Chapter 875: Transaction

Chapter 877: The Deal (Please Subscribe)

The white-haired old man gazed at Su Yu, a hint of contemplation flickering in his eyes.

Soon, a smile spread across his face. "Daoist, you cultivate the path of death and darkness, and now possess the power of eighteen Daos. Why... have you not gone to the Nether Hell?"

He chuckled. "The Nether Hell welcomes all who tread the path of death. If you go, even the Four Great Emperors would vie for you..."

Su Yu curled his lip, then bared his teeth in a grin. "I dare not!"

"Oh?"

Su Yu looked a bit embarrassed, lowering his voice. "The Nether Lord is immensely powerful, and the Nether Hell is a place everyone yearns for, a forbidden land... Who wouldn't want to go? But I fear death! The Heavenly Gate is about to open, and the Nether Lord, after all, is an outsider... If I go now, I'm not one of his trusted followers. I worry I'd become cannon fodder!"

Su Yu sighed, then quickly shrugged it off with nonchalance. "So, I'll skip the Nether Hell. I'll just be a regional overlord instead—that way, I'll have more of a say in things!"

The old man smiled. Wise!

The Nether Hell would indeed be perilous. The Nether Lord was too strong, and such a powerful being was bound to be targeted. The lords of the forbidden lands wouldn't let the Nether Lord return to the myriad realms easily. If he merged the two heavens, how strong would he become?

Now, the assembly of the forbidden lands was about to begin. Matters concerning King Wen, King Wu, the Nether Lord, and the myriad realms would all be put on the agenda.

Still, the old man probed further. "Daoist, your reputation was obscure before, yet your cultivation of the Dao is not weak. Do you have a master?"

Su Yu smiled and shook his head. "No, but I fought alongside Lord Mu for many years and gained some insights..."

As he spoke, Su Yu looked at the others and cupped his hands. "Esteemed seniors of the forbidden lands, I... must take my leave now!"

Su Yu's voice grew firm. "I've arranged for all the strongmen of the northeastern region to gather at Six Directions Mountain tomorrow. I need to hurry back, or else, without me, chaos might ensue!"

With that, Su Yu looked awkward and chuckled sheepishly. "Ah... I'd ask you seniors to keep this secret. The struggles of a loose cultivator do you no harm. As for the secrets of Six Directions Mountain, I beg you..."

The old man nodded with a smile. "Brother Black Tomb trusts us, so he speaks truthfully. We are cultivators of the Sky Dome Mountain and have no stake in that region. Why would we reveal your secrets? Besides, with your strength, even if you were the only one at Six Directions Mountain, you'd be the absolute overlord of that area."

Su Yu's strength—eighteen Daos—made him a formidable warrior. The old man knew something of that region. Aside from Six Directions Mountain, only Snow Dragon Mountain and Blade Valley were formidable, but even the two of them together might not defeat this Black Tomb.

Su Yu thanked him and turned to leave, resolute.

Seeing he was truly about to go, the old man hesitated briefly, then quickly said, "Daoist, stay!"

Su Yu turned back, a look of suspicion on his face, a hint of wariness in his stance. Faintly, the power of his Daos began to seep out. Seeing his caution, the old man didn't mind. In the gate, the unwary were the ones who died.

"Senior, do you have something to say?"

Su Yu kept his distance, not approaching.

The old man smiled. "I haven't properly introduced myself—how remiss of me. I am Jian Kong, son of the Sword Venerable, the head of the War Hall of Sky Dome Mountain..."

Su Yu's expression changed! He quickly bowed. "I have been negligent, my lord!"

His face was full of feigned fear.

But inwardly, Su Yu was somewhat surprised. He knew a bit about the internal structure of the four great forbidden lands. In the Nether Hell, beneath the Nether Lord were the Four Great Emperors, each immensely powerful, all above twenty-five Daos. Sky Dome Mountain was similar. Beneath the Lord of Sky Dome Mountain, there were halls like War, Art, Combat, and Trap. The heads of these halls were roughly equivalent to the Four Great Emperors. In terms of strength, they might even be stronger. The Nether Lord, after all, was an outsider with restrictions on his Dao.

The Sword Venerable, head of the War Hall of Sky Dome Mountain, was incredibly powerful! Exactly how strong was beyond Su Yu's knowledge. But this old man, Jian Kong, the Sword Venerable's son, had twenty-two Daos, indicating that the Sword Venerable himself was undoubtedly a formidable force.

The old man smiled, unperturbed by Su Yu's change in attitude. His father, the Sword Venerable, was certainly among the top-ranked strongmen in the four forbidden lands, perhaps third after the four mountain lords. To a loose cultivator like Black Tomb, he was a figure of legend.

Jian Kong chuckled. "Brother Black Tomb, no need to be so polite. I see you are no weakling, yet you remain a loose cultivator... Now you want to leave the Heavenly Gate early and establish Six Directions Mountain to seize more slots?"

Su Yu's voice was deep. "Exactly! I know one man alone cannot change the tide. Only by securing more slots can I have a chance to advance further once I leave the Heavenly Gate!"

Su Yu's eyes suddenly blazed. "I have grand ambitions—perhaps you'll laugh, my lord—but I refuse to be ordinary!"

Su Yu's gaze turned piercing. "My lord is the son of the Sword Venerable. I, Black Tomb, won't hide it: I aspire to become the next lord of a forbidden land. That's why I want to leave the Heavenly Gate early and campaign across the myriad realms..."

"Pfft!"

The woman behind Jian Kong suddenly laughed, a hint of mockery in it. That was the natural reaction.

Jian Kong was also amused. I just praised you for being clever, and now you sound like a fool!

But Su Yu's expression darkened. His eyes turned cold, and suddenly, a surge of Dao power manifested—fifteen or sixteen strands. Jian Kong was taken aback!

Su Yu stared coldly at the woman, his voice low. "I am a loose cultivator, but I know I am destined for greatness! Now, though I only have eighteen Daos, I have also cultivated sixteen others! They haven't yet advanced or merged, but they are close to mastery!"

Su Yu's voice grew heavier. "When I master those Daos, all sixteen under my command, and merge them with my current ones, I dare not say I'll become a peerless powerhouse like the Sword Venerable... but give me time, and I, Black Tomb, will be no weaker than anyone!"

Jian Kong was astonished, as were the man and woman behind him. Their mockery faded, replaced by awe. This man had also cultivated sixteen other Daos.

Su Yu looked at Jian Kong, his voice earnest. "My lord is the descendant of a supreme powerhouse. I had no intention of revealing this, but since you called me back..."

Su Yu's eyes burned. "I don't know if you wish to befriend me or recruit me... but either way, I, Black Tomb, must show my worth, my talent, my strength! Today, I have eighteen Daos, but who knows? Tomorrow, I might take a leap, merge all these Daos, and become one of the supreme ones?"

Jian Kong drew a sharp breath, then said solemnly, "You truly surprise me!"

He was genuinely taken aback. When this Black Tomb revealed the sixteen Daos he had yet to make into rule lords, his entire demeanor shifted. Before, Su Yu was merely a strong warrior. But now, he had sixteen more Daos on the verge of breakthrough. Eighteen plus sixteen made thirty-four... though it wasn't that simple. Once you reached thirty-one Daos, adding ten or twenty more might not push you to thirty-two. The later stages, each Dao grew stronger and harder to enhance.

Still, if Black Tomb truly cultivated those sixteen Daos to the rule lord level and merged them all, he might at least reach twenty-five Daos. That would make him stronger than Jian Kong himself!

Surprising!

Whether this was good or bad, Jian Kong couldn't yet decide.

Little did he know, Su Yu was merely laying the groundwork for his impending advancement. Otherwise, an eighteen-dao expert becoming nineteen tomorrow and twenty the day after... even a fool would realize something was amiss.

Were anyone truly that monstrously talented, their renown would have shaken the world long ago!

As things stood, Su Yu's carefully crafted persona was that of a patient cultivator of multiple paths, biding his time in obscurity while bringing numerous avenues of power to the very precipice of breakthrough. Perhaps, with a stroke of luck tomorrow, he would suddenly ascend to the ranks of the apex experts.

In this manner, his true nature would remain securely hidden from subsequent scrutiny.

"Your talent is truly unparalleled, Fellow Daoist!"

Jian Kong nodded repeatedly, a faint smile gracing his features. "The forbidden lands harbor the deepest affection for geniuses. Since you have spoken so candidly, I shall not obfuscate matters further, lest I invite your ridicule."

Jian Kong chuckled. "Heaven's Vault Mountain does indeed harbor the intent to recruit you. We initially believed that with the power of eighteen daos, you were bound for great achievements. Now, however... it seems we vastly underestimated you. If you can command these sixteen additional daos, even without fusing them, your power will surpass twenty daos. And once they fuse... I fear you might reach the heights of a powerhouse like my father... Truly inconceivable!"

Su Yu cupped his hands, his voice dropping into a solemn register. "You jest, My Lord. It is no simple task. That is precisely why I wish to gamble for an opportunity—to leave this place early, venture into the myriad worlds, slay their masters, and perfect my grasp over these grand paths!"

At that moment, comprehension dawned upon Jian Kong as to why Su Yu was in such a desperate rush.

Had he himself been shackled by sixteen unyielding paths, he too would yearn to hunt down peer powerhouses across the myriad worlds; perhaps then, the mantle of an apex master would be within swift reach.

How utterly unexpected!

He cast another long look at Su Yu, sinking into profound contemplation.

This fellow possessed immense potential.

Yet, to have concealed those sixteen paths so utterly that the outside world believed him to be merely at the peak of fifteen daos... this man possessed no small ambition, and his methods were equally formidable.

Before long, Jian Kong arrived at a decision. Smiling warmly, he spoke, "Your talent is extraordinary and your might profound. Heaven's Vault Mountain has seldom cultivated external factions over the years. If you are inclined, you might assume the title of an Honorary Elder within our Hall of Arms. That way, you may freely visit Heaven's Vault Mountain to exchange insights with us in the days to come..."

Though spoken with subtle understatement, Su Yu understood the implicit meaning perfectly.

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Su Yu soon replied in a heavy tone, "Senior, Hei Mu is deeply honored that a powerhouse of the forbidden land would invite me to join. However... we denizens of the Heavenly Gate must speak plainly from the outset."

Su Yu lifted his gaze, a hint of arrogance flaring in his eyes. "Senior, to put it bluntly, I expanded Mount Liufang solely to fetch a handsomer price from the forbidden lands. I do not object to serving a forbidden land, but even risking one's life must yield proper value. Originally, my first choice was Soul-Falling Valley. Indeed, an emissary from there had already arrived at Mount Liufang... yet I refused to grant them an audience. Their posture was far too haughty, clearly intending to treat me as mere fodder."

"Second was the Necrotic Hell. I know full well how troublesome that place is, but if the benefits were substantial enough, I would be willing to take the gamble."

"Third was Mount Everlife... simply because of its proximity, even if its current circumstances are less than ideal."

"And only at the very bottom of the list lay Heaven's Vault Mountain, distant as it is and having remained quiet for all these years."

Jian Kong smiled. It was only natural; in the world within the Heavenly Gate, to preach sentimentality instead of profit was nothing short of rogue behavior.

Ordinary powerhouses would leap at the slightest chance to swear fealty to a forbidden land.

But one at Hei Mu's level possessed boundless ambition. A simple induction without tangible benefits would never suffice, for he was hardly devoid of choices; whichever faction he chose to align with would welcome him with open arms.

Jian Kong laughed. "Well then, Friend Hei Mu, since we have laid our cards on the table, what is it that you desire?"

Su Yu shook his head. "It is not a matter of what I want, but rather the balance between sacrifice and reward. What does Heaven's Vault Mountain require of me? What price must I pay? If My Lord would first state your mountain's objective, I may then name my price. If it concerns merely trivial or minor affairs, then even without officially joining your ranks, I would be glad to render my services to you, My Lord."

Su Yu smiled. "For instance, slaying a fifteen-dao cultivator poses some difficulty, but nothing insurmountable. For such tasks, I am more than willing to assist My Lord to earn a favor. But if it involves a fifteen-dao powerhouse native to a forbidden land, that would be out of the question. Such ventures are far too perilous; I cannot risk my life merely for the sake of sentiment."

Jian Kong chuckled once more. "Extremely transparent!"

This Hei Mu was indeed a fascinating character.

Ceasing his hesitation, Jian Kong spoke open-heartedly, "As for what exactly we require of you, to tell the truth, my invitation was born of a passing whim. However, it would amount to nothing more than assisting Heaven's Vault Mountain with tasks well within your capabilities."

After a brief deliberation, Jian Kong added, "As for what you require... what matters most to you now is likely gaining mastery over those unawakened paths, followed by subjugating more rogue cultivators."

"The first is to empower yourself, and the second is to fortify your own faction, am I correct?"

He looked toward Su Yu, who nodded; indeed, such was the universal pursuit of all who trod this path.

Jian Kong smiled knowingly. "On your part, I imagine you are disinclined to reveal any allegiance to a forbidden land at this juncture. After all, Mount Liufang is wedged between the Necrotic Hell and Mount Everlife. Judging by your deliberate display of the Dao of the Dead, I suspect you still harbor intentions of negotiating with the Necrotic Hell, do you not?"

Without a hint of embarrassment, Su Yu nodded. "Indeed. One must shop around; I do possess such an intention."

Understanding the mindset of these rogue cultivators perfectly, Jian Kong offered a nonchalant smile and quickly continued, "Yet I am confident that Heaven's Vault Mountain will afford you far greater opportunities. For... the Heavenly Gate lies precisely to the west of our peak!"

He beamed with pride.

"Any faction wishing to seek the Heavenly Gate must bypass Heaven's Vault Mountain. Furthermore, the Human Emperor, the supreme powerhouse of the myriad worlds, has long been entangled with us. The boons we can offer you far exceed what others can provide!"

Jian Kong spoke rapidly, "For now, you need only register your name under the Hall of Arms; we shall leave other matters aside. It so happens I possess several grand paths imbued with the strength of over ten daos, which may well assist you in taking your next step forward..."

Su Yu arched an eyebrow. "As simple as that?"

"For the time being, yes."

Jian Kong nodded with a smile. "As I mentioned, this was merely a sudden thought, not a deliberate expedition to recruit you. Should further ideas arise down the road, we can always converse again."

It was indeed a passing impulse. A powerhouse of eighteen daos like Su Yu, who furthermore commanded sixteen unawakened paths, would never have been left to him to negotiate with had his true strength been exposed earlier. Though stronger than Su Yu himself, such momentous affairs rightfully demanded the attention of an even greater authority.

At this point, he smiled again. "Though your current renown is modest, Mount Liufang has already caught the eyes of several forbidden lands. From what I gather, your intent is likely to maneuver between these great factions first... without any genuine desire to commit..."

Su Yu's expression shifted slightly.

Jian Kong waved his hand dismissively, laughing. "It is perfectly normal. You did not rise from within the ranks of a forbidden land, after all; you are a rogue cultivator. It is not at all strange for a rogue to harbor such thoughts. Were it otherwise, you would have had no reason to mention to me that the envoy from Soul-Falling Valley had reached Mount Liufang."

He knew the minds of these rogue cultivators all too well.

Especially a powerhouse of Hei Mu's caliber.

Yet Jian Kong remained supremely confident. Smiling, he said, "As of now, you possess little knowledge regarding the forbidden lands, viewing their masters as largely identical... You are mistaken. When the Heavenly Gate is poised to open and the Council of Forbidden Lands convenes, you shall understand which domain reigns supreme, and which lord is truly worth your allegiance to secure the greatest bounty for yourself."

"Heaven's Vault Mountain commands the very borders of the Heavenly Gate... a strategic bottleneck, the most crucial sector. This single advantage alone places us beyond the comparison of any other forbidden land."

"Even among the lords of the forbidden lands, the Master of Heaven's Vault stands at the absolute apex of power!"

A touch of pride colored his words—the inherent arrogance born of belonging to a mighty forbidden land.

Su Yu, in truth, possessed a vague understanding of this, for the Human Emperor had once broached the subject.

Gui had remarked that the Master of Heaven's Vault was an exceptionally formidable figure among his peers, while the Human Emperor had estimated his strength to top out at thirty-five daos, declaring that at his own peak, he would have had no cause to fear him.

From what Su Yu gathered, certain masters of the forbidden lands wielded a mere thirty or thirty-one daos of power, though such individuals were admittedly few.

Under normal circumstances, they generally commanded thirty-two daos.

With thirty-five daos of power attributed to the Master of Heaven's Vault, the Human Emperor's discernment was bound to be accurate; if so, the man indeed belonged to the most fearsome echelon among the lords of the forbidden lands.

Having laid bare Su Yu's intentions, Jian Kong gave a soft chuckle and flicked his wrist, sending a medallion hurtling through the air toward him.

"This is the Guest Seal of the Hall of Arms. Armed with this token, you may enter Heaven's Vault Mountain at any time."

Su Yu was taken aback.

Jian Kong smiled. "Accept it, Friend. Should any need arise, we shall contact you. As for your desire to align with other forbidden lands to reap further benefits... we truthfully do not mind."

For they had never expected a rogue cultivator to offer genuine devotion in the first place.

He chuckled. "There is no need for undue anxiety. In truth, so long as you can accomplish tasks for the forbidden lands, it matters little which domains you serve—provided you do not infringe upon our core interests."

It was as simple as that.

Who in their right mind would expect these rogue cultivators to bleed themselves dry or maintain unwavering loyalty?

What a preposterous notion.

Having ascended from the vast void, devoid of organization, sentiment, or heritage, rogue cultivators were invariably cold, self-serving creatures.

As long as one could perform tasks for a forbidden land without infringing upon its interests, it mattered not a whit how many masters they chose to court.

This brought Su Yu into a spell of quiet reflection.

He realized he had yet to fully assimilate into the world within the gate; here, playing multiple sides against the middle was completely standard behavior that required no concealment whatsoever, recognized and accepted by the forbidden lands themselves.

So, they don't really care either, as long as you can get things done for them!

Mercenary nature!

Su Yu understood!

At this moment, he truly understood, grasping the rules of this place more and more.

So his little act had been mostly unnecessary.

Su Yu let out a long breath: "You flatter me, sir. Only today at Black Tomb did I realize that the grand vision and lofty standards of the Forbidden Land's strong are indeed beyond my reach!"

Jian Kong smiled: "Not at all, it's merely a difference in position!"

As he spoke, a sphere shot toward Su Yu: "These are some Path Powers I've collected myself—not much, nor too strong. You may not lack them, but consider it a token from Sky Dome Mountain! In the future, if you have need, I'll naturally offer you sufficient recompense."

Su Yu caught the sphere, inwardly stunned. Where did he get so many Path Powers? Don't the Forbidden Lands rarely make a move?

Su Yu sensed it: three Second-Class Paths, and over a dozen below Second-Class.

This was the result of killing quite a few people!

Of course, they lived long, and this place had many strong—some stockpiles were only natural.

Indeed, those behind the gate were wealthy!

"Thank you, sir!"

Su Yu didn't stand on ceremony, accepting it directly, and smiled: "If you ever need anything, sir, feel free to send someone to Six Directions Mountain to find me. If I can do it, I'll surely serve!"

"Good!"

Jian Kong nodded, and Su Yu said no more, stepping into the void and departing.

After he left, the woman behind him spoke softly: "Brother Jian Kong, is this appropriate? If we want to recruit him… we could just order him to serve. If not, ignore him, or kill him outright…"

Why give him any benefits?

Jian Kong shook his head: "It's not like before now! The situation is changing. The Celestial Gate is about to open, and the Forbidden Lands will first see conflict—big fish eat small fish. Soon, some rogue cultivators will step forward, and some ancient beings will emerge from their secluded places. This fellow is a rogue cultivator; from what I see, he wants to dominate the Severance Gorge, which benefits us…"

"In recent years, the Mountain Lord of Sky Dome has rarely shown himself, always contending with the Human Emperor. Our influence is waning!"

Otherwise, Sky Dome Mountain would be the overlord here!

How could others meddle in the Severance Gorge?

With that, Jian Kong smiled again: "Just some Path Powers. Having him work for us is a good choice. Most rogue cultivators are poor, afraid to hoard treasures—they use them up, or they become a lure for disaster… So for him, these Path Powers are enough to make him risk death!"

He glanced around and smiled: "Let's go. Black Tomb is a casual pawn. If he's useful, good; if not, it doesn't matter. He's not on our side now anyway. If other places get chaotic… let them be chaotic!"

The two nodded, and Jian Kong said no more, flying swiftly toward Sky Dome Mountain.

The man quickly teleported them, and moments later, they arrived at a Void Boundary Stele.

At this spot, Jian Kong took out a token, which emitted a faint glow. The next moment, a void passage appeared, and Jian Kong swiftly led them inside, vanishing in an instant.

Such was the power of the Forbidden Lands!

They could cover vast distances quickly—this was the reason.

After a while, Jian Kong returned.

Now, amid the massive mountain range, on the central peak, another figure seemed to materialize. Jian Kong dared not look too closely; he bowed and said in a low voice: "Mountain Lord, the Locust Swarm has been annihilated. On our way, we encountered Black Tomb of Six Directions Mountain…"

He briefly recounted the encounter, his voice soft, but he knew the Mountain Lord would hear.

After an unknown time, the voice of the Sky Dome Mountain Lord came faintly: "I know. Withdraw!"

"Yes!"

Jian Kong quickly led his people away.

…

At the peak of Sky Dome Mountain.

The Sky Dome Mountain Lord glanced in that direction, frowning slightly: "Black Tomb?"

Just now, a peculiar fluctuation seemed to come from over there. What exactly it was, he couldn't discern—was it related to this Black Tomb?

An 18-Path cultivator, not weak.

But not enough to cause such a disturbance.

"Black Tomb… Six Directions Mountain…"

The Sky Dome Mountain Lord considered going to check, but recently the Human Emperor seemed to be stirring again. He feared that if he left, the other might emerge—such was the irony of timing.

Thinking, a third eye suddenly appeared on his brow, like a celestial eye, stretching far into the distance.

It extended to a very distant place!

After a moment, a figure appeared in his vision.

The Sky Dome Mountain Lord watched for a while, nodding slightly. Considerable Path Powers, decent strength, seething killing intent—a notable figure, likely not old.

He probed further—nothing too unusual.

Wait… he looked more closely, somewhat surprised. This fellow might be hiding a bit of strength. His 18 Path Powers didn't seem to be single-path powers, but a fusion of multiple paths!

"I see… he's already found the path of fusion. The remaining 16 Paths, once he advances, will soon be integrated… A promising strongman!"

Quite good!

Of course, to him, it was just that.

Nothing else stood out.

Decent enough.

No special traits, and as for the Myriad Realm Power, he didn't sense it at all—a native of the Celestial Gate.

The Sky Dome Mountain Lord was, after all, a supreme existence. Though Black Tomb had talent and decent strength, he saw no anomaly and dismissed it. Such figures as Black Tomb were not rare in the Celestial Gate.

Just as he was thinking, suddenly, a portal flickered before him. The Sky Dome Mountain Lord instantly set aside Su Yu's matter, his eyes brightening, then turning into a cold smile: "Xingyu, you've been quite active lately!"

How many years—thousands—since Xingyu was severely wounded, he rarely opened the Celestial Gate. Yet recently, he'd been opening it repeatedly.

From the flickering portal, the Human Emperor's voice came, tinged with amusement: "Sky Dome, don't be like that. We're old acquaintances! It's like this: the Celestial Gate will soon open, and my strength hasn't recovered… Sky Dome, do you have some Path Powers? Nothing too strong—just a few dozen First-Class Path Powers will do. I need them to heal my injuries…"

The Sky Dome Mountain Lord sneered: "And you think I'd give them?"

The Human Emperor laughed: "Come on, I'm not asking for nothing! You and I are tied to the Celestial Gate—that's fate. Don't spend all your time plotting to kill me; you can't do it anyway. Why waste the opportunity?"

The Human Emperor continued: "How about this? I'll trade a Myriad Path Stone for 30 First-Class Paths."

"Myriad Path Stone?"

The Sky Dome Mountain Lord was startled!

The Human Emperor smiled: "Deal? It's from when the Lord of Time created the heavens—legend says it's residual source power from the Myriad Paths… What do you say?"

"You have it?"

The Sky Dome Mountain Lord sneered: "You'd have that? If you did, you wouldn't give it to me!"

"I don't!"

The Human Emperor answered bluntly, then added: "I'm injured. This thing is in the hands of a strong cultivator—I can't take it. Give me a few dozen First-Class Path Powers, let me recover, then I'll go kill that person, seize the Myriad Path Stone, and give it to you!"

"……"

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain was almost amused by the sheer absurdity!

What kind of logic was this?

Xingyu truly dared to say such things!

First, he comes to ask for the power of the Great Dao, then he goes to kill and seize treasures, and after the slaughter, he offers me a share—is this trading with something that doesn't even belong to him?

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain sneered: "Xingyu, let me make a deal with you. I'll sell you the River of Time. What price will you offer?"

Ridiculous man!

Would you buy it?

The Human Emperor was exasperated: "No, it's not that. You're no match for the Lord of Time. If you were, I'd truly dare to buy it! The point is, I can handle the opponent—don't you know my strength yet? Here's the situation: the Human Gate and the Earth Gate are making a deal. The Chaos Lord wants the Ten Thousand Paths Stone, and the Human Gate seems to have agreed. I have to intercept it!"

"It's for your own good too. Otherwise, if the Chaos Lord truly gets the Ten Thousand Paths Stone, he might make some progress! Are you sure you can contend with him? Let's work together—strength united!"

"Sky Dome, among the Three Gates and the Ten Thousand Realms, the Ten Thousand Realms are the weakest! And I'm injured. If you don't give me some benefits, and the Earth Gate has a crack, I might truly open the Earth Gate first... Then don't come crying later! If the Chaos Lord gets the Ten Thousand Paths Stone and opens the Earth Gate first... by then, regret will be too late!"

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain frowned.

The Human Emperor continued: "Think it over. A ruler's word is law! Once I obtain the Ten Thousand Paths Stone, I'll definitely give you a piece!"

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain ignored him.

If he dared to babble any more, I'd shatter his Heavenly Gate with a single punch!

The Human Emperor, still vexed, pressed on: "I know you don't trust me! But if I don't act against the other party, and the deal goes through, what good does that do you? Those from Eternal Life Mountain might also have dealings with the Human Gate. Sky Dome, do you have any dealings with the Human Gate?"

Before the Lord of Sky Dome could speak, the Human Emperor continued: "You have none! You're too powerful, probably too proud to deal with the Human Gate! Back then, you already had the power of thirty-five Dao, and now you might have thirty-six... Among the lords of the forbidden lands, you're likely among the top tier... You've probably never colluded with the Human Gate..."

"If I don't stop it, the Human Gate will end up colluding with the Earth Gate!"

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain furrowed his brow slightly.

The Human Emperor added: "How about this: I'll give you something as collateral first. Could you lend me a few dozen strands of first-class Great Dao power?"

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain sneered: "Are you dreaming?"

"Dreaming?"

The Human Emperor laughed. "How could that be! First, listen to what I'm offering as collateral... You'd never guess!"

"What?"

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain suddenly grew a bit interested. Xingyu was powerful, and now he wanted to borrow a massive amount of first-class Great Dao power. What could he possibly offer as collateral?

"The Human Emperor's Seal!"

The Human Emperor was audacious to the extreme, chuckling: "Listen carefully—the Human Emperor's Seal! The token of my unification of all realms! It contains a vast amount of rule power, the faith of all realms, and the supreme treasure that calmed the River of Time!"

"If I fail to give you the Ten Thousand Paths Stone, you keep this. When the Heavenly Gate opens, with this Human Emperor's Seal, you'll hold absolute initiative over all realms!"

Sky Dome's expression shifted slightly.

The Human Emperor's Seal!

This, I truly hadn't expected.

Xingyu had gone mad!

He dared to trade even that!

"Are you certain?"

The Human Emperor laughed: "Of course! It's just an external object! Besides, I'm not giving it to you. I said, once I seize the Ten Thousand Paths Stone, we'll exchange back! In fact, my Human Emperor's Seal might be forged from the Ten Thousand Paths Stone itself... I didn't make it; I found it... But this one can't be used. A real Ten Thousand Paths Stone should be able to draw power... If you don't return it to me after I obtain the Ten Thousand Paths Stone... then I'll forge another one and transfer the fate of all realms! Don't blame me if I give you an empty shell!"

At that moment, the Lord of Sky Dome Mountain fell into deep thought.

The Human Emperor's Seal!

This fellow, in his quest to recover, truly stopped at nothing!

The power of all realms!

Countless thoughts swirled in his mind as he weighed whether to do this.

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain sank into contemplation.

Meanwhile, the Human Emperor grew impatient: "You must know, time flows slower on your side. If you hesitate for a few days, on my side, the deal between both parties will already be done!"

After a moment of silence, the Lord of Sky Dome Mountain spoke: "Can the Human Gate come out?"

Otherwise, how could the transaction happen?

"Hard to say for now... But if there's a powerful cultivator aligned with the Human Gate, who forcibly summons it, and if such a person is within the Earth Gate, they might pierce through both the Human Gate and the Earth Gate to send the item across... My task is to sever their connection during that time!"

"But it requires immense power to cut the link between them in the River of Time... Right now, I'm injured and can't do it."

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain was silent for a moment: "You truly intend to use the Human Emperor's Seal as exchange?"

"Not exchange—collateral!"

The Human Emperor snapped: "Collateral, understand? Once I get the Ten Thousand Paths Stone, I'll trade it back!"

"And if you fail to obtain it?"

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain said coldly: "The Human Emperor's Seal is still yours, and you've always controlled it forcibly. If you can't get the Ten Thousand Paths Stone..."

"Then destroy it!"

The Human Emperor said irritably: "You can't use it, but can't you destroy it? If you can't even do that, you're too useless. And if it's truly destroyed, the loss to me would be far greater than losing a Ten Thousand Paths Stone!"

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Three first-class Dao paths!"

"Fine, the kind with thirty-one strands of power!"

The Human Emperor agreed readily.

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain wanted to curse.

To hell with you!

"About twenty strands of power!"

"Go die!"

The Human Emperor roared: "Who do you take me for? I am the Emperor of All Realms! At my peak, even a whelp like you wouldn't dare contend with me, and you offer me a Dao path of twenty strands of power to fob me off?"

"Even now, gravely wounded, I've resolved the calamity of all races, and my strength still exceeds twenty-five strands of power. Otherwise, do you think I could have dealt with the troubles of all races? You offer me twenty strands of power now—who are you insulting?"

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain thought for a moment. Indeed, this one might have recovered somewhat.

His strength was still formidable.

A Dao path of twenty strands of power... was indeed a bit dismissive.

"Twenty-five strands of Dao power, two paths!"

The Human Emperor fumed: "You... fine, you bastard, you probably don't even have that many. Five will do! And throw in three to five dozen Dao paths of seventeen or eighteen strands as a bonus!"

The Lord of Sky Dome Mountain frowned: "I don't have them."

"Impossible!"

The Human Emperor raged: "Is my Human Emperor's Seal worth only five Dao paths of twenty-five strands of power?"

"Three strands? If you don't agree, then forget it!"

The Lord of Skyvault Mountain ignored him and left it at that.

The Human Emperor Seal... he was still quite interested, but offering too much made him worry—worry that this fellow might truly have recovered to his peak.

After all, back then, to severely wound the Human Emperor, the various forbidden lands had expended immense effort.

Twenty-five Paths of power were nothing much.

Regardless of whether the Human Emperor spoke truth or falsehood, twenty-five Paths of power would at most help him recover to twenty-five Paths, or twenty-six Paths—that was hardly a big deal.

If the Human Emperor could resolve the troubles of the myriad races, perhaps he had indeed recovered to twenty-five Paths of power.

The Human Emperor fell silent, then after a long while cursed: "We'll talk later. Three strands of twenty-five Paths of power—are you giving alms to a beggar?"

As he spoke, the phantom of the Heavenly Gate vanished.

The Lord of Skyvault Mountain watched the phantom of the Heavenly Gate disappear and fell into deep thought.

Had the Earthly Gate and the Human Gate also begun to make contact?

And that Xingyu—crafty and full of schemes—when he said he wanted to trade the Human Emperor Seal with me, was there some trap?

One by one, thoughts surfaced in his mind.

……

At the same time.

The Myriad Realms.

The Human Emperor rubbed his chin and murmured: "The Human Emperor Seal, the core of heaven and earth... but the key is that Skyvault is too strong—will I be discovered?"

If discovered, that would be very troublesome.

If not discovered... his heaven and earth would infiltrate through!

Along the way, he could obtain three strands of twenty-five Paths of great power...

The Human Emperor bared his teeth, almost wanting to laugh.

As for himself—come on, what twenty-five Paths of power? Up to now, he had barely recovered to around eighteen Paths of power—don't even mention how miserable it was!

(End of this chapter)