Chapter 909: Human Gate

Combing the Great Dao.

Wen Yu had merely offered a system, a theory, in truth the cultivation theory of all realms, yet the pioneers of heaven-opening were too few, each with their own ideas and rarely exchanging with one another, so no mature system for opening heavens had emerged.

But the Timekeeper—she was different. She had witnessed many heavens and worlds, and had been entangled with Fa’s realm for years, which was why she had spent these years combing out this system of heaven-opening.

What Su Yu and the Civil King lacked was merely a spark.

For they were both too busy, with no time to ponder; once they gained power, their sole thought was to unleash even greater strength. Everyone understood the principle of merging the Great Dao, so Su Yu and the Civil King were both walking that path.

Yet this way, the difficulty increased greatly.

The meaning of forcibly merging the Great Dao!

Now, the Timekeeper’s theory was also steeped in some of the Civil King’s system—the Civil King’s theory, because a former student of his had deduced the method of splitting the Great Dao, dividing the Brush Dao into a system of ninety-nine divine runes.

And that system, too, came from the Civil King.

Only the Civil King had lacked the time over these years to integrate it. Su Yu watched the Timekeeper’s laughter, shook his head slightly, then glanced at the Civil King, who was smiling warmly at his sister, and he too smiled.

The Timekeeper’s theory had actually borrowed from him, but she seemed unconcerned, even somewhat gratified.

The Civil King regarded the Timekeeper almost like a daughter—an elder brother like a father. He clearly doted on her immensely; otherwise, he would not have knowingly walked into Fa’s trap all these years, willingly ensnared.

It had wasted countless hours of his time, or else the Civil King would have grown far stronger. Yet he had forsaken all realms and abandoned his own advancement, merely to buy Wen Yu time on the periphery.

At this moment, Su Yu watched in silence.

This was the sentiment of all realms!

The seven emotions and six desires—this was familial love. Even the Civil King, having cultivated to such a level, remained captive to emotion.

As Su Yu watched the Civil King, the Civil King turned to him, smiled, and nodded slightly.

Su Yu smiled back and nodded slightly: “May the Civil King open his heaven soon, grow strong soon, and return to all realms! There are those in all realms waiting for you!”

“No rush for my elder brother.”

“I wasn’t speaking of the Human Emperor—I meant the Southern King.”

“The Southern King…”

The Civil King paused, then said after a long moment: “The one from the Netherworld?”

“Yes!”

“…”

The Civil King looked at him, thoughtful, and finally said: “From your tone, I sense something not quite right.”

Su Yu laughed: “The Southern King is fine—she’s been reborn, no longer a nether!”

“…”

In the distance, the Martial King continued listening in silence. I think I understand—this time I get it!

Did Su Yu do something in all realms?

Is he trying to find me a second sister-in-law?

And the Civil King seemed weary.

He ignored it, closed his eyes in silence, and silently contemplated the Great Dao. I didn’t say a word—you don’t get to decide. That Su Yu fellow—did he use my name to seduce the Southern King and get her to fight for him?

Highly likely!

For borrowing a tiger’s skin was something a scholar often did.

What an unworthy man!

As they spoke, the Timekeeper began formally merging with the heaven and earth. The two books slowly drew together.

Threads of Great Dao power were drawn out!

But the Timekeeper did not want all the Great Dao power, nor did she absorb it all. She discarded what she did not need, or what would upset the balance of her Great Dao too much.

Some of this would go to Su Yu, and what Su Yu did not need would go to the Civil King.

And Su Yu, too, began to comb his own Great Dao.

The Nine Orifices of Origin!

These were the nine acupoints cultivated first in the process: the Eye Orifice, Ear Orifice, Nose Orifice, Mouth Orifice, Hundred Meetings, and Purple Palace.

The Eye Orifice absorbed sun and moon or yin and yang; the Mouth Orifice absorbed devouring; the Hundred Meetings absorbed gathering essence; the Purple Palace absorbed spirit; the Ear Orifice absorbed hearing; the Nose Orifice absorbed smelling…

Su Yu had done some combing of these.

When he had opened his heaven before, he had also combed them, but not as clearly as now. Each orifice corresponded to a matching Great Dao, and after matching, a secondary selection was made based on whether they could merge.

At this moment, Su Yu kept adjusting.

Some unnecessary Great Daos could be merged into matching ones, freeing up orifice positions.

At this moment, Su Yu was also strengthening himself.

And the Timekeeper, picking and choosing, directly cast out the Great Dao power she did not need. Throughout the entire heaven and earth, waves of Great Dao power surged and swept in!

…

“Is the Dharma Lord merging with Wen Yu?”

At this moment, on the ground, the six vein masters were lost in thought, and the forbidden land trembled slightly.

But someone was pondering… was it the Dharma Lord merging with Wen Yu, or… Wen Yu merging with the Dharma Lord?

They dared not think deeper!

This was an extremely terrifying matter!

But at this moment, they had no choice. No matter who merged with whom, in the short term, Eternal Life Mountain remained Eternal Life Mountain.

And at this time, outside the mountain, some scattered cultivators had begun to gather.

The forbidden land assembly was about to open!

…

Outside Eternal Life Mountain.

The strong from the forbidden lands had not yet arrived, but a large number of scattered cultivators were gathering. Though Su Yu had subdued and killed many, the inner world of the gate was vast, and he had only dealt with the Forbidden Severance Gorge and a small part of the outsiders.

Scattered cultivators above the Eighth Dao could attend the assembly, which made the number outside Eternal Life Mountain grow.

Most came in groups, for the Civil King was still nearby. After his last clash with Fa, he had quieted down, and no one paid much attention—the two had fought many times over the years.

Perhaps the Civil King had gone into hiding again.

And at this moment, among the scattered cultivators, someone spoke: “We’ve all arrived, and the forbidden land assembly will soon begin, yet Eternal Life Mountain’s gates are shut tight. We’re not going to hold the meeting right here, are we?”

“We scattered cultivators shouldn’t complain. If the big shots don’t come, why would they open the mountain gates for us?”

“But scattered cultivators are cultivators too, and this time, quite a few above the Sixteenth Dao have come!”

“…”

Among the scattered cultivators, some were displeased, a little dissatisfied.

Such discontent was also spreading.

The event was about to begin; the rogue cultivators had arrived early, each a big shot in their own domain, yet here they couldn't even get through the gate!

At the same time.

In a corner of the void.

Several figures emerged, all hesitating now. They were dressed as rogue cultivators—some old, some women. At that moment, someone transmitted a voice: "The rogue cultivators are getting restless. Feels like the Human Gate's handiwork... or maybe some other forbidden land wants to stir something? Are they trying to incite the rogue cultivators to attack the Eternal Life Mountain?"

"Never mind them! These are trivial matters. The key now is whether Sun and Moon are here or not. Last time, the triple heaven-earth impact represented three mighty ones establishing their realms in the myriad worlds: the Civil King, the Death Spirit Lord... who was the last one?"

"It was during the clash with Fa that the triple heaven-earth suddenly erupted... Do you think Fa might be in trouble?"

"..."

At that moment, several experts disguised as rogue cultivators frowned deeply.

"The Ancestor had just awakened a bit when he was wounded by the Death Spirit Lord and fell into slumber again. The information left before slumber was too little, but it didn't say Fa was in trouble... Should be fine, right?"

"That day, the Death Spirit Lord suddenly attacked the people of Kong—that's also a problem... Feels like there's some inner connection. And that Su Yu... he hasn't appeared before. Do you think it was Su Yu who made a move earlier?"

"..."

They looked at the Eternal Life Mountain, its gates tightly shut, all feeling heavy.

A bad start!

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

The Ancestor had just awakened a bit when he was struck by the triple heaven-earth impact, and the Death Spirit Lord even personally attacked. Helpless, he had to fall into slumber again.

Now, they knew nothing about the situation at the Eternal Life Mountain.

"The forces of the Human Gate, the lords of the various forbidden lands, and others... a mess! Troublesome!"

The several experts, looking at the Eternal Life Mountain, did not rashly approach. There were too many rogue cultivators now; entering would be improper if seen.

"If Sun and Moon come, I wonder if Fa succeeded?"

"Even if he succeeded, he might not obey... That one has a rebellious streak! Saw it long ago!"

"..."

They were discussing.

And at that moment, in the distance, figures also mingled among the rogue cultivators, appearing.

These people were very quiet.

Observing those rogue cultivators.

One expert, possibly a leader, transmitted to some ears: "Watch carefully, see if any from the Human Dao Sacred Land have come. With such a big event, they can't not send people!"

"I've shown you the images of the Human Dao Sacred Land folks, but changing appearances is too easy for experts. Remember, the Human Dao Sacred Land now has only six of the eight Human Dao Divisions left: Sun, Moon, Star, and Heavenly Civilization. Besides that, there are the four disciples of that one... Fa is one of them; the other three are missing. Mainly look for the leaders of the eight divisions!"

"These people have some obvious traits. With careful observation, you can still tell some differences—they are neither of the Yang world nor the Yin world..."

The leader kept instructing, sending these people to seek out the experts of the Human Dao Sacred Land.

They didn't believe the Human Dao Sacred Land wouldn't come; they had to grasp the situation clearly.

...

Chaos, confusion!

Such was the rogue cultivator force outside the mountain.

And at that moment, at the Sky Dome Mountain, the Sky Dome Mountain Lord frowned slightly: "The Eternal Life Mountain won't show face?"

Fa seemed rather uncooperative!

He had said to come near him for the meeting, but the Eternal Life Mountain showed no sign of moving. Was it being so disrespectful?

"Sword Venerable!"

With a light shout, the Sword Venerable instantly appeared. The Sky Dome Mountain Lord said coldly, "Go to the Eternal Life Mountain again. Tell them, if they don't come here for the meeting, then this forbidden land assembly... won't happen!"

"As you command!"

The Sword Venerable quickly responded, eager to go out immediately. Should he also visit the Ten Thousand Calamity Mountain? His son was still there.

As the Sword Venerable swiftly vanished, the Sky Dome Mountain Lord looked into the distance. At the western end, a portal flickered faintly—not a true gate, but a projection of the Heavenly Gate.

It was extremely close to the true gate!

At that moment, the Sky Dome Mountain Lord frowned, then suddenly looked at the portal beside him, saying coldly, "Over there, whose heaven-earth power is seeping through?"

What was going on!

The Heavenly Gate was becoming a hornet's nest; everyone wanted to poke a hole and get in.

"How would I know?"

"..."

The Sky Dome Mountain Lord cursed inwardly—how could you not know!

Soon, the Sky Dome Mountain Lord said darkly, "I'm curious about one thing!"

"What?"

"Your brother is about to die, his sister is about to die, and I see you're not the least bit anxious. What's your deal?"

Strange!

Something was definitely wrong!

Xing Yu's two sworn brothers were here, and one brother's sister was here. This forbidden land assembly, to put it bluntly, had two purposes: one was to deal with them, the other was to discuss how to deal with the myriad worlds after leaving the Heavenly Gate.

Such a big matter, yet the Human Emperor seemed unconcerned!

"What can I do?"

The Human Emperor said helplessly, "If you'd let me through, I'd go in and kill those fellows... What do you think?"

"Hah!"

Impossible!

The Human Emperor said helplessly, "If you won't let me through, what can I do? I'm not what I used to be. My strength hasn't recovered much—I'm not even a Super Grade. How can I match you? Qiong, is it really that interesting to guard me day and night?"

"Very interesting!"

The Sky Dome Mountain Lord chuckled. As he laughed, he suddenly frowned slightly. The next moment, a figure flew over quickly—the Hall Master of Techniques flew over: "Mountain Lord, someone outside the mountain seeks an audience!"

As he spoke, he glanced at the open Heavenly Gate projection, then at the Mountain Lord, who was still toying with that great seal.

Recently, the Mountain Lord and the Human Emperor had been chatting quite well, giving everyone the illusion that the two had hit it off—the Human Emperor was almost about to descend here and swear brotherhood with the Mountain Lord!

What the hell!

In the past, the Mountain Lord would chat a bit when the Human Emperor opened the Heavenly Gate projection, but after talking, he'd usually burn the bridge, punch the projection to pieces, and not let the Human Emperor linger here long.

He thought to himself, not daring to speak recklessly. Lately, he actually felt that the Human Emperor was a decent person, with no great enmity toward their Sky Dome Mountain...

This thought, sometimes even he found laughable.

There was enmity!

Of course there is—that fellow has lured away all the affiliated forces around us.

Thoughts surfaced one by one, soon coalescing into a single notion: after all, it wasn't an irreconcilable enmity, nothing serious. The more he stayed here, the more he felt that the Human Emperor was actually not so bad—for the sake of the myriad realms, he had truly exhausted his mind and energy...

Bullshit! Why should I care how much he has given?

The Art Hall Master stopped thinking about it.

Meanwhile, Qiong, his eyes shifting, said coolly, "Those Human Gate bastards have some nerve. I hate these fellows—they still dare to come to my place, unafraid that I might kill them!"

The Human Emperor said with a chuckle, "Why not meet them and hear what they have to say?"

The Human Gate fellows... the Human Emperor was also quite interested in them!

"Ha!"

The Heavenly Dome Mountain Lord sneered, then suddenly said, "Fine, let's meet. Have him come up!"

"As you command!"

The Art Hall Master didn't mind, but after flying down the mountain, he suddenly felt speechless—the Human Emperor says meet, so you meet?

Was their mountain lord really going to collude with the Human Emperor?

But then again... if they did collude, it wouldn't matter much.

Soon, he flew to the mountain gate and looked at a shadowy figure outside, saying with some disdain and contempt, "You're lucky—the mountain lord happens to be free. Follow me!"

"Many thanks!"

Before him stood a black-robed cultivator wearing a mask. The Art Hall Master said disdainfully, "Coming here and still hiding your face—can't bear to be seen? You fellows, skulking around!"

This Human Gate envoy was not angered; his voice was soft with a laugh: "Forgive me. After all, I serve a third party, and I fear being looked upon with displeasure and killed outright."

The Art Hall Master couldn't be bothered to say more, and led the man directly toward the mountain peak.

He wasn't worried about anything.

If anyone could do something on Heavenly Dome Mountain, or even deal with the mountain lord, they wouldn't need to resort to such means.

Soon, they reached the mountain top.

From afar, a surge of aura spread out. With a thunderous roar, the pressure shook the black-robed man. Though the man was powerful, he was instantly suppressed, spitting blood. Before he could say anything, he was forced to the ground!

Qiong's voice was cold: "Kneel and speak! No manners! Here, do you have the right to look upon me directly?"

"I dare not!"

The black-robed man no longer resisted, prostrating himself on the ground, not daring to look up or raise his head.

The Lord of Heavenly Dome was also a domineering master—everyone knew that.

He didn't waste words or beat around the bush, saying directly, "My lord, there is someone in the Human Gate who wishes to cooperate with the mountain lord..."

"What strength?"

The Heavenly Dome Mountain Lord said flatly, "If he's below thirty-six paths, tell him to get lost—he's not qualified!"

"This... I do not know..."

"Wretch!"

"Boom!"

The black-robed man was crushed to the ground, his bones breaking inch by inch. Qiong's aura was overwhelmingly powerful, carrying a chill: "Who do you think I am? Even a dog is worthy of negotiating cooperation with me? Not knowing his strength, that fellow is nothing! How dare he send someone to find me?"

That was how arrogant he was!

If the strength was too weak, he couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge them!

The black-robed man's face changed drastically, and he hurriedly said, "My lord, calm your anger! The one behind me... is extremely powerful! Even within the Human Gate, he is a top existence, supreme and unrivaled!"

"Heh!"

Qiong sneered: "Supreme and unrivaled? Ridiculous! Do you really think I know nothing of the Human Gate? The Creation Era was sealed—these dogs have appeared before! Unfortunately, during the Creation Era, people's hearts were too scattered, and Creation perished due to internal strife! Otherwise, could the Human Gate match the Creation Era? That's hard to say! Back then, in the darkness, a few figures made a move... I slew one with a single sword strike—probably the one you call supreme and unrivaled!"

The black-robed man was terrified and dared not say more, quickly replying, "I know nothing of this, my lord. For this cooperation, my master's sincerity is great!"

"Sincerity?"

Qiong laughed: "What need have I for anything?"

Any sincerity meant nothing.

The black-robed man hurriedly said, "My master bade me tell you, truly... truly great sincerity! If you agree to cooperate... my master will find a way to give you that sword!"

Boom!

A surge of overwhelming aura!

Qiong's aura erupted, carrying a chill as he looked at the black-robed man, saying coldly, "What sword?"

"The Sword of Creation!"

"Ridiculous!"

Qiong was furious: "Do you take me for a fool? That sword shattered long ago!"

This concerned his origin—yes, the divine rune on the Sword of Creation.

Like Doubao and the others, he was actually a kind of Dao spirit, closely tied to the Sword of Creation, essentially one with it. He had also become a Dao through a sword-path divine rune, immensely powerful!

Unfortunately, that divine sword that once split the heavens ultimately shattered after Creation, allowing his divine rune to fly out of the sword, transform into the Dao, become a Dao spirit, and step by step reach where he was today.

"I dare not deceive you, my lord!"

The black-robed man said nervously, "It is what my master said. My master bade me convey his sincerity. The Sword of Creation indeed shattered, but my master says that after you transformed into the Dao, the remnants of the Sword of Creation gathered and restored themselves. Though it lacks your blessing and the blessing of the Lord of Time, far inferior to its former self... yet once you obtain this sword, you will surely become even stronger than now!"

At this moment, Qiong's expression shifted slightly: "Restored?"

He frowned.

And at that moment, the Human Emperor transmitted his voice: "Do you think they would give such a thing to you?"

"Need your reminder?"

Qiong snorted, frowned, and looked again at the black-robed man, saying coldly, "What is your master's name?"

"This..."

"What, can't even show his name?"

The black-robed man hesitated, then said, "My master is revered as the Great Sage Hongtian!"

Qiong scoffed: "Great Sage, eh... I do know a thing or two about that. Not a lowly status. In the past, when I slew that fellow in the darkness, he uttered some final words, telling some Great Sage or other to come avenge me... So, the Great Sage is the strongest existence in the Human Gate?"

"Yes!"

"Hongtian..."

Qiong stroked his chin and laughed: "Great Sage... interesting! So, this time, the Human Gate has really put in effort, even sending a Great Sage. Back when the Creation Era fell, we were so strong, yet you didn't seem to have a Great Sage's true form descend... only some thirty-two-path fellows lurking in the shadows causing trouble..."

"In the past, the fools of the Earth Gate contributed quite a bit, but unfortunately, the Earth Gate's strong were almost all killed, both sides suffered heavy losses, and even the Earth Gate's true form was not lightly injured..."

He spoke of a past event—the fall of the Heavenly Gate Era.

Just as Su Yu and the others thought, every era's fall was connected to the previous era, which sought to return. But during the Heavenly Gate Era, both the Earth Gate and Human Gate made some moves, yet the result was mutual destruction: the Earth Gate failed to revive, the Heavenly Gate was sealed, and the Human Gate simply didn't show its face much.

Now, with all three gates open, it is likely even more perilous than the last era. Of course, the later the era, the harder it becomes—suddenly having to face three eras at once.

Qiong mused for a moment: “After the Heaven-Opening Sword revived, he took it?”

Back then, he had just left the sword and hadn’t bothered with such matters; later, when he vaguely gained some will and went searching again, the fragments had vanished, and he thought they had long been lost.

But now, someone told him that sword still existed!

The sword belonging to the Lord of Time still existed!

For Qiong, if that sword were here, it would be of great help to him, even allowing him to unleash far greater power than he currently possessed.

“So, Hongtian, how do you wish to cooperate?”

Qiong asked indifferently.

The man in black hurriedly replied: “My master has no overly harsh demands of you, sir. If you can accomplish three things, my master will willingly hand the Divine Sword over to you.”

“That simple? Let’s hear it!”

Qiong grew interested, and the man in black quickly said: “First, sir, please slay Fa!”

Qiong frowned at once.

“Continue!”

“Second, sir, please slay Xingyu of the Ten Thousand Realms!”

At that moment, beside Qiong, the Human Emperor’s voice resurfaced: “This fellow is going too far, sending you to your death! You coming to kill me—isn’t that suicide? Outrageous!”

“…”

Qiong was speechless. If killing you could get me the Divine Sword, I’d butcher you right now!

“And the third?”

“Third, sir, please slay the Lord of the Dead and Su Yu in the Hell of the Dead…”

Qiong was taken aback: “That’s two people, damn it!”

“My master says Su Yu is just an extra… Killing him would be easy for you, sir!”

“Hah!”

But the Human Emperor fell into thought. Killing Su Yu… was actually part of the Human Gate’s plan? Had Su Yu been exposed, or what?

Four people: Fa, the Human Emperor, the Lord of the Dead, and Su Yu.

The Human Emperor and the Lord of the Dead were immensely powerful—that went without saying. Fa was a disciple of the Heavenly Gate, with a formidable backer.

And Su Yu… was he really just an extra?

Or had the Human Gate sensed something, and thus wanted Qiong to kill Su Yu?

Meanwhile, the Lord of Tianqiong Mountain also sneered coldly: “Quite the bold talk! Three demands—easy? If they’re so easy, let this Hongtian go kill them himself!”

The man in black quickly said: “Sir, my master will send people to assist you! At critical moments, powerful experts will lend their aid!”

“And Xingyu is in the Ten Thousand Realms—how am I to kill him?”

“The Heavenly Gate is about to open. Once you leave the gate and slay him… my master will soon present the Divine Sword to you!”

“Empty promises, and you expect me to risk my life for him? Ridiculous!”

“It’s not like that!”

The man in black had anticipated this response and hurriedly said: “In the past, the Divine Sword was broken, then restored, but without you, sir, it was no longer as sturdy. My master’s meaning is: if you complete one condition, he will gift you a portion of the sword’s body… and when all conditions are fulfilled, he will give you the entire sword!”

Then he added: “As long as you agree to cooperate, my master will soon send a segment of the sword… as a token of goodwill!”

Qiong’s expression shifted slightly.

It wasn’t an empty promise—if he agreed, the other party would immediately send a segment of the sword!

He narrowed his eyes, and the man in black continued: “The Forbidden Land Assembly is about to begin, with many upheavals. This is actually the best time! If you raise your call, I believe killing others may be hard, but killing the Lord of the Dead and Su Yu will not be difficult—they have many enemies!”

The man in black spoke rapidly: “As long as you are willing to step forward, Lord Kong will surely act as well, and the other lords of the forbidden lands will also join in… Surrounding and killing those two will not be too hard! Once successful, the second segment of the sword will surely be delivered!”

A colossal temptation!

The Divine Sword!

The Heaven-Opening Sword, strictly speaking, could be said to be Qiong’s very essence.

Of course, he had since separated from it.

But if he truly obtained it, he would undoubtedly become far stronger!

At this moment, the Lord of Tianqiong Mountain stared at the man in black, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

The demands were high!

But that was normal—if they were low, it would be abnormal.

The Heaven-Opening Sword, the weapon of the Lord of Time—without killing these people, the other party would not give it to him.

Just as he was pondering, the Human Emperor transmitted a message: “That’s your own thing, and you want someone else to give it to you? Your own possession was stolen by a robber, and now that robber holds your property and wants you to risk your life for him… and you’re still thinking? Shouldn’t your first thought be how to lure this Hongtian out and kill him?”

“Are you really going to ponder how hard it is to kill four people?”

“My god, Qiong, have you lost your mind?”

“Can’t you do the math? Killing four people might bring four deadly crises—I won’t even mention that. When you came, I had mostly recovered. Do you think you can beat me? The Lord of the Dead—can you be sure of victory? Don’t be ridiculous; even at my peak, I wouldn’t dare tangle with him… And then there’s Fa, backed by the existence of a Gate… and you’ve already offended the Gate!”

“But Hongtian, no matter how strong, is just one person—killing him or not is a single affair!”

“Of course, I suggest you agree for now, get the first segment of the sword first… As for keeping your word—that’s for gentlemen. The other party is a robber; he stole your essence, and you’d still keep your word with him? Better to take one segment and see if it’s genuine.”

“…”

Qiong fell into deep thought.

Agree first, then verify the Divine Sword’s authenticity—wasn’t that improper?

I am a man of my word!

But what Xingyu said also made sense—the other party was a robber who had seized his essence. Even if he now went back on his word and killed him, it would be justified.

For a moment, he felt the Human Emperor’s reasoning had some merit.

Killing the others meant taking four risks.

And at the end, the other party might not even deliver—perhaps he’d still have to fight Hongtian… So why not just fight him from the start?

At that moment, the Human Emperor offered another suggestion: “The way they talk means this Hongtian has allied experts here, perhaps even lords of the forbidden lands. Instead of risking your life for treasure, why not forcefully kill or capture his subordinates and force him to hand over your essence? You are a top-tier expert—will you take it back actively, or passively wait for someone to bestow it? How noble is your status? The sword of the Lord of Time, second only to one, above ten thousand… What right does he have to make you serve him?”

Qiong transmitted coldly: “Shut up! Stop trying to provoke me!”

He cursed, but still found it reasonable!

Exactly!

Who did this Hongtian think he was, to have the right to make him risk his life?

Ridiculous!

Arrogant!

His exact strength was unclear—he might not even be as strong as me—and yet he dares to make me fight for him?

What a laughable fool!

"Capture his subordinates, and he will hand over my true body?"

"Of course! If you seize a Lord of the Forbidden Land and he still refuses to give it to you... what does that mean? It means he cares nothing for the life or death of his partners, only his own interests... So do you think he would truly give you your true body? Impossible! Because you have obtained the divine sword and may now possess the power to kill him—would he dare to give it to you? Therefore, at the last moment, he will absolutely not hand over your true body!"

The Human Emperor continued, "Also, he says the sword exists—does it really exist? Perhaps there are only a few fragments left, and he'll give you one to trick you into fighting for him! You kill one, and that's one less! He hasn't sought you out for so many years, and now suddenly he comes with this... I suspect that not long ago, he accidentally obtained some remnants somewhere and is using them to fool you!"

"..."

That makes perfect sense!

The Human Emperor's mind certainly works fast!

Qiong kept thinking and transmitted, "But what if he really has all the fragments?"

"Kill him and seize his treasure!"

"He is within the Human Gate... how can I kill him?"

The Human Emperor transmitted, "The Human Gate also has its arrangements. You keep killing the people of the Human Gate, kill them all, destroy all their plans. Perhaps the Human Gate has more than one Great Sage... all with their own schemes. Anyway, whenever you see someone from the Human Gate, kill them, until the Human Gate begs you to stop... Tell them that as long as Hongtian hands over the sword, you will cease; otherwise, you will keep killing, even into the Ten Thousand Realms. Those people might then join forces to force Hongtian to give you the sword—that is called a flanking tactic!"

The Human Emperor, growing excited, added, "Do it this way. I guarantee that the other side has more than one Great Sage... Otherwise, if the Human Gate had only one Great Sage, they couldn't contend with the Heavenly Gate..."

The Lord of Tianqiong Mountain pondered, seeming... not a bad idea!

The Human Emperor continued offering him advice, very excited—a pillow just when he was drowsy!

Just one more opportunity was needed!

Now the chance had come—let the battle begin!

...

At the same time.

On Eternal Life Mountain, King Wen and Su Yu gathered again. King Wen said, "For this meeting, you will disguise yourself as an envoy of the Human Gate..."

As he spoke, he felt nothing unusual, but Su Yu suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

What's wrong?

Disguising as an envoy of the Human Gate—is there a problem?

Suddenly it felt a bit dangerous!

...

And at that moment, the Lord of Tianqiong Mountain fell into deep thought: kill the people of the Human Gate, kill them continuously, until they are forced to compromise?

Not a bad idea!

The Human Emperor was right—the other side had been laying plans for countless years, and now with his indiscriminate killing, he would shatter all their schemes—how could they not cave?

After considering for a moment, he looked at the black-clad man before him and said calmly, "First send a segment of the sword blade, otherwise how can I know if it's real? Let Hongtian show me his sincerity!"

At these words, the black-clad man was overjoyed!

This meant there was hope for further negotiation!

He immediately said, "I will report to my master at once. Please wait, I will go and return shortly..."

"Get out!"

The black-clad man dared not say more and quickly departed!

And the Lord of Tianqiong Mountain sank into contemplation—it seemed that this meeting of the forbidden lands would indeed be far from peaceful!

PS: I'm old, continuous non-stop typing is too exhausting. I'll try to get the third chapter before 12 o'clock; if not, then wait until tomorrow.