heaven and earth. If he had been here before, without using the power of the myriad realms, he would have had roughly 15 Paths of power.

Using it, he would have quickly reached 21 or even 22 Paths.

Now, having stripped away all the power of the myriad realms, he felt he had already broken through that critical point, officially stepping into the first class!

In this heaven and earth, he had entered the first class.

Swift progress!

This was experience!

And this strength was still growing, though the pace had slowed. Under the weaving of the Great Path, it felt as if the end was near. Once the gate fully took shape, it would mean Su Yu had successfully opened the heavens.

Not difficult!

The hardest part was actually forming the closed loop. But this time, for Su Yu, there was almost no difficulty. On one hand, he had been through it before; on the other, the 720 Paths of power were all chosen by Su Yu himself. Moreover, those 720 Paths were naturally weaving and taking shape through the power of 720 apertures.

Thus, the most difficult step for a heaven-opener became much easier for Su Yu.

The speed, too, was greatly increased.

Otherwise, a first-time heaven-opener might still be weaving the Great Path at this moment.

Su Yu suddenly broke into a smile!

How interesting!

Heaven never seals off all exits. For instance, last time he encountered the Eight-Winged Tiger and the Chaos Dragon while he had not yet succeeded in opening the heavens—crises struck midway. But this time, he opened the heavens swiftly, and now it was nearly complete, yet the Devouring Locusts had not even arrived.

A time gap!

Su Yu laughed. Such a time gap made it all the more interesting. If he were still weaving the Great Path when they came, it would be a fatal crisis!

But now, by the time the Devouring Locusts arrived, Su Yu would probably have already succeeded in his advancement and in opening the heavens!

Time, indeed, was the most precious thing!

A moment earlier or later—the outcome was entirely different.

He thought of the Lord of the Dead. When the Lord of the Dead opened the heavens here, he too must have had experience. His success in opening the heavens also relied on a time gap: before all the forbidden land masters appeared, he suddenly erupted, killed one forbidden land master, destroyed three forbidden lands, and then caused the others to falter, failing to unite.

That was probably also due to his speed in opening the heavens!

Having been through it once, he had survived the crisis.

Boom!

A violent tremor shook heaven and earth!

The 720 Great Paths instantly transformed into a gate. In the blink of an eye, the 720 apertures were absorbed into Su Yu's body.

And that gate was imprinted where the Heavenly Gate had originally stood.

At this moment, Su Yu's physical form manifested, gradually taking on a golden sheen. Su Yu had succeeded!

Yes, he had succeeded with such ease.

And the tribulation was still some distance away.

He could already see the Devouring Locusts, not far off. In a few dozen seconds, the foremost locusts would arrive. They were first-class, with roughly 16 Paths of power—not weak.

Su Yu, now having succeeded in opening the heavens, sensed his own strength. He had about 18 Paths of power, speaking in terms of this local heaven and earth.

A considerable increase!

From 15 Paths to 18 Paths—this was the boost the weaving of the Great Path had given him.

Among the 720 Great Paths, some were actually very weak.

Under normal circumstances, as in the first time, if Su Yu were still trying to weave the Great Path now, he would at most have 15 Paths of power. Facing a first-class with 16 Paths would be disastrous!

Moreover, these Devouring Locusts were not just one, but countless. Even if the others were much weaker, Su Yu could not withstand them.

Time, ah, was on my side!

Su Yu's physical form trembled, his smile radiant!

The power of the 720 Great Paths spread within his body.

His flesh took on a golden hue, immensely powerful.

At this moment, at Su Yu's brow, two gates appeared: one was the phantom of the Heavenly Gate, the other the gate just formed.

The Gate of Civilization!

Su Yu smiled and named his gate.

Or perhaps the Gate of Tribulation?

At this moment, his Heavenly Gate was completely concealed, and the Gate of Civilization fully covered and obscured it. Thus, all the aura of the myriad realms from Su Yu vanished entirely!

At this moment, Su Yu finally began to take on the true semblance of an insider within the gate.

Before this, his Gate of Heaven power still carried some influence—the weak could see nothing, and those weaker than him could sense even less. But once he encountered a powerhouse above the 25th path, there was a chance they could discern Su Yu’s identity.

He possessed the power of the myriad realms, so Su Yu might have hailed from the myriad realms.

But now, when the Gate of Civilization covered the Gate of Heaven, everything vanished entirely. Not only that—to conceal his identity, Su Yu showed no mercy. In an instant, he sealed the Gate of Heaven completely, and in the blink of an eye, all the channels through which the King Wen’s realm spread were blocked by him!

Sorry!

I want to be a low-key person, a true insider within the gate. Since King Wen isn’t fighting now, why should I keep channeling the power of heaven and earth to him? Isn’t that just increasing my own chances of exposure?

You just hide!

At the same time.

Within the range of Eternal Life Mountain, in the dark void, King Wen’s expression changed. The little white shoes on his feet instantly turned black, and in an instant, his sensitivity to the power of heaven and earth from the outside dropped to its lowest point!

Fortunately, he also had the Gate of Heaven. At this moment, the boots of the heaven-earth core were here. Though they weren’t the Ten Thousand Paths Sutra, they could still transmit some power through him.

But compared to before, it was far too little.

King Wen’s face turned green!

I curse you!

If you hadn’t started by feeding me so much power of heaven and earth, I would have just pretended it never happened. But that bastard Su Yu first gave me a lot of that power, and now he’s completely shut it off—gone!

King Wen was about to go mad!

My plan was in full swing! Originally, by borrowing the power of heaven and earth, I could reach the power of the 32nd path. But what now?

Halfway through the 31st path?

Half-step transcendent?

I want to spit blood, you know?

King Wen’s face was green. King Wu sensed it and looked at him curiously. King Wen suddenly cursed: “Damn it! Why did you have to break through right now, wasting so much of my time?”

If it weren’t for protecting this bastard, I would have already completed my plan!

I really want to beat you to death!

Su Yu wasn’t around, so he had no choice but to vent on King Wu now!

King Wu looked innocent and couldn’t help but say, “Why are you yelling at me? Did your son cause you trouble? Did you sense it? Then don’t take it out on me! I have to break through—I can’t help it…”

King Wu wanted to cry but had no tears!

After a long silence, he ground his teeth and said, “Even if you break through, it’s useless now!”

Damn it!

I originally thought that once you broke through, the two of us could join forces. Ha! Two transcendents, two against one—we’d definitely kill that bastard Fa.

But now, with the connection to the power of heaven and earth cut off, relying on King Wu, how could I kill anyone?

Resistance is possible, but killing a transcendent is hard!

King Wu could fight the enemy and might even win—of course, only maybe—but killing a transcendent was out of the question!

Only I had the certainty to kill Fa!

At this moment, King Wen’s heart was exhausted. He looked into the distance. Had Su Yu entered?

Probably yes!

But where was he?

Why had he suddenly closed off all connections to the Gate of Heaven, leaving not a single channel? This guy should know what I need, right?

Was his identity exposed?

Or had he been killed?

It couldn’t be that easy to kill him, could it?

At that moment, he suddenly looked westward, frowning slightly. Was it related to that place?

From that distant place, he faintly sensed something, though it wasn’t clear. But the fact that it could reach him was already terrifying. Just now, at the moment Su Yu sealed the Gate of Heaven, a peculiar fluctuation seemed to have come from over there!

Was Su Yu over there?

Near the Sky Dome Mountain?

At this moment, he was a bit puzzled. Su Yu’s earlier Gate of Heaven projection should have been near Eternal Life Mountain and the Dead Spirit Hell. Now he might have appeared at Sky Dome Mountain… This kid was running all over the place, or was he being chased?

Was that peculiar fluctuation related to him?

A series of thoughts swirled in King Wen’s mind. At this moment, with too little information, even with his brilliant intellect, he couldn’t deduce much. Unfortunately, Su Yu hadn’t come to him either—there was no information at all.

Sigh!

Sometimes, he still found warriors adorable. Looking at King Wu again, he didn’t seem so annoying. See how obedient he was!

Someone like Su Yu was never obedient!

King Wu caught his gaze, curled his lips, and muttered inaudibly, “Your whole family are warriors!”

King Wen looked at him in surprise.

King Wu ignored him. I know exactly what that look means. Every time you get the short end from those scholars, you look at me like that, as if comforting yourself. You must be thinking again, “Warriors aren’t so bad.”

Sure enough, I guessed right!

King Wu closed his eyes and continued cultivating, ignoring him.

So what if I’m a warrior?

When I break through, I’ll punch you to death, you scholar-despising bastard!

At the same time.

The moment Su Yu’s gate took shape, a fluctuation, very subtle, began to spread.

The weak felt nothing; only top-tier powerhouses had a faint sensation.

For a moment, many were puzzled. What had happened?

Meanwhile.

In the myriad realms.

The Gate of Earth trembled slightly!

The Human Emperor instantly appeared before the Gate of Earth, looking at it with some confusion. He said oddly, “Are you about to awaken? Did you just let out a bit of will? Are you waking up?”

The Three Gates had been slumbering all along, and even if there were some movements, they were instinctive reactions.

But just now, he seemed to feel the Gate of Earth quiver, with a faint will leaking out.

He looked at the Gate of Earth, frowning. Were the Three Gates about to open?

At that moment, the Gate of Earth emitted a faint will, very weak, like a voice from beyond the heavens, but it echoed in the Human Emperor’s mind: “The Fourth Gate has appeared… This era is coming to an end!”

The Human Emperor’s expression changed. Suddenly, he grabbed at the void, and Tongtian Hou appeared, looking bewildered. He asked, “What’s wrong? Did I provoke you again?”

The Human Emperor looked at him, frowned, and after a long pause said, "What were you just doing?"

Me?

Tongtian Marquis felt a twinge of guilt: "I... I didn't do anything!"

Speak!

The Human Emperor suddenly became immensely imposing, and Tongtian Marquis, helpless, whispered, "Really didn't do anything... I didn't sneakily absorb the Ming King's portal power. I was just passing by, saw the Ming King cultivating, and thought I'd guard him for a bit!"

The Human Emperor was speechless, understanding now. This fellow had been lurking near the Ming King just now. When I tried to catch him, he kept circling around—turns out it was to absorb the Ming King's portal power.

Get lost!

The Human Emperor flung him aside, then looked at the Earth Gate. The Earth Gate had fallen silent, as if its brief moment of clarity had passed, and now it had sunk back into slumber.

The Fourth Gate has appeared?

The Human Emperor frowned.

Is the era coming to an end?

The Human Emperor suddenly snorted coldly: "Ridiculous! This era has only just begun! If you want to end it, let's see how strong the Three Gates really are! What if the Fourth Gate does appear?"

What exactly is this Fourth Gate?

Tongtian, or something else?

For a moment, the Human Emperor was uncertain.

But whether it appears or not, what does it matter?

The Human Emperor's aura suddenly surged, shaking the myriad realms of existence!

Man's will can conquer heaven!

I will not let this era end like this—no!

I do not want this era to be sealed; there is no reason for it to be sealed. Perhaps I have lived long enough, but many people's lives have only just begun. I refuse to let this era end like this, to become like those beings in the Heaven Gate and Earth Gate—thorns in the eyes and thorns in the flesh of the next era!

The Human Emperor murmured: "Perhaps you want us to make way for the new. But let me tell you, the succession of eras is not like this! The decline of eras is not like this! Such a succession, such a decline—forcing us into sealing—I will not accept it!"

I can be overthrown, I can be destroyed, but I will not accept being sealed, neither human nor ghost—I will not accept it!

The Human Emperor's aura grew stronger and stronger!

He would not accept such an outcome!

Was it the will of the Lord of Time?

Perhaps!

But even if it were you, I would not accept it!

Destroy the Three Gates, sweep through the myriad realms—will you, the so-called destroyer, strike personally?

The Human Emperor looked up at the sky, snorted coldly, "Then come yourself first!"

Otherwise, this era shall be eternal!

At this moment, Su Yu was unaware of the stirrings among the Three Gates.

Even if he knew, he wouldn't care much.

The Fourth Gate?

Whatever!

Seal the era? No thanks—I won't accept it!

Living in an environment like within the Heaven Gate? Su Yu wouldn't do it. Rather than that, I'd rather perish!

At this moment, Su Yu's aura shook the four directions!

Heaven-opening complete, heaven and earth converge within; I forge my body into heaven, heaven and earth are me, and I am heaven and earth!

Su Yu instantly appeared before those Devourer Locusts. These locusts had little will, only a single conviction: devour, destroy!

Annihilation!

Su Yu felt it—this was his first encounter with these powerful Devourer Locusts. They were chaotic, far more so than the Chaos Ancient Clans.

The path of annihilation?

Su Yu smiled!

What a fine thing!

I love this kind of power—or rather, this is the power of calamity. At this moment, a flame appeared at his brow, like a world-ending fire!

These Devourer Locusts are calamity!

And I, too, need the power of calamity!

The great path of calamity—Su Yu had always liked it. In his weaker days, it had helped him through countless crises. Now, he realized these Devourer Locusts were the perfect supplement for calamity power!

He rarely encountered such power, but today he had!

A feeling of great annihilation, of imminent doom!

And these creatures had almost no willpower—that was what Su Yu liked most. He enjoyed bullying fools. The Chaos Ancient Clans were a bit foolish, but these Devourer Locusts were even dumber. The moment they saw Su Yu, regardless of his strength, they erupted with devouring power and annihilation power, charging at him to devour and destroy him!

Come, my little darlings!

Su Yu chuckled. A great path power instantly manifested, spreading in all directions. Su Yu suddenly transformed into a giant!

A cavity appeared, and in one sweep, he gathered all the Devourer Locusts except for the first-rank one into that cavity!

At that moment, the power of seven hundred and twenty great paths converged. With a thunderous roar, they exploded within the cavity. A vast number of Devourer Locusts were ground to dust by Su Yu, and the cavity that devoured them quickly extracted the annihilation power and calamity power, channeling them into the brow cavity!

Within the brow cavity, the path of calamity rapidly grew.

Su Yu was in good spirits. He swiftly engaged the first-rank Devourer Locust in combat, trading blows head-on. The powerful locust was sent flying repeatedly, but it cared nothing for life or injury, charging forward relentlessly, attacking Su Yu again and again.

This thing was like a locust, but with an extra, very sharp mouth—similar to a mosquito's proboscis. Once it pierced you, it would devour your great path power!

Su Yu kept fighting this first-rank Devourer Locust, while all around, countless more locusts surged forth, as if endless!

Meanwhile.

In the distance.

Three figures were drawing closer—two men and one woman. Suddenly, the white-haired leader spoke with surprise: "Someone's here!"

Someone is fighting the Devourer Locusts!

In this godforsaken place, unless the locusts invade a territory, few bother with them. Actively killing them is even rarer. Of course, some cultivators of destruction, annihilation, or devouring paths do kill a few to refine their own paths.

But devouring the power of Devourer Locusts easily drives one mad, inviting unspeakable calamities!

Many knew this.

Thus, by now, even those who cultivated the paths of destruction and ruin rarely killed Devourer Locusts. Only the forbidden lands, to prevent the locusts from overrunning, would occasionally conduct cleanings.

The old man was puzzled. There were no territories nearby.

Because of the Human Emperor, the strong in this area had either been killed or had migrated.

The scattered cultivator territories near Tiansky Mountain were the fewest.

But at this moment, there were actually strong ones killing the locusts.

The old man, with some doubt, sensed for a moment, then quickly said, "Let's go see!"

The two behind him, a man and a woman, both looked young but were actually quite old. At this moment, they nodded in unison and flew off into the distance with the old man—they too had sensed it!

And at this very moment, Su Yu, while battling the locusts, let out a sigh and chuckled lightly.

A calamity!

The second wave!

Thankfully!

He now understood: the locusts were only the first wave of his tribulation in opening the heavens, but there was a second wave—these three newly arrived strong ones were that second wave.

If he had been slower in opening the heavens, even if he killed the locusts and exhausted his heart’s blood, these three would have arrived by then.

During the process of opening the heavens, these people could still detect some clues.

Once they saw someone opening the heavens—

A stranger they didn’t recognize—what would their reaction be?

According to the customs of the sect, of course, it would be to kill!

Or capture and bring back to the Lord of the Forbidden Land!

They came so fast!

Su Yu sighed again. His opening of the heavens hadn’t lasted long, yet they arrived so quickly. Either they had been nearby before, or the Lord of the Forbidden Land, the master of Tianqiong Mountain, had sensed something the moment Su Yu began opening the heavens, so they came with extreme speed.

Here, there were still five Earth-Yuan distances to Tianqiong Mountain.

For a fourth-rank rule master, it would take five days to fly!

They might even have traversed space—perhaps it was a power of the forbidden land; otherwise, if they were space-path experts, Su Yu should have sensed them.

From the moment Su Yu began opening the heavens until now, it really hadn’t been long—strictly speaking, maybe only an hour.

This speed was astonishingly fast.

They came in an hour, even if they were all first-rank, it was too fast!

Su Yu had deliberately chosen a spot farther from Tianqiong Mountain.

Perhaps within the radiation range of the forbidden land, they could teleport—the radiation range of Tianqiong Mountain was not small. They might instantly teleport to the edge of the radiation range, then fly the rest of the way!

Su Yu judged this to be about right.

Three first-rank experts were indeed terrifying. The strength of the forbidden land was beyond imagination. Two were probably just entering first-rank, but one of them likely had no less than 20 Dao forces, or even stronger!

Opening the heavens was truly too dangerous.

Su Yu had succeeded in opening the heavens with only 18 Dao forces, yet the second wave of tribulation turned out to be three first-rank experts, including one with over 20 Dao forces!

For a normal person opening the heavens, it would be a miracle if they didn’t die!

Of course, no one who could open the heavens was normal.

At that moment, from ahead came an aged voice: "Which Daoist friend ahead is clearing the locusts?"

Su Yu’s eyes flickered. He shifted his power slightly—part Yin-Death force, part Devouring force, part Annihilation force. Now, Su Yu declared in a clear voice: "Black Tomb, Grand Commander of Liufang Mountain!"

Black Tomb?

The old man was slightly taken aback.

Liufang Mountain...

He looked at the two behind him. The young man thought for a moment and said, "I’ve heard of it. Liufang Mountain was established just a few days ago, near the Dead Spirit Hell and Yongsheng Mountain. It was founded by several 16-Dao experts!"

After speaking, the young man added, "Black Tomb... yes, I’ve heard of him once. He’s the Grand Commander of Liufang Mountain, originally an inspector of Tianmu Ridge, a peak 15-Dao expert!"

The young man still knew these things. As a strong one from the forbidden land, he was aware of the major powers around, especially within the Forbidden Canyon. If he didn’t know, the forbidden land would be too useless.

The old man simply wasn’t responsible for such matters and hadn’t paid attention.

But now, the old man frowned: "Peak 15-Dao?"

Lies!

He could sense that the other party was very strong, at least 18 Dao forces—a world of difference from 15 Dao!

The young man also sensed it. That locust leader was very powerful, probably equal to him, yet it was being suppressed by Black Tomb. Clearly, Black Tomb was very strong!

Now, he had to say, "He probably hid his strength before and revealed it today. It’s said that a few days ago, this Black Tomb swept through the northeastern region. Liufang Mountain seems to want to become the overlord of the northeast, probably because they know about the quota!"

The old man nodded slightly, gaining a general understanding. Soon, his voice carried over: "Daoist Black Tomb, these locusts..."

Su Yu’s voice quickly came back: "You must be from Tianqiong Mountain, right? I came here only to kill some locusts and perfect my Annihilation and Devouring Daos. I have no hostile intent."

The old man certainly wasn’t afraid of him being hostile—ridiculous! A mere 18-Dao, could he devour Tianqiong Mountain?

He chuckled and said, "I have no other intention. I only want to remind you, Daoist, that devouring too much of the power within these locusts might endanger your life. Are you aware of this?"

Su Yu’s voice came again: "I know, but I also know that strength is the foundation! The quota is about to be distributed. If Liufang Mountain cannot secure a large number of quotas, once we leave the Heavenly Gate, we’ll be cannon fodder!"

Su Yu’s voice was hearty, carrying a smile: "So, regardless of the future!"

Hearing this, the old man understood Su Yu’s mindset.

Indeed, gamble once!

As for calamity and danger, those were matters for later. First, let strength grow!

Soon, the three flew forward.

A large number of locusts were quickly killed by the three!

Three first-rank experts!

In any place, they were strong.

Acting together, without over 25 Dao forces, it would be hard to match them.

Su Yu didn’t dare to probe the old man deeply, but by watching him kill locusts, he roughly judged and had a number in mind.

The three: the white-haired old man seemed to have about 22 Dao forces, cultivating the Sword Dao!

That man, 16 Dao, cultivating the Space Dao?

Su Yu made a simple judgment—indeed, Space Dao. Every move was a cut of the Great Space Dao. No wonder they came so fast.

And the third, the woman, also had 16 Dao forces, using a weapon—a special one, a white net. The net swept the heavens and earth, pulling in a large number of locusts, which turned to ash in the blink of an eye.

That net—Su Yu judged it to contain at least two Dao forces: first, Imprisonment!

Second, Annihilation!

Cultivating two Daos, fusing them—not weak.

Three people...

Su Yu quickly assessed: if he struck, and also unleashed the Heaven-Earth force within his Heavenly Gate, now united, he would have at least 26 Dao forces!

He could kill!

But the commotion would not be small. If it was too loud, trouble would follow—the master of Tianqiong Mountain might sense it. Then, a strong one with 32 Dao forces would come... Forget it, Su Yu couldn’t possibly match that!

At least for now, he couldn't possibly do it.

Abandon!

This counted as a hidden calamity. If Su Yu's world-opening were still ongoing, even if he truly defeated these three—good heavens—their boss would come in person, and the world-opening would be finished.

This was utterly leaving no room for survival!

But now, it wasn't a big problem. He had succeeded!

Success was the best method.

He had ended this world-opening tribulation early!

Just before the three attacked, Su Yu's gaze shifted, and he suddenly roared. A surge of thunderous power exploded with a deafening crash, shattering the shell of the locust before him!

Su Yu condensed a sword of annihilation in his hand, bellowed, and slashed out!

The locust, not knowing to dodge, was cleaved in two by the blade!

Su Yu reached out and grabbed, unleashing the path of death and decay, corroding the corpse. In an instant, it turned into liquid!

Then, Su Yu opened his acupoints, and a force of calamity was devoured by him!

All of this flowed like water!

At that moment, the three had just slain the locust blocking their path, clearing the surrounding locusts, and happened to see Su Yu kill this 16-path locust. The old man's eyes flickered with surprise, and he soon laughed: "Daoist Black Tomb, your strength is formidable, I admire it!"

No exaggeration, truly strong, exceptionally skilled in combat.

His battle experience and techniques were top-notch!

A 16-path locust indeed had no intelligence, but even so, it was still 16-path!

Yet, this 18-path Black Tomb had easily slain it!

Of course, the moment the three arrived, they suddenly felt a surge of disgust, as if the Black Tomb before them was somewhat repulsive, even tempting them to strike at him—but soon, they paid it no mind.

Because they also sensed that it was likely the power released by the slain locust, devoured by Black Tomb, that caused this illusion. That was normal; everyone in the sect loathed locusts!

Every time they saw a locust, they indeed felt disgust!

And at this moment, Su Yu's path of calamity devoured all calamitous forces, swiftly masking any anomaly. The paths of benevolence and sanctity permeated his body.

I am a good person!

A kind-hearted man!

Su Yu knew that as his second wave of tribulation, these people might feel aversion toward him, even without knowing why, potentially leading to conflict. This was the influence of the path, unavoidable.

But he could avert this.

Now was not the time to oppose the forbidden lands; otherwise, he would immediately become the second Human Emperor or the second King Wen, targeted and watched by the forbidden lands, leaving him unable to act!

Killing the locust in that instant was also to divert attention.

Sure enough, the disgust in their eyes flickered and quickly vanished.

Su Yu chuckled inwardly, thinking: They really think it was caused by the locust?

Excellent!

It was worth killing the locust at this moment!

"You flatter me, senior!"

Su Yu, having slain the locust, now smiled, saying, "Compared to the experts of the forbidden lands, I am far behind!"

The old man laughed: "Daoist overestimates the experts of the forbidden lands. We are all cultivators; there is no distinction of strength. You rogue cultivators face greater hardships outside and are more adept at combat. Take this locust leader just now—even I would have needed some effort to kill it. Daoist slew it with such fluidity, truly fine skill!"

Su Yu laughed heartily: "Senior jokes!"

With that, he looked at the three, his smile bright: "I killed this locust. The three forbidden land experts won't think I've stolen your spoils, will you? If you mind, I can find a way to lure another 16-path locust from elsewhere... I was indeed careless earlier. This place isn't too far from Tiansky Mountain; I thought there were still five earth-yuan distances... I didn't expect you experts to arrive so quickly... It's a bit awkward for me!"

The old man laughed heartily: "What spoils are locusts? I wish Daoist would kill more!"

Then, smiling, he asked: "Daoist Black Tomb comes from Six Directions Mountain?"

Su Yu hesitated, coughed dryly: "Yes... but Six Directions Mountain is just a name. In truth, I am the only cultivator above 16-path. As for the Daoists Gui and Mu, I don't know where they've gone—perhaps something happened. I feared I couldn't face all sides alone, so I deliberately used the name Six Directions Mountain!"

The old man was taken aback, and the two behind him also froze.

The next moment, all three suddenly burst into laughter!

The old man laughed, losing his composure: "So that's it! Daoist, this is a secret—why reveal it at first meeting?"

Suddenly, he found the Black Tomb before him quite endearing!

Su Yu, embarrassed, said: "Even if the forbidden land experts think the 16-path expert of Six Directions Mountain is fake, so what? Rather than have the forbidden lands discover it themselves, it's better to confess voluntarily, to avoid the senior thinking I'm insincere. If an anomaly is found later, wouldn't that offend the forbidden lands for no reason?"

"Daoist, you are..."

The old man laughed brightly. Interesting!

Perceptive!

This Black Tomb—just a moment ago, he had felt some disgust toward him, but now he suddenly found him very clever and decisive, and also full of reverence for the forbidden lands!

Six Directions Mountain?

Fake?

Does it matter?

No!

Because this Black Tomb before him was an 18-path expert—that was enough!

Even if fake, Six Directions Mountain was still a major power among rogue cultivators!

In that instant, countless thoughts arose in the old man's mind. A hegemon of the northeastern region, an 18-path expert. And the territories near Tiansky Mountain were almost gone; rogue cultivators were either dead or had fled.

For countless years, Tiansky Mountain had only been contending with the Human Emperor!

The mountain lord didn't care, but now, with the Heavenly Gate about to open, perhaps Tiansky Mountain should develop some peripheral forces. This Black Tomb was very interesting!

But it seemed he had cultivated the path of death and decay...

Could there be some connection with the Dead Spirit Hell?

At this moment, countless thoughts swirled in the old man's mind. Should he talk to this Black Tomb?

And at this moment, Su Yu wore a smile, his eyes pure.

But in his heart, he kept murmuring: Do you want to recruit me?

I am 18-path!

I excel at combat!

I am even unifying the northeastern region, soon to become a hegemon!

How about recruiting me, giving me some benefits, and I'll be your vassal?

I'll take the benefits, but forget about risking my life for you!

Not just you—Su Yu even had the idea of becoming a little brother to all four families. Yes, all four forbidden lands. Whoever comes, I'll be their little brother. I want to play all sides!

Whoever develops their forces would announce it to the world, wouldn't they?

Su Yu's smile was dazzling. Come, try to win me over—I'll put up a little coy resistance, then I'll defect to your side at once!