Chapter 878: The Powerful Su Yu

On Liufang Mountain.

Su Yu swiftly crushed those who resisted.

When he produced the guest elder token of Tianqiong Mountain, though a guest elder there wasn't of great import, for a rogue cultivator not born in a forbidden land, becoming a guest elder of Tianqiong Mountain was no small feat.

Tianqiong Mountain had not accepted outsiders for a long time.

Add to that Su Yu's immense audacity, and his utter lack of deference toward the two envoys; for a moment, everyone instinctively assumed that his boldness stemmed precisely from this.

All he did was for Tianqiong Mountain, with Tianqiong Mountain backing him.

In terms of status and standing, he was equal to the two forbidden land envoys.

And he was stronger!

Under such circumstances, the master of Tianqiong Mountain was immensely powerful, so naturally he cared little whether the two forbidden land envoys were satisfied or not.

At that moment, the old man from Dead Spirit Hell looked at Su Yu and spoke darkly: "So Fellow Daoist Heimu hails from Tianqiong Mountain. Had I known Tianqiong Mountain had already taken Liufang Mountain, we would not have come to humiliate ourselves!"

Su Yu's face was indifferent. "What if you had known? What if you hadn't? When strength falls short, you must accept it! My master of Tianqiong Mountain is supremely powerful—why fear any quarter?"

Arrogant!

The envoy from Dead Spirit Hell cursed inwardly—too arrogant.

No matter how strong, could he be stronger than the Lord of the Dead?

Of course, it was hard to say now.

But once the Lord of the Dead returned to the myriad realms and merged with heaven and earth, in everyone's eyes, he would surely surpass the Lord of Tianqiong.

Yet now, within the gate, whether the Lord of the Dead was stronger than the Lord of Tianqiong was impossible to judge; the two lords seemed never to have fought alone.

Both envoys remained silent.

Since the other side also stood behind a forbidden land, and a rather powerful one at that—Tianqiong Mountain—it became a conflict between forbidden lands.

And as for conflicts between forbidden lands... this trivial matter in the Northeast Domain was hardly worth the effort for the forbidden lands; no one would go to war with Tianqiong Mountain over such a trifle.

Below, the kneeling crowd gradually calmed down, not only shedding their earlier fear but even feeling a hint of excitement.

Tianqiong Mountain?

Good news!

That meant, if we join Liufang Mountain, we become people of Tianqiong Mountain too?

Some glanced at the corpses of the fallen strongmen and cursed under their breath—how ungrateful, how foolish!

If only they had known Heimu came from Tianqiong Mountain, why resist?

Which forbidden land you pledge allegiance to is all the same!

At this moment, the seductive woman from Luohun Valley gradually regained her composure, looked at Su Yu, and spoke: "Since Fellow Daoist Heimu is from Tianqiong Mountain, today we have been presumptuous. Now that you have taken the Northeast Domain... we will no longer interfere. Fellow Daoist Heimu, this humble one will take her leave first..."

Su Yu looked at her, said nothing, and sat down in the chair above.

At this moment, inside and outside the great hall, only Su Yu was seated; below, only these two stood. The others, including the Blade Master, knelt on one knee, awaiting Su Yu's command!

"Leaving just like that?"

Seeing the woman about to depart, Su Yu said coldly: "The business isn't finished—why the rush?"

The seductive woman's expression shifted slightly. She glanced at the old man beside her; the old man from Dead Spirit Hell also changed color.

Their strength was passable, but not exceptional—both around the eighteenth level, slightly stronger than ordinary newly promoted first-rank, yet still inferior to Su Yu.

Now, under Su Yu's gaze, both felt a chill in their hearts.

Would you kill us?

Seizing the Northeast Domain was a minor matter, but killing a forbidden land envoy—even if you are from Tianqiong Mountain—would still cause some trouble.

Su Yu smiled, suddenly dropping his coldness: "What's the hurry? Fellow Daoists, wait a little longer! Whether Tianqiong Mountain, Dead Spirit Hell, or Luohun Valley—people like us, though not cannon fodder or the lowest, are hardly great figures..."

The two envoys said nothing, but after all, they were first-rank experts. Though not the rulers of their forbidden lands, they still held considerable power within them.

The vast gate world, endless and infinite, had many strong beings, but first-rank were still among the top tier.

Su Yu's words did not move them.

Seeing this, Su Yu smiled and said no more. These two were likely of higher status than the Blade Master and Snow Dragon; as envoys of their forbidden lands, they could put on airs, enjoying far more freedom than the Blade Master and Snow Dragon.

To them, Su Yu's words held little allure.

Su Yu said nothing further. At this moment, he rapidly absorbed the Dao power of the three slain first-rank experts. However, these three had not been integrated; they had been forcibly killed.

In such cases, much of the Dao power dissipated, and since they were killed by force, there was no insight power to merge with the Dao. Thus, even three first-rank experts gave Su Yu little real benefit.

It might not even compare to a single first-rank willing to fully merge into your world.

Therefore, to expand one's world, killing was actually inefficient.

One needed to make the other party willingly merge into your world—then the harvest would be great.

Here, there were many strong beings.

There were twenty-two second-rank experts alone.

Of course, Jin Feng had already merged into the world, so in reality, only twenty-one second-rank had not merged.

Those who had originally followed, like Zhi Gu, had been directly killed by Su Yu.

As for Luo Yun, he was still stunned, occasionally stealing a glance at Su Yu, his eyes full of shock—when had Heimu become so powerful?

Had he been hiding his strength all along?

Su Yu glanced at the strong beings below, then suddenly looked at Luo Yun. Luo Yun's heart jumped.

Su Yu looked at him and smiled: "Luo Yun, your path is that of ropes and captures, isn't it?"

Luo Yun quickly replied: "Yes, my lord!"

Su Yu nodded slightly and smiled: "Do you know why the Blade Master and Snow Dragon serve me?"

"Because my lord is from Tianqiong Mountain..."

"Nonsense!"

Su Yu laughed: "I am merely a guest elder. These two, one from the Dragon Domain, one from the Blade Domain—though their status is not extremely high, they are still above ordinary guest elders!"

Yes!

At these words, everyone was startled.

That's right!

Why would these two serve Heimu?

Strange!

Even the two envoys were surprised. Had Su Yu not mentioned it, they would have forgotten. Now they thought about it—indeed, these two were not low in status, nor weak in strength—why would they serve Heimu, or rather Tianqiong Mountain?

Su Yu looked at Luo Yun again and smiled: "You are the only one on my side who has not betrayed me among those above the eighth level, though it may not have been your willing choice!"

Luo Yun hurriedly said: "My lord jokes—I have always been loyal to you!"

"Heh!"

Su Yu chuckled, then added, "Now, I'll give you a chance. Care to try?"

"Of course!"

Luo Yun replied hastily. Whatever the chance, whatever Su Yu said, that was the rule now.

"Sever your own Dao, how about that?"

Suicide?

Luo Yun froze, and the others felt a chill in their hearts. What was he doing?

Though Luo Yun might have betrayed him, he was still the only strong one under Su Yu's command who hadn't fled. To treat him like this...

Then... what about us?

Su Yu smiled. "Severing the Dao doesn't necessarily mean death. Sometimes, it might even be an opportunity."

Luo Yun glanced at Su Yu, then around him, quickly weighing his options.

Black Tomb killing him was useless!

But... severing the Dao meant death, didn't it?

For a moment, he seemed torn, but soon, gritting his teeth, he hurriedly said, "If the master commands Luo Yun to die, Luo Yun dares not refuse!"

Su Yu laughed!

The flattery was well-delivered, but it would be better if his body didn't tremble.

Su Yu couldn't be bothered to say more. The power of heaven and earth spread, instantly reaching Luo Yun's side. At that moment, from one of his acupoints, the power of a Dao path emerged.

The others didn't notice much, but the two envoys, powerful as they were, vaguely sensed something. They exchanged glances, puzzled and intrigued.

What... was this?

Su Yu didn't hide anything. Before Luo Yun, a Dao path suddenly appeared, like a rope, but very weak. Su Yu looked at Luo Yun. "Condense your own Dao, extract all the power of rules, merge that power into the Dao before you, and pour all your insights into it!"

Luo Yun looked confused, raising his head to Su Yu. What did this mean?

"Just try it and see!"

Su Yu smiled. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have waited until now. You're still my trusted subordinate. Killing you would only dishearten everyone. Give it a try!"

Luo Yun gritted his teeth. That was true!

But severing the Dao... was still terrifying.

It was like someone telling you to kill yourself, that you wouldn't die, they'd save you—a normal person wouldn't agree. But when someone holds a big cleaver to your neck, you have no choice but to agree.

He could only gamble that the other was telling the truth!

Luo Yun gritted his teeth. Death was death!

Facing an existence like Black Tomb, he had no choice. If he remained composed, perhaps Black Tomb wouldn't do anything to him.

His Dao manifested, and he began extracting the power of rules, breaking it bit by bit. As it broke, he glanced at Su Yu several times, a hint of anxiety in his eyes. Weren't you going to tell me to stop?

I thought you were testing my loyalty!

The Dao broke piece by piece, and he grew more anxious.

After a while, as the Dao was about to completely shatter, Luo Yun's face turned pale. He looked at Su Yu, who rolled his eyes. Were you waiting for me to say stop?

He reached out and grabbed, the void trembling.

In that moment, as Luo Yun's eyes showed a glimmer of hope that Black Tomb had finally intervened, Su Yu's hand clenched, snapping his Dao power completely!

"..."

Luo Yun stood dumbfounded. The next moment, a surge of rule power erupted within him, boiling, threatening to explode!

Despair filled his eyes.

I... have truly been killed!

Just then, Su Yu snapped irritably, "Hurry, merge it into the Dao before you. Waiting to die?"

Luo Yun snapped back to reality, ignoring everything else, and quickly channeled his Dao power into the rope-like Dao before him.

In his mind, he thought, Is he making me die just to forge a weapon out of me?

Too cruel!

He felt the thing before him resembled Dao power, but also the embryo of a forged weapon. Who knew?

But at this moment, he had no choice.

The next moment, his Dao power fused with the Dao before him. Everyone else turned to look at him, fear in their eyes. Black Tomb even kills his own people—what will happen to us?

But gradually, their expressions shifted.

Not just them; Luo Yun, filled with despair and pessimism, was merging when he suddenly paused. The Dao power that had just shattered began to reconnect, rapidly.

A torrent of rule power merged into the Dao before him, quickly strengthening it.

Su Yu's voice rang out again: "Comprehend the Dao, merge all your previous insights into it, integrate the Dao, and strengthen it!"

Luo Yun had no time to think. He hurriedly followed Su Yu's instructions.

Since he wasn't dead yet!

He kept comprehending the Dao, pouring all his understanding into this new Dao. It felt no different from his previous Dao, as if he were cultivating from weak to strong all over again.

But with his insights and Dao power intact, the rope-like Dao quickly grew stronger.

From seven strands of power to eight...

Until it reached ten strands, returning to its former level. Luo Yun's body trembled, and he quickly withdrew from his comprehension.

He hurriedly touched his body, and a surge of Dao power emanated from his hand. He stared at Su Yu in bewilderment. What was happening?

It felt the same as before, yet somehow different.

Hadn't I severed my Dao? Why did it feel like I hadn't?

Was it all a dream?

It was only then that the Blade Master looked at Luo Yun and sneered, "Fool! You don't understand the master's intentions, nor his strength, which is beyond imagination! This is the master's Dao of Creation! You have now merged into the master's world! The first to merge into a world—the Dao is unique, not like the Daos of today!"

Now, a single Dao might be comprehended by ten people in ten different directions, or even more.

For instance, the Dao of the Dead—originally, there was only one in heaven and earth. Now there are thousands. The Lord of the Dead's task is to unite these Daos.

At the dawn of creation, the Dao was singular!

The Blade Master knew that the Dao of the Blade he now cultivated was singular—a tremendous opportunity.

Until this moment, Luo Yun hadn't fully grasped it. The two envoys suddenly gasped!

The gaunt old man exclaimed in shock, "A Creator!"

He abruptly turned to Su Yu. "Are you a Creator?"

Impossible!

The Lord of the Dead was one. He knew a bit about this. On the Lord of the Dead's side, there were indeed some whose Dao power had merged into his world, but very few.

Because the path taken by the Lord of the Dead was somewhat different from Su Yu's.

The path of the Lord of the Dead could be seen in the realm of the dead: his subordinates merged with the Dao—truly merged—their great Dao fused into the origin, then assimilated, all becoming the same power of the Dao.

In general, it was similar to Su Yu, but the Lord of the Dead had a stronger desire for control, and those who merged with the Dao had very little freedom.

On Su Yu's side, freedom was actually higher.

Of course, as lords of heaven and earth, they were essentially the same—both were masters of their own realms, both possessing immense authority!

Su Yu said nothing, smiled, and looked at the others.

But the thin, old man grew anxious, hurriedly turning to Su Yu, his voice trembling with shock, shouting, "Brother Black Tomb... this is impossible!"

How could it be!

Su Yu ignored him, looked at the others, and laughed, "You see, follow Luo Yun's example! This is a chance to live, a chance to grow your potential. Whether it's the Blade Master or the Snow Dragon, they have long since merged into my heaven and earth!"

At that moment, some second-rank experts below seemed to guess something, their voices shaking as they swallowed hard and quickly said, "My... my lord... have you... opened a new heaven?"

Su Yu smiled: "Words are empty; I say it, and you may not believe it. Seeing is believing. Since you have witnessed it, be quick about it! This way, I trust you, and you should trust me, because once you merge into my heaven and earth, if you die for no reason, my Dao will also suffer some damage... As the first to merge into my heaven and earth, if there is a chance... to open another era, it is not impossible!"

The crowd was stunned!

Had he truly opened a new heaven?

That was impossible!

But at this moment, they had seen it with their own eyes!

The next moment, before anyone in the hall could speak, from outside the door, some experts below the second rank shouted loudly, "My lord, I am willing to merge with the Dao! Please grant me this opportunity!"

Su Yu smiled at once. Indeed, there were still those willing to take a gamble.

He said nothing, letting a strand of Dao power spread out, and said calmly, "In my heaven and earth, there is only one path for each kind of Dao! First come, first served! As for those who miss out... they truly miss out!"

At these words, some were startled.

Miss out... then what?

In the myriad realms, within the gate, many people cultivated the same great Dao. In the myriad realms, there were racial divisions, and within the same race, it was hard to open a different Dao.

But within the gate, it was different. Here, a single great Dao could have many branches, and many people could cultivate it.

All could become Rule Masters!

But on Su Yu's side, there was only one.

Suddenly, another voice cried out, "My lord, I too am willing to merge into your heaven and earth!"

Su Yu continued to extend his Dao power!

One by one, experts shouted quickly. At this moment, in the hall, some second-rank experts, their faces changing, also hurriedly called out, "My lord, I am willing as well!"

Su Yu kept extending his Dao power.

Gradually, more and more people chose to merge their Dao into Su Yu's heaven and earth.

But some, watching experts who cultivated the same Dao as themselves quickly merge into the heaven and earth, grew frantic. What about them?

If there was no place, would they be killed, or what?

Someone quickly said, "My lord, I cultivate the Dao of Fire, but it has already been merged by someone else. My lord, I too wish to merge into your heaven and earth..."

Su Yu's voice turned cold: "Merge all your Fire Dao into the Dao of that person who came before. He will govern the Fire Dao, and you will cultivate alongside him. He is the Lord of Fire. When he dies one day, your chance will come!"

At these words, the speaker's face changed!

"My lord, I can change my Dao..."

He did not want this!

That would only benefit another!

Don't joke!

To merge all his Dao power into another's governed Dao, waiting for that person to die... when would that be?

Su Yu said nothing, suddenly reached out and grabbed. Under the horrified gaze of the other, with a bang, he tore the man apart. Dao rules scattered. Amid the shocked eyes of all, Su Yu seized all the man's Dao power and forcibly merged it into the Dao of the Fire Dao cultivator who had come before.

That Fire Dao cultivator had been afraid just a moment ago, because he was a fourth-rank, while the one who spoke was a third-rank Rule Master. He thought he would be forced to yield his Dao. But no!

Not only that, Su Yu had directly killed that third-rank!

Su Yu's cold voice came: "For the same kind of Dao, there is only one path. First come, first served. Those who come later must either merge or... die!"

It was that simple!

In the myriad realms, he would have let those with the same Dao switch to another path, so they could still cultivate and maintain their strength.

But here, Su Yu would not do that.

He had only 720 Dao powers here, which was enough, but cultivating a Dao that did not match one's own was slow, with little insight, and did little to help Su Yu.

Here, he was more realistic, more ruthless.

Since you cultivated the Fire Dao, then merge into it!

That way, one Dao would grow quickly, without waste!

If he were in the myriad realms, Su Yu would have been willing to do this, and many could have cultivated the same Dao together, making the master of that Dao grow rapidly by absorbing others' insights!

But Su Yu had not done that, because it was too cruel!

Cruelty, perhaps, was the essence of cultivation.

Yet in the myriad realms, Su Yu was willing to waste a little, to give everyone time to slowly comprehend a new Dao.

Here, he would not!

Because here, people devoured each other!

And at this moment, many faces changed, and they quickly spoke: "My lord, I am willing to merge into your heaven and earth!"

No more hesitation!

Some with similar Daos spoke at the same time, then looked at each other, their faces turning pale!

Who would be the master?

Who would be the subordinate?

They did not want to die, so one had to govern the Dao, and the other had to merge into it to strengthen the other. Though the Dao would grow stronger and they could become stronger too, unless they were the master, and unless the other's Dao was extremely powerful, they would generally only reach the level of a Celestial Venerable, a fifth-rank Rule Master.

No one wanted their strength to decline!

At this moment, those who had already taken control of a Dao were all relaxed, shouting inwardly, "Profit!"

Those who merged first had made a huge profit!

Blade Master and the others were also grateful in their hearts.

Because common Daos like the Blade Dao were cultivated by many.

But now, according to Su Yu's intention, those who came later could merge, but they would have to merge into his Blade Dao. Su Yu's heaven and earth would not open a second Dao of the same kind!

That Dao would have only one master!

At this moment, Blade Master suddenly felt pleased, because there were indeed experts who cultivated the Blade Dao, and now, with no choice, they were forced to merge into the Blade Dao within Su Yu's heaven and earth!

The Blade Master suddenly grinned, for he saw a second-class powerhouse, forced by circumstance, utterly miserable, merging his own Great Dao into the Blade Master’s path of swordsmanship!

The Blade Master swiftly felt a surge of immense power flowing in, and new insights into blade techniques rushed into his mind!

He reveled in it, comprehended it, and was utterly delighted!

Though Su Yu had not yet reached twenty-five Daos, preventing him from advancing to first-class, once Su Yu’s shackles were broken, he would have enough insights; as long as he absorbed sufficient rule power, he could naturally rise quickly.

At that moment, while still immersed in comprehension, he glanced at that second-class powerhouse… no, now the other had only risen to around the level of a fifth-class Rule Lord and had stalled.

The Blade Master laughed uncontrollably, baring his teeth, and quickly consoled, “Don’t worry! Once my Great Dao power breaks through and my path strengthens, even if I can’t open a new Dao, you’ll still improve!”

That second-class powerhouse’s face darkened, but he said nothing.

What else could he do?

The Blade Master had merged his Dao first and was stronger; if he didn’t merge, he would end up like the one before—slain on the spot!

If they had resisted together, it might have worked.

But now, with over a hundred people, not everyone cultivated the same Dao; there weren’t many duplicate paths—just over a dozen. Could he count on those dozen to resist?

Forget it!

The others wouldn’t agree!

Letting them duel in pairs was acceptable, and sure enough, someone shouted, “Milord, I challenge Taiwu to a duel! Milord, survival of the fittest, the strong rule! Whoever loses merges their Dao; whoever wins controls the Dao. That way, everyone will be willing!”

The victor is king!

The speaker was also third-class, while his opponent was only fourth-class; he resented playing second fiddle to someone weaker than himself!

As for resisting Su Yu, that thought never crossed his mind.

Su Yu glanced at him and smiled, “A duel?”

“Yes!”

The man hurriedly said, “Milord, if I lose the duel, I’ll willingly merge my insights and Great Dao rule power. That way, he’ll gain a huge boost. But if I’m unwilling and resentful, even if you kill me, you’ll only get some rule power… not the insights into the Dao! Then, even if he merges the Dao, he’ll only have three-Dao power, not become a six-Dao cultivator like me!”

Because the other’s insights were there!

The key point was: you, a six-Dao cultivator, want to duel a three-Dao cultivator…

Did the outcome even need stating?

The one he had named turned pale. He had spoken faster; by rights, first come, first served—he would merge his Dao first, and the other would have to cooperate. But now, the other wanted to duel him!

The result was obvious without further words!

And settling matters by strength was a common practice within the sect.

But Su Yu laughed, then suddenly reached out a palm. Under the other’s horrified gaze, Su Yu slapped him into pieces!

Su Yu said coldly, “Enough. Continue! If there are no insights, so be it; absorbing some rule power is fine. I said first come, first served. Why provoke me? Even if he’s a waste… he still holds the Dao under my command, and you must cooperate!”

His giant hand clenched, crushing the other until his Dao scattered!

Su Yu looked at the crowd and said icily, “First come, first served! It’s that simple. My orders, before I myself revoke them, no one may question them!”

Everyone’s heart tightened!

No one dared say another word!

And Su Yu said calmly, “Whether to merge your insights into the Dao is your choice. If the Dao grows strong, even if you merge into someone else’s Dao, you’ll become stronger. If the other becomes so powerful that they eventually choose to switch paths… won’t your chance come too? Of course, insights are not forced. If you don’t merge, that’s fine too!”

Su Yu chuckled, “Continue!”

At that, the world fell silent.

No one dared speak again!

Meanwhile, the two from Netherhell and Soulfall Valley both turned pale.

By now, everyone was merging their Daos, and they were still standing…

What were they to do?

Black Tomb wouldn’t let them leave, yet they had witnessed a great secret—a Heaven Opener!

What did that mean?

If they weren’t fools, they knew what the outcome would be!

The woman from Soulfall Valley, her face ashen, looked at Su Yu, no longer seductive, but anxious and frantic: “Black Tomb… Milord… we… we are from the forbidden lands! If we rashly merge our Daos… that would be betraying the forbidden lands! The forbidden lands might not care about the Northeast Domain’s allegiance, but a betrayal by an eighteen-Dao powerhouse—the forbidden lands will not tolerate it!”

The forbidden lands could tolerate many things, but betrayal… once there was one, there could be another. Once discovered, the forbidden lands would surely deal with them!

That would be opposing the forbidden lands!

Su Yu smiled, “I’m not asking you to betray! I’m not asking you to merge your Daos, am I?”

Su Yu said with a faint smile, “Right now, the Death Dao and the Charm Dao haven’t been merged yet. Once I find cultivators with similar Daos… I think your chances will be slim.”

The two turned pale!

What could they do?

Merging into a Heaven Opener wasn’t a bad thing, but… but they couldn’t; it would offend the forbidden lands!

They were envoys, with some connections within the forbidden lands.

And they still needed to return.

As for the Blade Master and Snow Dragon, they were the kind sent out and abandoned; no one would say anything about what happened to them!

Was there a choice?

The old man from Netherhell struggled and said, “If we… don’t merge… will Black Tomb… Milord, kill us?”

Because the Heaven Opening was an absolute secret!

Would he kill them?

Yes!

In truth, he knew the answer, knew the outcome!

The next moment, he said dejectedly, “Milord, we can merge our Daos, but we… can no longer show ourselves. Even if we fake our deaths, the forbidden lands might investigate, or might not. But if we appear and act, and are discovered, the forbidden lands will know of our betrayal… Not only us, but Milord will face utter destruction!”

Su Yu laughed and nodded slightly, “Fine! Of course, not forever—otherwise, what use would you be to me? When I can stand against the forbidden lands, it will be nothing. Besides, I have Sky Dome Mountain at my back; why fear other forbidden lands?”

Sigh!

The two first-class powerhouses knew they had no way out—only to merge their Daos. If they didn’t, the others who had already merged were glaring at them fiercely.

Having cultivated to this level, they weren’t stupid.

Afraid of death as they were, they also understood how great Black Tomb’s potential was, and how easily the forbidden lands might nip it in the bud!

Between choosing death now and possible death later, they opted for the latter!

At that moment, the two first-class powerhouses began to merge their Daos as well.

…

And Su Yu closed his eyes, beginning to comprehend.

The insights of over a hundred Rule Lords!

The Dao power of hundreds of Rule Masters merged into heaven and earth!

At this moment, the rules here rippled, and the long river trembled faintly.

Too many Daos had been severed, drawing too much power from the river—Su Yu suspected that some powerful beings might have sensed the disturbance.

With so many people, they would be discovered sooner or later!

Unless they never made a move.

But he couldn't care about that now; at this moment, his strength was climbing, climbing without cease.

Earlier, he had just crossed into 20 Dao power, but as countless strong beings merged their Dao power, countless insights surged in Su Yu's mind—the processes of cultivating various Daos, the thoughts along the path of cultivation, the essence of the Dao—all ascending!

Some of these people were ancient; over the years, though their strength might not be great, their insights were plentiful.

Su Yu absorbed the essence, and each strand of Dao power grew stronger!

21 Dao power came in an instant!

22, 23, 24...

Before long, Su Yu here had caught up to where he was in the Myriad Realms—there, he had only 24 Dao power as well.

But now, there were hundreds of Rule Masters, including four First-Class existences!

In the Myriad Realms, Su Yu had only a few like the Great Bright King, the Martial Emperor, and the Great Zhou King; Second-Class and Third-Class were far more numerous there.

In the Myriad Realms, Su Yu commanded over forty Rule Masters.

Here, in the blink of an eye, there were hundreds!

Double!

24 Dao power was a small watershed even among First-Class; beyond that, one entered the late stage of First-Class.

25 Dao power was the level of overlords in the various forbidden lands.

Like the Four Emperors of the Dead Spirit Hell, the Hall Masters of the Sky Dome Mountain, the Soul Reapers of the Fallen Soul Valley, the Vein Masters of the Eternal Life Mountain...

These beings all possessed strength above 25 Dao.

They were extremely few!

Even in the forbidden lands, aside from the masters themselves, they were the highest echelon!

In the four great forbidden lands, such existences could be counted on one's fingers!

Dead Spirit Hell had only four, its foundation weaker than the others because it was established later.

The others had at most five or six, accumulated over countless years—from the Age of Creation to now, hundreds of thousands of years, and still only that many.

And at this moment, Su Yu's aura suddenly shifted; with a thunderous roar, a surging power boiled up, instantly suppressed by Su Yu!

At the same time!

Below, Blade Master, Snow Dragon, and the others also changed expression; the next moment, waves of Dao power surged. Blade Master and Snow Dragon instantly crossed into First-Class, restoring their former strength, reaching 16 Dao power.

The two were stunned—so fast?

They had thought it would take a long time to break through!

But it didn't!

One day!

There was a WeChat public account [Book Friends' Base Camp] where you could claim red packets and points—first come, first served!

Yesterday they merged Dao, and today they recovered—not only that, both had absorbed some Dao power and were still gaining insights, feeling a sense of improvement.

But Su Yu, after assessing, sent his voice echoing: "You all must be at least a few tiers below me! Only when I rise further will you have the chance to ascend!"

As he finished speaking, Su Yu's aura shook.

Twenty-six golden dragons coiled around him; he suddenly looked toward the two from Dead Spirit Hell and Fallen Soul Valley and smiled. Their Dao merging had helped him gain another Dao power, but now it was nearing its end.

26 Dao power!

The higher one went, the harder it became!

With so many Rule Masters, they had only helped him reach 26 Dao power—it was clear how difficult it was to reach 32 Dao.

Of course, these people weren't strong enough!

Yes, still not enough.

The strongest among them had only 18 Dao!

If a few strong beings with over 20 Dao merged now, Su Yu would likely rise rapidly—but there were none.

And when he reached 26 Dao power, the auras of the Dead Spirit Hell and Fallen Soul Valley beings also shifted slightly; under the merging, they instantly reached 17 Dao, just one Dao short of their former 18 Dao.

But they couldn't rise further—they were limited.

Still, even so, four First-Class beings had all recovered to First-Class combat power.

Not only that, but earlier, Jin Feng, who had merged Dao sooner, suddenly erupted with the Golden Dao. After absorbing the Dao power of a Second-Class strong being, his aura boiled up with a thunderous roar!

A power far greater than before burst from him!

Jin Feng, too impatient to stabilize his realm, hurriedly knelt and roared, "Thank you, Calamity Lord! Jin Feng swears to follow to the death!"

He had broken through!

He had been at the peak of Second-Class, and today, after absorbing many insights and Dao power, he broke through!

The timing was perfect!

In an instant, Su Yu now had five First-Class strong beings!

Su Yu smiled and said softly, "Rise, no need for ceremony. A good thing!"

In the thirteen days since entering the gate, he had risen to 26 Dao power, gained five First-Class subordinates, and among the Second-Class, some had been forced to merge Dao, leaving eighteen Second-Class.

Not bad!

Su Yu's lips curled. With this strength, if he brought it to the Myriad Realms now, even without the people from the Human Emperor's side, he could defeat the previous myriad races!

And this was only the strength of the Northeast Domain!

Su Yu's smile instantly brightened: "The Forbidden Severance Canyon—we will subdue it!"

But just as his smile reached its peak, suddenly, a grand voice, a grand will, swept across all heaven and earth!

"Three months hence, at Eternal Life Mountain, the Gate of Heaven Assembly shall convene! All scattered cultivators with strength above 8 Dao may come to Eternal Life Mountain! The quotas for the Gate of Heaven shall be distributed!"

This vast will swept across the entire world!

Spreading in all directions!

At that moment, Su Yu's expression shifted.

...

At the same time.

The Civil King also changed expression—damn it!

Eternal Life Mountain and the various forbidden lands had reached an agreement; soon, strong beings from the forbidden lands would come to Eternal Life Mountain. He couldn't help but glare at the Martial King, you bastard, how much time have you wasted for me!

This is truly a mess!

King Wu looked innocent, "I didn't want this, but I... am really on the verge of a breakthrough!"

King Wen's face darkened, "Wen Yu is in danger!"

Eternal Mountain, Law—he has given up on keeping Wen Yu's recipe all to himself!