Chapter 883: Action

The man guessed that Su Yu was an outsider, and in the end, he even pinpointed him to King Wen and the others.

Su Yu was helpless.

Why think that way?

How inappropriate!

They are so old, and I am so young—what were you thinking?

But this man was convinced that no one inside the gate could open the heavens; clearly, he had absolute faith in his own intelligence, believing that the information he had obtained was the truth. So, what others dared not imagine, he dared to imagine.

No one had ever thought that Su Yu might be an outsider, yet from the start, he was certain that Su Yu was connected to the outside.

At this moment, Su Yu simply watched him in silence.

The man’s face was twisted in agony, covered in blood, and he said painfully, “Can you… restore my strength? Heal my wounds—I can’t bear it anymore!”

The pain was too much!

Su Yu looked at him and smiled, “Afraid of death?”

“Who isn’t?”

The man was speechless—who wasn’t afraid of death?

Su Yu smiled again, “If you’re afraid of death, then we can talk. I thought you weren’t open to conversation.”

“…”

The man had no retort.

Su Yu waved his hand, and the man’s aura recovered, instantly reaching the power of twenty paths. At this point, some injuries were truly minor, healing in an instant—the torn and bloody flesh restored at once.

Of course, his physical body was not as strong as before; his original body had been shattered, and even after recovery, it wasn’t as powerful. He would need time to slowly draw on the power of the Great Path to consolidate it.

Now, Su Yu was very interested in him.

With a wave of his hand, the world turned upside down.

Before them, the scenery shifted.

In an instant, they appeared in a pavilion. Around them, a river surged, and mist swirled.

In the pavilion, tea was brewing over a stove.

The man was not interested; instead, he looked toward the river beside him. A glance made his heart tremble.

Su Yu smiled, “Don’t look too long. It’s just the River of Ten Thousand Paths, mimicking the River of Time. These waters are mixed with the power of all paths. If you throw someone in, the force of ten thousand paths will assault them, corroding flesh and spirit, washing them away until they become part of the river… Actually, this River of Ten Thousand Paths is quite fun. Want to take a swim?”

The man was silent for a moment, then said, “Why bother?”

It was an obvious threat.

The man sighed helplessly, “I’ve entered your world, so I’m already on your boat…”

Su Yu shook his head, “No, it’s different! Entering a world is nothing! At worst, you die. Some people fear death, but they also don’t fear it—complicated, isn’t it? Actually, it’s not that complicated…”

The man sighed, “Don’t lecture me on philosophy. I’ve lived longer than you.”

A young man like him shouldn’t talk about life with him.

He sat down, picked up the teacup, poured himself some tea, held the cup, and looked at Su Yu, sinking into thought. For a long time, he said nothing.

He knew what Su Yu wanted to ask!

But…

The man stared at Su Yu for a while, slightly dazed, then suddenly said, “Can you… change into a white robe?”

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. The man said awkwardly, “Well… maybe… try changing? A black robe is… a bit unsuitable for conversation—too serious.”

Su Yu looked at him and smiled.

His black robe automatically changed into a white one.

The man looked at him, and seeing Su Yu smile at him, his heart stirred. He said dryly, “Well… could you… hold a book in your hand?”

Su Yu looked at him without a word, and a book appeared before him.

The man swallowed, and said even more dryly, “Then… how about… smile a little brighter?”

Su Yu smiled!

Very brightly!

The man looked,

and after a long time, he murmured, “It really is! You are indeed the son of King Wen—unexpected. He… with whom did he have you?”

He scratched his head, somewhat speechless. “He’s been with King Wu all these years, and it seems he hasn’t left the vicinity of Eternal Mountain for too long… Strange!”

Su Yu looked at him and smiled, “Why not suspect Wen Yu?”

Why must it be that King Wen fathered him?

The man was silent for a while, then said, “Impossible. If you were truly born of Wen Yu, you couldn’t look so much like King Wen. A nephew often resembles his uncle, but that requires frequent meetings. How could the temperament be so similar without seeing each other often?”

Su Yu smiled again, “Have you seen King Wen?”

Otherwise, where did all those demands come from?

Otherwise, how could you be so familiar?

The man was silent for a moment, then nodded, “I’ve seen him once… but from far away. I didn’t dare approach—too dangerous!”

“Are you human?”

Su Yu looked at him. The man nodded, “I suppose so, but perhaps… not the same as the humans you speak of. After all, we are from different eras.”

Su Yu nodded slightly.

He just looked at the man, and the man looked back at him. After a long while, the man said sheepishly, “Well… can you provide a bit more proof that you are King Wen’s son?”

Su Yu said nothing, just stared at him.

The man sighed helplessly, “If you are King Wen’s son… then some things can actually be discussed. But if you’re not, then it’s hard to say too much. Even if you kill me, I can’t speak!”

Su Yu was in no hurry. He asked, “What did you come to Bright City for?”

“To gather information.”

The man didn’t hide this. “Isn’t the Assembly of Forbidden Lands about to begin? King Wen and the others are probably in danger—including his sister. They’re all at risk. I came to see the situation, to see if there was a chance to meet King Wen… But then there was a commotion here, so I thought I’d come first to probe for news… and not long after I arrived, you caught me!”

He was very helpless.

Su Yu said calmly, “What did you want to see King Wen for?”

“To warn him to be careful—not to go to Eternal Mountain now. It’s very dangerous! According to what we know, Eternal Mountain has likely reached an agreement with some forbidden lands. Once King Wen and the others enter Eternal Mountain, soon, lords of the forbidden lands will come and join forces to surround and kill them!”

The man said urgently, “It’s very dangerous! They didn’t join forces before because everyone hoped someone would check Fa. Fa is extremely talented, and he imprisoned Wen Yu. Some knew his purpose—it was to succeed in opening the heavens!”

“But others found it hard to interfere. So, King Wen and King Wu were essentially pawns to check Fa and prevent him from dealing with Wen Yu. Now, Fa has compromised and decided to let everyone share the spoils. Thus… some lords of the forbidden lands have agreed to help him kill King Wen and the others!”

Su Yu quickly assessed that this might be true.

Of course, he kept in mind the Human Emperor’s words: in this place, trust no one from inside the gate. Not even his ancestors.

Because, inside the gate, it was an entirely different era—no longer the present!

Here, do not speak of feelings.

Of course, as for intelligence, whether true or false, judge for yourself.

“You mean, even now, the Law hasn’t managed to take Wen Yu, but he can’t hold out any longer, or rather, he feels he can’t delay anymore, so this time the choice of the Forbidden Grounds being at the Eternal Mountain is also a concession from the Law?”

“Yes!”

The man nodded.

Su Yu smiled. “What’s your name? That’s not a secret, is it?”

“Ming Xiao!”

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. “Fake. What’s your real name?”

The man’s mouth fell open. After a long moment, he said, “Yue Xiao!”

“Your real name!”

Su Yu stared at him calmly. The man sighed helplessly. “It’s real… just a name, an alias…”

Su Yu kept silently watching him.

The man wrestled with himself for a while, then finally said in frustration, “Ri Yue!”

Su Yu’s expression shifted slightly. He looked at him, then after a long pause said, “From the Age of Creation, a human powerhouse, descendant of Sun and Moon?”

The man was deeply annoyed. He sighed. “I knew it—I shouldn’t have told you my real name!”

Su Yu’s pupils contracted. “You’re with people like Xing and Wen?”

The man didn’t answer.

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. “As far as I know, Xing, Yue, Wen—these are all top-tier powerhouses, tribal leaders from the human era, contemporaries of the Human Ancestor Zhou. So you’re a descendant of that group?”

“Not that group…”

The man said helplessly, “Just two of them. My father was Ri, my mother was Yue…”

What did he mean by “that group”?

Su Yu frowned. “That can’t be right. Are you really? Were Xing, Yue, Wen that strong? You possess twenty-four Dao forces. Are they stronger than you?”

“Some are strong, some weak.”

Su Yu remembered, however, the projection of Xing from his childhood, the words he had spoken: “Seven Dao to the utmost…” A third-rank pinnacle, and he called it “utmost.” And here, within the gate, there were plenty of third-ranks.

If that were so, Xing should have been very weak—at most second-rank.

But this Ri Yue had a full twenty-four Dao forces!

Thinking this over, Su Yu asked, “Let me ask you something, not too important. Is Xing one of your lot?”

Ri Yue didn’t speak.

Su Yu continued, “Fine, that’s not important. Then what strength is Xing?”

Ri Yue still didn’t answer. Su Yu’s gaze gradually turned icy.

Ri Yue sighed in resignation and said, “What use is that to you?”

Su Yu kept staring coldly at him. Ri Yue felt his scalp prickle under that gaze and finally said, “Around a dozen Dao forces.”

“That weak?”

Su Yu looked at him, frowning. “Isn’t Xing one of the human leaders from the Age of Creation? You have twenty-four Dao forces. His descendant, the Human Emperor, is also a top-tier powerhouse. Even though countless generations have passed and the connection is thin, there should still be some influence from ancestral bloodline.”

A dozen Dao?

He didn’t say sixteen, which meant he might truly be second-rank!

How could Xing be so weak?

Of course, from the perspective outside the gate, second-rank was not weak. But from inside the gate, it truly was!

Ri, Yue, Xing, Chen… Chen had died countless years ago, long since fallen, so that was that. But Xing hadn’t died—he was still alive!

The man looked pained and said helplessly, “Not everyone can enter the sixteenth Dao. There’s always a limit. Those tribal leaders back then… back then, even one Dao force could make you a leader. That was ages ago. Cultivation isn’t about who lives longer!”

“Those who live long and become powerful—that’s just your assumption. A whole bunch of long-lived ones, but how many actually became Forbidden Ground Lords? Only so many.”

He felt Su Yu didn’t need to dwell on this issue. Talent determined the ceiling.

Over countless years, there were plenty who couldn’t break through and remained stuck at one realm.

Su Yu, however, didn’t reply.

After a long moment, he suddenly said, “Would a powerhouse with a dozen Dao forces call someone a ‘Seven Dao Utmost’?”

“No!”

Ri Yue rolled his eyes. “I’m at a dozen Dao myself. If I saw someone, they’d have to be at least a bit stronger than me—even just one or two Dao. For example, if I had fifteen Dao and saw someone with seventeen, I’d call them a seventeen-Dao utmost, something like that.”

Su Yu’s eyes flickered. “Does Xing have fifteen Dao?”

“Probably. After all, it’s been countless years. I don’t know the specifics. I’m so powerful myself, I’d be embarrassed to ask exactly how many Dao someone has. Rough judgment—he’s a senior, after all. It’s not polite to probe him, right?”

Su Yu nodded. That made sense.

But still… Su Yu sank into thought. He recalled that day’s situation. Had Xing actually said “Seven Dao Utmost” or “Seventeen Dao Utmost”? According to Ri Yue, if Xing had fifteen Dao, then seeing a seventeen-Dao powerhouse would indeed surprise him—especially outside the gate.

But could the Great Zhou King be a seventeen-Dao powerhouse?

First-rank?

Surely not!

At this point, the Great Zhou King had even met the Human Emperor. The Human Emperor had said that back then, the Great Zhou King was indeed only at seven Dao. His seal hadn’t been broken. Even if the Great Zhou King had cultivated other Daos well, he couldn’t have broken through.

Yet if he truly was only at seven Dao, Xing—being a fifteen-Dao powerhouse—would he have called him that?

Also, Xing had been very wary at the time.

Remember, Xing had fifteen Dao. His projection had come through the main gate, and he could even suppress the Time Book a little. Even if the Time Book wasn’t strong back then, Xing might have possessed second-rank power—maybe eight or nine Dao?

Would he have been so wary of the Great Zhou King?

Suddenly, Su Yu fell into deep thought.

What was going on here?

Had Xing actually said “Seventeen Dao Utmost”?

If the Great Zhou King had seventeen Dao, and Su Yu hadn’t noticed even now, then his concealment was too good. Was there any need for him to hide that?

Su Yu’s head ached!

Or perhaps there was some issue in between—maybe Xing had just said it casually, and people liked to throw around the term “utmost” for the strongest?

Before this, outside the gate, Su Yu had never really pondered this question.

Because seven Dao forces were already not weak.

Calling someone an “utmost” was no big deal.

But now, having witnessed the multitude of powerhouses inside the gate, those words became a huge problem!

And Su Yu fell into deep thought. Riyue watched him for a while, sipped a cup of tea, unsure what this fellow was pondering.

Soon, Su Yu recovered and suddenly said, "Where is Xing? Can I meet him?"

Su Yu wanted to see this person!

On one hand, to learn about the situation back then; on the other, Xing might have some connection with the Time Master. To save the Time Master, Su Yu might need to meet Xing.

Could the Great Zhou King be problematic?

Su Yu didn’t want to speculate!

He felt the Great Zhou King shouldn’t be a problem, nor would he be.

But if there truly was a force of seventeen Daos, under those circumstances, with the Human Emperor in danger, a first-rank powerhouse should have long gone to the front lines to fight.

Riyue fell silent again.

Su Yu stared coldly at him—still not being honest.

Riyue grew uncomfortable under his gaze and sighed, "Black Tomb, I don’t even know your true identity. I know nothing about you, yet you open your mouth and ask me secrets. Can I just blurt them out?"

Su Yu frowned: "I am King Wen’s son!"

"..."

Riyue now grew even more suspicious, muttering, "You... you call your father King Wen? You... don’t even know King Wen’s name, do you?"

"To honor the revered, one avoids their name!"

Su Yu said calmly, "Do you call your father 'Sun' and your mother 'Moon' every day?"

"..."

That made sense!

But when introducing someone to outsiders, I would still say the name directly!

He coughed dryly: "Well... then do you know what King Wen’s name is?"

Su Yu cursed inwardly—truth be told, he really didn’t know!

Indeed, it seemed no one had ever mentioned King Wen’s name.

What was King Wen’s name?

He knew King Wu was Taishan, the Time Master was Wen Yu, the Human Emperor was Xing Yu. As for the others, including King Ming, Su Yu had never bothered to ask. Who would deliberately inquire about someone’s given name?

They weren’t contemporaries; knowing the honorific was enough.

Not just King Wen—Giant Axe, Tongtian, Yingwu, Huoyun—these were all titles. Su Yu didn’t know their real names, nor King Nan’s.

Now, this truly stumped Su Yu.

But what kind of person was Su Yu?

If I don’t know, how could you?

The next moment, Su Yu said calmly, "Wendao!"

No matter what it was, the name had to be grand. Dao—how about that?

King Wen, of course, needed a grand name. Look, both the Human Emperor and I have 'Universe' in our names. His being 'Wendao' was perfectly fitting!

"Wendao?"

Sure enough, Riyue murmured the name.

Was that it?

So King Wen’s name was Wendao!

He didn’t know either!

That was normal—they weren’t from the same era. In the Human Emperor’s time, few dared to call King Wen by his name. Those who did, like Taishan, called him Second Brother or Wen the Second.

Su Yu was certain this fellow didn’t know!

And indeed, Riyue had only been testing him. Now that he knew the name, he didn’t know what to say for a moment.

After a long pause, he said, "Well... any other proof?"

Su Yu stared coldly at him. A moment later, a brush appeared in his hand—the Dao Brush. He said icily, "Is this enough?"

"Is this... the legendary Brush Dao?"

He examined it closely, judging it. It wasn’t a simulated forgery of Dao power, but a natural Dao taking the form of a brush... yet it didn’t quite look like a brush?

He had only heard of King Wen from others, not the specifics.

Could this really be King Wen’s son?

He then said, "And your mother..."

Su Yu grew furious. The next moment, waves surged around them, heaven and earth overturned!

The pavilion vanished! The tea vanished!

Su Yu’s voice turned icy: "Don’t think I won’t kill you! A prisoner under the eaves, a bird in a cage—I am the one asking questions, not you questioning me!"

Riyue’s expression shifted slightly—this man had a terrible temper.

He quickly said, "I won’t ask anymore. A misunderstanding!"

Su Yu snorted. Soon, the wind cleared and clouds scattered, everything returned to normal. The teacup reappeared in Riyue’s hand. Riyue felt a slight shock. When he looked at Su Yu again, Su Yu had already returned to normal, a faint smile on his face.

Riyue felt a tremor of fear—this fellow changed his face frighteningly fast!

Su Yu regained his calm and said again, "Did you come here this time just to warn King Wen to be careful?"

"Yes."

Su Yu didn’t question it, but of course, he didn’t believe it either. He then said, "So how do you plan to find him?"

"Just search around Eternal Life Mountain. Maybe I’ll run into him."

Not a single truthful word!

This Riyue seemed to speak honestly, looking simple and honest, but Su Yu knew that probably not a word was true. Even whether his name was really Riyue was hard to say!

"You people—do you stand with the myriad realms or with the Gate?"

"Neither. We stand purely from the perspective of humanity!"

Riyue explained, "We don’t care about inside or outside the Gate. We only consider things from humanity’s standpoint!"

Su Yu said coldly, "If you trace back, who isn’t human?"

Except for the demonic races, all were human!

He didn’t believe that these people claimed to serve only humanity. The 'humanity' in their eyes was different from the one in Su Yu’s eyes!

Riyue shook his head: "It’s different. The humanity in our eyes starts from our era. After Zhou unified humanity, or rather, after humanity formally rose among the myriad realms, that was when they counted as humanity. Only after the confluence of human tribes did they become 'humanity.' Before that, the distinctions between races weren’t so clear. Even the Immortals, Demons, Gods back then... were just names of tribes..."

Su Yu frowned at him, still feeling this fellow wasn’t telling the truth.

Never mind, he wouldn’t press further. He asked, "So you want to save King Wen and the others?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

"He is a human, a descendant of Wen, and a pillar of the human race across the myriad realms... If he dies, trouble will follow! Once the Heavenly Gate opens, the people of the Three Gates, in order to return to the present, will surely unleash a massacre!"

Su Yu nodded slightly. "Give me something useful. Can you contact Wen Yu?"

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"Ah?"

The Sun and Moon exclaimed in surprise. "How is that possible!"

Su Yu stared coldly at him, the more he looked, the more he frowned. After a long moment, he said calmly, "Are you a forbidden land, or a territory?"

"Who is the leader?"

Su Yu said flatly, "Telling me a name won't kill you! I don't believe that other forbidden lands know nothing. Do you believe that if I go ask the Sky Dome Mountain right now, I'll get something too?"

Ordinary people wouldn't know, but what about Sword Venerable and the like?

Su Yu said coldly, "Sword Venerable and the others might soon become my possessions. If what you say now is false, I'll naturally find a way to deal with you!"

The Sun and Moon was silent for a moment, then spoke, "We count as a forbidden land. As for the leader..."

He paused again.

He seemed reluctant to reveal the other's name.

Su Yu was in no hurry; he waited.

After a long while, the Sun and Moon exhaled, "Man!"

"What?"

"Man!"

The Sun and Moon said, "You heard right—Man! An ancient existence, the origin of the human race! In the era of Heaven's opening, countless powerful beings entered the myriad realms, forging great paths—some of the Chaos race, some of the human race... Back then, it wasn't called the human race. Back then, the concept of humanity didn't exist! At that time, races were not distinct; humans and beasts could interbreed... Everyone called each other 'Dao companions,' seekers of the Way, regardless of form or appearance—all were cultivators!"

"And Man, back then, led some other humans into the myriad realms, founding the era of tribes... But at first, it wasn't so clear-cut. It wasn't until later that the current Human Ancestor Zhou unified those tribes, giving rise to a clear concept of race!"

Man!

Su Yu fell silent.

The leader of these people was actually called Man—this was something Su Yu had never expected.

Every race had its founding ancestor. The human race's Human Ancestor was Zhou, but he wasn't the founder of the race; the race's name was usually taken from the founder's title. Su Yu had thought the human race was different.

Now he knew—it was the same.

The human race truly had a founding ancestor, not Zhou, but Man!

This news—even the Human Emperor probably didn't know it, did he?

Su Yu exhaled. "The human race actually has a founding ancestor. I thought it was the Lord of Time!"

The Lord of Time—it wasn't him!

This time, the Sun and Moon knew something, and explained, "The Lord of Time—whether he was human or something else isn't clear, but he was likely human. However, he merely opened the heavens and vanished; he wouldn't bother with races... He was like the River of Time now—after opening the heavens, he paid no attention to anything. He was truly the Dao without emotion, only opening the heavens, caring for nothing else!"

"For example, you now—you open a heaven, and within your heaven, you let things be, and naturally some powerful beings emerge. They form factions... Perhaps in a few eons, you will become the next Lord of Time, but the founding ancestor of the human race will not be you!"

Su Yu nodded slightly. He understood the logic.

But he was still puzzled. "Then why have I never heard anyone mention Man... Never mind, I'll call him Man Rui!"

The Sun and Moon seemed about to speak but held back—don't just rename him!

"Why have I never heard of Man Rui's existence?"

"According to you, he is an existence from the early days of Heaven's opening, perhaps of the same generation as the Immortal Ancestor or even older—is that right?"

"Yes!"

The Sun and Moon explained, "It's normal that you've never heard of him. Because his existence was long worn away by time. Many people have tried to erase him, including Human Ancestor Zhou and the others, weakening his presence. Otherwise, Human Ancestor wouldn't be called the Human Ancestor. Even we only learned of his existence later..."

"Why?"

Su Yu was curious.

The Sun and Moon said, "Because the leader has always been devoted to the unification of the human race. Simply put, the leader once hoped that the Immortal Ancestor and the others would return to the human race, unifying it rather than splitting it. But he failed to gain their approval..."

Su Yu rolled his eyes. "Really?"

I don't believe it!

Why must everything be unified?

Look, the Prison King's Holy Race—I never thought about unifying them. If they want to split, let them split!

"Really!"

The Sun and Moon nodded. "Later, these powerful beings became independent, but the leader was still, strictly speaking, their leader. To eliminate this influence, they joined forces long ago to attack the leader, leaving him severely wounded... He has been recuperating ever since. Later, these traitors continuously weakened the leader's influence, and even later, when the human race was unified again, they set Zhou as the Human Ancestor, stripping the leader of his title..."

Su Yu felt there was something deeply wrong with this story.

He listened silently, suspecting it was nine parts false and one part true—or perhaps entirely false.

But he still had to listen.

Because it allowed him to gather more information. The people inside the gate were untrustworthy; Su Yu naturally trusted the Human Emperor more. These fellows—he would just listen!

He no longer questioned the Sun and Moon. There were many things he knew too little about, but he could slowly collect intelligence and reconstruct the truth of those years!

Man Rui might not necessarily be a good person.

Of course, whether he was a bad person was hard to judge, but strictly speaking, he had little to do with the current human race.

Thoughts churned in his mind. Su Yu looked at the Sun and Moon again and smiled. "Does Eternal Mountain have any spies among you?"

"No—"

Boom!

The power of the Sun and Moon's great path was extinguished. Countless thunderbolts struck, and the waters of the River surged!

In an instant, the Sun and Moon was torn open, flesh and blood exposed!

Not only that, countless chains emerged from the River, seizing the Sun and Moon, binding him within the River. Thunderbolts ceaselessly smote him, and the River's waters endlessly battered him!

Su Yu stood up, listening to the Sun and Moon's screams, and smiled. "Enjoy yourself! Entering my heaven, this is the first time I've met someone so ungrateful and stubborn!"

"Black Tomb, you... ah!"

The Sun and Moon screamed, then continued to cry out in agony.

"You asked me... I told you... some... ah... I don't know either..."

Su Yu's face was cold. He vanished directly from the spot, leaving only the Sun and Moon's screams and wails behind.

Su Yu walked out of the sealed acupoint and shook his head slightly.

There was no pity.

This Sun and Moon had too hard a mouth. Most of what he said was false, offering almost no useful intelligence.

Since that was the case, Su Yu would let him taste his methods.

He wouldn't die.

Truly dead, in my heaven and earth, I could still revive you!

What a pity!

At this moment, Suyu sighed—what a shame that at this stage, extracting memories was so difficult; if it had been back then, for someone like this, Suyu would have just slapped them dead, then drawn their essence blood and memories, no need for all this trouble.

But at their level now, it was too hard, because essence blood no longer held memories; memories were all left in the origin within the river of time, and probing the origin was still beyond Suyu’s reach.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t even bother with lowly methods like torture.

He walked out of that place, and soon a crowd gathered around, all eyes on Suyu.

Suyu smiled: “Time to act. A month and a half has passed, and in another month and a half, the Forbidden Grounds Assembly begins! Time waits for no one!”

The crowd rejoiced!

It begins!

Yes, Suyu was about to make his move against Jiankong and the others; he sensed that more strong figures had arrived from all sides, and in the city, some Forbidden Grounds experts, some hidden rogue cultivators… counting those not yet controlled, there were at least ten of the first rank.

That was definitely enough for him to reach twenty-nine Dao powers!

After that, he’d see if he could lure in the Sword Venerable and the others; once he took them down, it would be nearly done.

Suyu took a breath, smiled, “First, take care of all the rogue cultivators!”

“Aye!”

The crowd was excited—finally, some benefits, especially for those fellow strong ones, who were very interested!

……

Inside the city.

The duels continued!

At this moment, the city’s strong figures had indeed increased; all three Forbidden Grounds had sent reinforcements.

From the Celestial Dome Mountain side, several experts had come to aid!

By Jiankong’s side, there were now several Celestial Dome Mountain experts, while the Blade Master and others stood beside him, their aura not weak; for a moment, Jiankong even felt that being a lord out here was actually quite nice!

As for Heimu not appearing yet, he wasn’t surprised—seclusion, experts in seclusion, what was a month or two?

A decade or two was normal!

On the opposite side, Qu and his group also stood with their experts, the two sides glaring at each other.

Around them, rogue cultivators continued to watch the spectacle.

Just then, Jiankong frowned slightly, as if sensing something, and looked around in confusion, then up at the sky where the sun and moon alternated.

He glanced, paid it no mind, and continued scanning.

He vaguely felt that something had happened in the city, something amiss, but couldn’t pinpoint any specific trouble—swordsmen were quite perceptive!

At that moment, across from him, Qu suddenly said in a sinister tone: “It’s always just us fighting—how boring. I hear that Jiankong of Celestial Dome Mountain is immensely powerful, unmatched among his peers. Lord Black Dragon and Lady Snow Lotus wish to test Lord Jiankong’s sword Dao. Dare you accept the challenge?”

Beside him, Black Dragon and Snow Lotus both started, turning sharply to look at Qu.

They frowned slightly!

Black Dragon even transmitted a harsh message: “Qu, who gave you the right to act on your own?”

When did we ever say we wanted to fight Jiankong!

But Qu transmitted back: “My lords, two against one—provoke Jiankong into battle, take him down, and we seize the Six Directions Mountain. You are his peers; Jiankong cultivates the sword Dao and is arrogant. I think he will accept! Celestial Dome Mountain claims to be the first Forbidden Ground… fighting like this, I feel no matter how long it goes, it’s hard to decide a victor!”

Black Dragon’s tone was icy as he transmitted a curse: “That still doesn’t give you the right to decide for us, you bastard!”

Qu was unyielding, transmitting: “The Netherworld Emperor sent Brother Black Dragon to assist me, not for me to assist you. I’ve already put the word out. If you refuse now, you’re disrespecting the Emperor!”

“You…”

Black Dragon was furious!

Are you insane?

Offending me like this—even if I grant the Emperor face this time and agree to fight Jiankong, what about afterward? Do you still want to survive?

You, an Eighteen-Dao, have thoroughly offended me!

But Qu cared nothing for the future—after today… would you even have a future?

The key was, once this Black Dragon submitted this time… sorry, the Death Spirit Dao was already claimed by me!

So either you merge with me and follow me, or you get killed!

And I might just become a Twenty-two Dao powerhouse!

Qu could hardly contain himself!

He had wanted to strike long ago, but the Calamity Lord had been biding his time, and Qu had grown impatient. Now that the Calamity Lord had given the order, why should he care about the future?

He was certain Black Dragon wouldn’t dare refuse!

Many rogue cultivators were watching; if he refused now, word would reach the Netherworld Emperor. Though the Netherworld wouldn’t be too kind to Qu, he wouldn’t be lenient with a disobedient Black Dragon either, since he had indeed said that Black Dragon was only there to assist Qu!

Black Dragon was enraged!

Bastard!

Just then, across the way, the Blade Master burst out cursing: “One against two, Lord Jiankong can still take you on! Do you really think our Celestial Dome Mountain, the first Forbidden Ground, is just for show? Lord Jiankong is the son of the Sword Venerable, and the Sword Venerable is the strongest under the Forbidden Grounds’ Lord—how dare you provoke him!”

“…”

Jiankong actually wanted to curse too!

Go to hell!

I’m a Twenty-two Dao, and the two across are both Twenty-two Dao, same rank. Sure, sword cultivators have strong attacks, but… one against two, I’m not winning easily; I’ll probably lose.

But now that the Blade Master had said that, if he refused, he’d seem cowardly.

He cursed inwardly!

Bastard, running his mouth—even if it’s flattery, you have to read the room!

Now he was caught in a dilemma!

On the other side, Black Dragon frowned and cursed Qu for a while, but if Jiankong really dared to fight one against two… he wouldn’t mind ganging up and making Jiankong suffer a loss. Hearing the Blade Master’s words, Black Dragon even laughed.

He’d deal with Qu later—that bastard needed a good lesson!

But for now, he transmitted to Snow Lotus: “If Jiankong dares to accept, let’s join hands and take him down. Don’t kill him, or the Sword Venerable might go mad…”

Snow Lotus replied coolly, transmitting: “Fine, but this Qu… has no rules, no respect for hierarchy! If this battle is won… I won’t meddle in your Netherworld Hell affairs; you discipline him well!”

“Rest assured!”

Black Dragon was ice-cold—rest assured, I’ll teach him how to behave!

Snow Lotus was satisfied; she could feel Black Dragon’s anger. This Qu was truly detestable!

The next moment, across from them, Jiankong, stared at by the two and watched by the rogue cultivators all around, knew that backing down now would be too shameful. Even if he lost, losing one against two wasn’t disgraceful.

Soon, he made his decision and said coldly: “You two intend to bully the few against the many? Very well, Celestial Dome Mountain fears nothing! Come, then!”

With that, he instantly flew into the arena.

The two across the way rejoiced and swiftly flew into the arena.

Outside the arena, in an instant, countless restrictions emerged, and the Blade Master laughed heartily: “The lord’s sword aura is mighty—everyone keep clear, activate the strongest restrictions to prevent the sword aura from spilling!”

The restrictions were raised to their fullest!

At the same time, silently and without a sound, many experts suddenly appeared within the city.

Not a single whisper!

The wandering cultivators still watching had not paid it any mind at first, because the fight inside had begun—they stared wide-eyed. Yet soon, someone suddenly cried out: “What are you doing?”

At that very moment, the Blade Master and Qu’s group suddenly struck at some of the experts nearby!

The experts from the Three Forbidden Lands had no time to react; in an instant, several first-rank experts were gravely wounded, then vanished from their spots, dragged into various acupoints!

Among the wandering cultivators, terror reached its peak, for nearby, hundreds of experts had suddenly appeared in an instant!

Among them, not a few were first-rank.

A booming voice shook their eardrums: “Kneel! Surrender!”

That overwhelming aura rose in their hearts, and their Sea of Will trembled!

At this moment, the entire Bright City was shrouded in a thin mist!

In an instant, a thunderous roar erupted!

The slaughter had begun!

For Su Yu had foreseen that these people would not surrender easily—so first, kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.

……

At the same time.

Within the arena, the three experts were still fighting. From their perspective, the wandering cultivators were still watching, the cries of alarm continued, and the Blade Master’s shouts never ceased, vexing Jian Kong.

“My lord, kill them! My lord is truly formidable!”

Jian Kong cursed under his breath: Damn you!

This Blade Master… I’ll make you pay one day. I thought him decent before, but now… you bastard, you’re watching a monkey show!

Though raging inwardly, Jian Kong still unleashed his full strength and joined battle with the two experts, determined to show the world that the sword cultivators of Tianshan Mountain were unmatched!

Even if he lost, he would make the two across from him lose all face!

The two opponents also roared low and fought with all their might!

Two against one—how could they lose?

The three fought fiercely within the arena, which was like a small world; even with three first-rank experts clashing, there was ample space. Around them, the images of the wandering cultivators remained, though slightly mechanical.

But with the battle raging, how could the three spare a thought to examine them?

……

In the real outside world, the entire city was already filled with the sounds of slaughter!

Boom!

As a first-rank wandering cultivator was blasted apart by several first-ranks working together, a wave of surrender cries suddenly rang out.

“Don’t kill me… I surrender!”

“I surrender!”

“……”

In an instant, hundreds of wandering cultivator experts fell to their knees. Some tried to flee but were struck down on the spot!

In the air, Su Yu’s face appeared, wearing a smile.

A scattered mob—taking them was no surprise. Even with a few first-ranks among them, it was still an easy capture.

“Calamity Lord!”

And the opposing experts from various factions all knelt on one knee, each one trembling with excitement.

“Hail the Calamity Lord!”

Su Yu smiled, but the kneeling wandering cultivators all changed color drastically—what was happening?

Who was this man?

They seemed to have stumbled into a den of thieves!

Who could have imagined that the Six-Sided Mountain and Tiger Soul Cave, which had been fighting for over half a month, were actually in league!

It was too unbelievable!

Even the experts from the Three Forbidden Lands seemed to have been gravely wounded by them—were these people mad?

Or was there another force behind it all?

One by one, the wandering cultivators felt nothing but terror.

This Calamity Lord… who in the world was he?