Chapter 921: Meeting

?? (Stuck in writing, headache)

?? Gazing at the star before him, Su Yu’s smile was radiant.

?? He wasn’t in a hurry to ask about the Great Zhou King. With a wave of his hand, a low table appeared, and he said with a grin, “Sit and talk, senior—don’t stand on ceremony!”

?? The star hesitated for a moment, then sighed and sat down.

?? (Sending out red envelopes! Now go to the WeChat public account [Book Lovers’ Base Camp] to claim your red envelope.)

?? “Senior, only eighteen paths—isn’t that a bit too weak?”

?? The star had no reply. After a long pause, he said, “It’s passable, I suppose. In the era of the Opening of Heaven, those who crossed beyond sixteen paths—count them truly—were few in number!”

?? “The Eight Tribe Leaders, at eighteen paths—still a bit weak!”

?? The star fell silent for a while, then finally said, “Even the Four Extremes’ Human Kings have their strong and weak.”

?? Why keep pressing me about my weakness?

?? It’s perfectly normal!

?? Not everyone can keep advancing forever in the later stages.

?? Su Yu laughed. “Good thing the Bright King isn’t here!”

?? The star didn’t answer.

?? Su Yu’s smile faded. “Then, eighteen years ago, was it you, senior, who descended upon the Ten Thousand Realms?”

?? “Yes.”

?? The star didn’t deny it. Su Yu asked, “That day, you said you thought the Time Scroll was meant to find the Human King, right?”

?? “Yes.”

?? “Why did you want to find the Human King?”

?? The star glanced at the Human King, who was merely listening without speaking. After a moment of silence, he said, “If I told you it was to notify him to rescue Wen Yu, would you believe me?”

?? Su Yu smiled. “Go on!”

?? Guess if I believe you?

?? The star seemed somewhat helpless and added, “I had business with him, and also intended to probe the extent of his injuries. Besides that, I wanted to persuade him to cooperate with the Human Path Sanctuary!”

?? At this point,

?? the star no longer concealed anything. “At that time, Wen and I had already agreed: if Wen Yu was willing to give up the Time Scroll, we could send her out of the Heavenly Gate, along with the others…”

?? He meant King Wen and the others.

?? The star said calmly, “Our goal back then was simply to make Fa stronger. As for the Human Path Sanctuary… it never had much ill intent! From the very beginning, the Human Path Sanctuary was people-oriented! But you also know, inside the Heavenly Gate, people like Qiong, Shi, and Kong were not on our side!”

?? He spoke earnestly: “Even the Chief has never harbored any malice toward humanity! The Ten Thousand Realms still hold many of our descendants—we can cooperate…”

?? Su Yu laughed. “If we could cooperate, why did you lure Wen Yu inside back then?”

?? The star said gravely, “The Chief is powerful. If the threats within the Gate are not resolved, we cannot suppress the Gate’s interior. Once the Gate falls into chaos, when the Three Gates open, the humans of the Ten Thousand Realms will be in even greater danger!”

?? “So you mean you were all acting for the good of humanity?”

?? “Exactly!”

?? The star spoke with lofty righteousness. Su Yu scrutinized him closely, again and again, but could detect no flaw.

?? He looked at the Human King, who said calmly, “Don’t bother. These people, after prolonged contact with the Heavenly Gate, have long been brainwashed! This is their faith. You can’t say they’re wrong—only that they’ve been too deeply influenced!”

?? Su Yu recalled his first meeting with Sun and Moon, who had been equally fanatical—fanatical to the point of fearing no death. They too had told Su Yu that the Human Path Sanctuary’s goal was people-oriented, the unification of humanity!

?? Su Yu smiled and turned to the star. “I’m beginning to understand. You mean you have no intention of targeting humanity, but to keep the Heavenly Gate under control, you are willing to sacrifice humans—or even yourselves?”

?? The star was silent.

?? That silence meant he acquiesced.

?? Yes, you’re right.

?? Su Yu sighed. “I originally thought you might tell me that you had a change of heart, that you realized the Heavenly Gate was no good, and that secretly you stood with the humans of the Ten Thousand Realms… Now I understand—I was wrong. When you merged the copy of the Time Scroll into my body back then… you thought it was also strengthening humanity… Is that it?”

?? Yes, he had wondered before whether the star was someone who secretly supported the humans of the Ten Thousand Realms, which would explain his strange actions.

?? Now Su Yu understood!

?? To sum it up: for your own good, for everyone’s good!

?? Yes, even if sacrificing all of you brings about the revival of the Heavenly Gate, it is still for your good, because the revival of the Heavenly Gate is humanity’s hope, humanity’s future.

?? This was somewhat similar to the old Ten Thousand Races sects among humanity!

?? Our cooperation with the Ten Thousand Races is also for humanity’s good!

?? Our sacrifice of you is also for humanity’s good!

?? Everything is for your good!

?? That was the star’s thinking. In his mind, the goal of humanity was humanity supreme—this matched the mindset of the Eight Tribe Leaders.

?? Su Yu smiled. “If that’s the case, then why did you plot against the Human King back then?”

?? “It wasn’t us who plotted!”

?? The star explained very seriously, “The matter of Xing Yu was a plot by the Human Gate! The only thing the Sanctuary did was lure Wen Yu inside, and that too was for your good, for humanity’s good! At that time, Xing Yu and the others intended to strike into the Three Gates, but they simply didn’t have the strength to do so!”

?? “If they had attacked the Three Gates, you know the Heavenly Gate’s strength. Given the situation back then, if they dared to strike into the Heavenly Gate, they would have died for sure!”

?? “Over the years, our attitude toward Wen Yu has always been friendly. You can ask Wen Yu yourself—we have always said, give up the Time Scroll, and we will send you out of the Heavenly Gate intact…”

?? Beside him, Wen Yu smiled. “That’s what they said, but… why should I give it up?”

?? The star was very serious and saw nothing wrong. “Because you are not as strong as Fa. If he succeeds, Fa can become a powerhouse on the level of Qiong and Kong. With the cooperation of the others, he can grasp the entire situation inside the Heavenly Gate! At that time, the Heavenly Gate will be unified, and once the Chief revives, he can lead humanity to rise…”

?? Su Yu frowned. “Are you serious?”

?? “What’s wrong with what I said?”

?? The star looked at Su Yu, his gaze unafraid, carrying a certain heaviness. “Sacrificing the interests of some to achieve a greater goal—from the result, the Chief’s revival and Fa devouring the Time Scroll was actually the optimal outcome! At that time, with Dao, Wu, Fa, Sun, Moon, plus the Chief—if the Ten Thousand Realms were willing to follow the Chief, then including all of you, Xing Yu and the rest—such strength would have a chance of success! Truly leading humanity to grow strong!”

?? “Why must it be at the expense of our interests?”

?? Su Yu said flatly. “Why couldn’t Wen Yu devour Fa instead?”

?? “If Wen Yu were stronger than Fa, that would also be acceptable!”

?? That was the star’s answer!

?? Su Yu’s face instantly darkened. The Human King, however, smiled and advised, “Su Yu, enough. Why get angry? You must understand—every era has its own faith. Take this era: I have followers, you have followers. Everyone firmly believes that only we can lead humanity to glory! If we were sealed away, and our people were still active outside, then when they faced newcomers, future generations, they might take the same attitude—sacrificing their interests to unseal us, to strengthen us!”

?? He was not at all surprised by the star’s choices.

?? So now, speaking to Su Yu, he remained calm and unruffled, smiling warmly. “People in that era—whether it was you or me—why say more? Years later, if you and I are sealed away, and Wan Tiansheng tells those who come after that only you can save humanity, and they sacrifice the interests of later generations—do you think that’s likely?”

?? Times cycle.

?? The Human King understood this situation very well. Each era has its own faith and its own leader. In the star’s era, the Human King was everyone’s faith!

?? And Su Yu, at this moment, fell into deep thought.

?? If he himself were sealed away, countless years later, with Wan Tiansheng and the others still alive, what choice would they make?

Will they be like Star and the others?

Su Yu dared not say, dared not guarantee.

At that time, the immensely wise Wan Tiansheng might, in others' eyes, have been utterly stubborn and unyielding!

At that time, Wan Tiansheng might have been just like Star now, appearing as a fool to later generations!

Why sacrifice everyone's interests to fulfill you?

And at that time, Wan Tiansheng might not have thought that way, because he had experienced, felt, trusted, and believed—because in his eyes, only Su Yu could save the world!

No matter how brilliant later generations might be, Wan Tiansheng might still think it useless—the only one who could truly save the world was Su Yu!

Su Yu smiled!

At this moment, he suddenly stopped being angry; he somewhat understood Star!

Star and his kind had faith!

Countless years later, if Wan Tiansheng also had descendants rise, perhaps Wan Tiansheng would earnestly tell them, "You are not capable; only Su Yu can save the world!"

His descendants would probably be speechless too!

At that time, Wan Tiansheng would be the Star of the present in others' eyes!

"So, you merged the copy of the Time Scroll into my body just because you didn't want to waste that treasure and hoped for a good outcome... You wished for humanity to produce a strong one, yet you also felt that only humans could save the world?"

Star said solemnly, "Is that not so? You don't understand. If Zhou hadn't betrayed back then, we might have defeated the Earth Gate and continued that era. The leader only lost because of Zhou's betrayal!"

Talking with such a strong believer who treated humans as faith, saying that human sages were inadequate, was ultimately useless.

Faith was deeply rooted!

Formed over countless ages!

The Sun and Moon were the same; when Su Yu first met him, he held that attitude.

Wu and Dao and the others were also like that.

Only Fa seemed to have broken away from such faith.

Su Yu no longer mocked. Hearing Star's words, he smiled and said, "Perhaps! Perhaps you are right! If Zhou hadn't betrayed back then, maybe humans wouldn't have lost and could have continued the era of opening the heavens... But unfortunately, failure is failure. So, it's not wrong for us to distrust him, is it?"

Star remained silent.

While Su Yu thought him unreasonable, Star might also think Su Yu and the others were stubborn.

"So, back then, you came out to find the Human Emperor and discuss cooperation? Or, if possible, to deceive him a bit?"

Star was silent for a moment, then nodded: "We hoped Xingyu would understand our purpose and, ideally, reach an agreement. His attack and severe injury back then were not the outcome we wanted to see!"

Su Yu smiled: "That's just what you think. If you truly didn't want it, why trap King Wen and the others inside the gate? Never mind, you might say they insisted on entering themselves—there's always an excuse!"

With a sigh, Su Yu quickly set that aside and asked, "Then why did the Time Scroll fly to Starfall Mountain back then?"

Star thought for a moment and said, "At first, I thought it would go to Xingyu, but it didn't. As for why it landed at Starfall Mountain, I thought about it afterward... Either Wen Yu did it herself, or someone secretly tampered with it."

Su Yu nodded and asked, "That day, you saw someone and, with no other choice, chose to merge the Time Scroll into my body. What was that person's strength?"

Star seemed to recall that matter. After thinking for a while, he said, "A 17-path strong one. At the time, the other seemed somewhat sealed; I couldn't see clearly, but roughly that level. Stronger than my projected entry..."

Su Yu frowned: "Really? 17 paths, and you called them a supreme strong one?"

"What?"

Star was puzzled: "Though 17 paths are strong, they are far from being a supreme strong one. In my eyes, without reaching 32 paths, how can one be considered supreme?"

Su Yu's brow furrowed: "Are you serious?"

"..."

Star was helpless: "I don't understand your meaning. Please speak plainly!"

What are you talking about?

Su Yu waved his hand, and a scene from that day appeared.

Star's shadow emerged and spoke: "A mere 7-path supreme strong one, fleeing without even seeing the enemy... If this person were in my era, he would be a petty man... Deserving death!"

Star frowned: "Those words... seem to be mine, but I didn't say '7-path supreme.' 7-path supreme? What kind of supreme is 7 paths? Let me think..."

He recalled and said, "I should have said '17-path strong one.' That must be it. I am not a cultivator without experience; how could I say '7-path supreme'?"

Su Yu's eyes flickered: "Also, you said at the time, 'With him messing things up, the Heavenly Gate can no longer be suppressed. I must leave.' If you and the Heavenly Gate are on the same side, why would you need to suppress it?"

Star thought back and sighed: "The Heavenly Gate is the Heavenly Gate; the leader is the leader."

At these words, Su Yu was startled.

The Human Emperor and the others were also startled. What did that mean?

Wasn't the Heavenly Gate just the person?

The person was the Heavenly Gate; what difference was there?

Star sighed: "It's different! The leader and the gate are one, yet not one. After the era perished, the world lost control, and naturally, a portal formed. That is to say, the gate was actually formed from the leader's world! But the opening and closing of the gate are not something the leader can control! Only when it fully opens and the new era brings about destruction can the leader regain control of the world!"

He looked at Su Yu and the others: "When the world forms a portal, it actually means the destruction is near! In the old days, the leader didn't understand. Only the portal can seal an era! Only the opener of the heavens, whose world forms a portal, can shelter an era at the final moment!"

"So even the leader cannot open the portal at will!"

Su Yu's eyes flickered: "You mean, when the portal forms, it actually signifies that this era has reached its final glory?"

"Yes!"

Star nodded: "So even we cannot enter or leave the Heavenly Gate at will! And the leader's slumber is actually a process of regaining control of the portal, bringing the world back under his command! Only when he completes this control does it mean we have hope of returning!"

Su Yu exhaled: "Interesting. According to you, the world becoming a gate is the only chance for an era to be preserved?"

"Probably so!"

Star wasn't entirely sure either.

Su Yu smiled: "Then that means I am the final hope of this era?"

What did that mean?

Everyone looked at him. Su Yu said nonchalantly, "My world has become a portal, the so-called fourth gate. It formed naturally—I didn't deliberately turn it into a portal; the world itself formed one. So, if I die, this era won't even have a chance to be sealed?"

"..."

The crowd stared at him. Even the Human Emperor was surprised: "Your world has formed a portal?"

Su Yu nodded, smiling casually: "So, from now on, treat me well. Otherwise, if I die and we lose, there won't even be a chance to seal the era!"

The Human Emperor raised an eyebrow: "No wonder there was some commotion earlier. The Earth Gate said a fourth portal might have appeared. I was wondering who caused such a stir—it was you, you rascal... That explains it!"

Star was also astonished. Soon, he said solemnly, "Your world has formed a fourth portal... Forming a portal... actually means... you have no chance!"

Star was grave: "This means the destruction crisis cannot be resolved! Now, we can only rely on the leader..."

Su Yu rolled his eyes!

Unbelievable!

You can still twist it like that!

Su Yu smiled and said, "You, despite your age, truly don't understand! What is a portal? If you call it a seal, then let it be a seal. But can a seal only seal its own era?"

Su Yu laughed, "Sealing the three gates, sealing everything that doesn't belong to this era, sealing those troublemakers... Actually, these gates might have nothing to do with sealing!"

Su Yu chuckled, "I'm thinking, if this thing is cultivated and emerges, does it mean we can summon the Lord of Time?"

Su Yu grinned, "What do you think—will the Lord of Time step out from within the gate?"

He laughed once, then noticing the others staring at him, shrugged and said, "What are you looking at? Maybe the Lord of Time is special, and we need several gates gathered together to summon his arrival?"

The Human Emperor sighed, "Don't say that. If you say it and it comes true, and at the very end, this fellow suddenly pops out, that would be a real mess! Let's just assume he's dead, nonexistent, to avoid asking for trouble!"

How strong was the Lord of Time?

Who knows!

A single River of Time was enough to intimidate countless beings. Even the Lord of the Dead, to this day, couldn't forge such a mighty river—perhaps the gap was still vast.

So, there was no need to even treat such an existence as a hypothetical enemy now!

Su Yu stood up, "Alright, I've got a general idea about the Earth Gate. I've also got a general idea about Star. I'll make a trip to the upper reaches of the river!"

The Human Emperor glanced at him, and Su Yu smiled, "Does the Human Emperor want to come along?"

The Human Emperor thought for a moment, "Forget it, you go. But... I still firmly believe in him—he's fine!"

"Let's hope so!"

Su Yu stepped into the void, "You all handle things yourselves. Star is the Human Emperor's ancestor... I won't meddle. As for those rogue cultivators, kill those who should be killed, let live those who should live, merge those who should merge—I have no objections."

With that, he stepped into the River of Time.

The Human Emperor, seeing him leave so abruptly, couldn't help but say, "Take Taishan with you—the Suppressing Martial King is still over there..."

Su Yu paused, suddenly stopping, and looked down below. After a long moment, he said, "Maybe... I'll let the Suppressing Martial King come back on his own later. The Martial Emperor is still there, and I'm afraid he'll despair and self-destruct—that wouldn't be appropriate!"

"..."

Below, the Martial Emperor was speechless. What did this have to do with him? Why was he being stared at?

He didn't bother to say much, grumbling, "If he wants revenge, let him. A one-punch kill—I don't take him seriously!"

Su Yu smiled and said nothing more, stepping into the void and leaving.

...

At this moment, Su Yu's strength was immense.

Wandering through the River of Time, he felt no pressure.

Moreover, after a year, the river continent that the Human Emperor had once sealed had been flowing downstream all this time. Perhaps before long, it would fully return.

Now, the time flow there was no longer different.

Before, one day there equaled one month here.

Now, according to the Human Emperor, one day upstream was about four or five days in the myriad realms. Once the time flow within all gates and the river synchronized, the era of the great fusion of the myriad realms would begin!

Su Yu moved swiftly!

Before long, he spotted a continent ahead!

Previously, the Martial Emperor, the Suppressing Martial King, the Bright Princess, the Great Zhou King, and the Yue King had been stationed there. Now, Blue Sky was also there—their strength was not weak!

There was no sign of the myriad races.

They were probably all near the Heavenly Gate.

When Su Yu summoned the heavens and earth, he had faintly sensed their presence but paid it no mind. Now, the myriad races had only a few first-rank beings—just the God, Dragon, Phoenix, and Nether.

Their ancestors had all been killed by him—why should he fear them?

Thinking of this, Su Yu's eyes flickered.

The God Emperor was still alive!

The God Ancestor was still alive!

The God Clan's God Emperor in the myriad realms, Ji Wu, was also alive!

As for the Immortal Clan, the Immortal Emperor was dead, the Immortal Ancestor was dead.

The Demon Emperor was dead, the Demon Ancestor was dead.

"The God Clan..."

Su Yu murmured. The God Clan was good at surviving, always lucky. Every time, the Immortals and Demons suffered—the Immortals were too prominent, the Demons too reckless. Among the three great clans, the God Clan was neither reckless nor aggressive, somewhat moderate.

It wasn't that Su Yu deliberately spared them or targeted others; the God Clan simply never gave him an opportunity.

"What luck..."

Su Yu muttered. Such good luck sometimes wasn't just luck. Could there be something wrong with the God Clan?

"The God Clan was founded by the God Ancestor, who was also lucky. Could they be connected to the Human Gate?"

The Human Gate's messenger within the Heavenly Gate, the Immortal Ancestor and Zhou, had been killed. But it was said that the Human Gate had more than one Great Sage. Only two Great Sages had appeared so far—Hong Tian and Ji Tian. Could the God Clan be hiding even deeper?

Was there also a Great Sage backing them?

It wasn't clear yet!

Su Yu suppressed his thoughts and stopped dwelling on it. He just needed to stay alert. They were all enemies anyway—no need to overthink. Kill when possible!

...

At that moment, on the continent drifting downstream.

Several people suddenly opened their eyes.

The Martial Emperor burst into laughter, "Su Yu is here!"

As always, he never called Su Yu "Your Majesty." In his eyes, Su Yu had once been a mere insect, and even now that he had submitted to Su Yu, he insisted on preserving his last shred of dignity!

Among the crowd, the Great Zhou King looked behind him but said nothing.

The Suppressing Martial King felt a stir of excitement. She didn't know if Taishan had returned, because it was said that Su Yu was in the midst of fierce battles with various strongholds within the Heavenly Gate.

Now that he was back, had Taishan returned?

Just as they were thinking, Su Yu's figure materialized.

In an instant, their expressions shifted—he was very strong!

Extremely strong!

Su Yu seemed far more powerful than before!

Upon arrival, Su Yu smiled, "Suppressing Martial King, you can go back now. Go see the Martial Emperor—he's returned!"

The Suppressing Martial King showed a flicker of joy, quickly turning cold, "He's back?"

Su Yu couldn't be bothered to watch her change faces—what was she pretending for?

She was overjoyed inside!

Su Yu didn't mind causing the Martial Emperor some trouble, casually adding, "He's back. Inside the Heavenly Gate, he married a few hundred Dao companions and has a whole brood of children and grandchildren. Living quite the carefree life. I asked him to come, but he refused, saying he had to stay with his new Dao companions..."

"Really?"

The Suppressing Martial King's face turned purple.

?? Damn it!

?? Really?

?? "Really, you go back first, lest he escapes!"

?? The Town Wu King gnashed his teeth!

?? Boiling with rage!

?? "Then... I'll go back first. If needed, I'll come again!"

?? With that, he moved to leave swiftly.

?? Su Yu called out: "Wait, the Ming Princess should return as well. This time, many strong ones from the gate were brought back. The Ming King, dragged along by the Wu King, is also taking a concubine!"

?? The Ming Princess was taken aback: "Does he dare?"

?? Su Yu smiled: "The Wen King and Wu King have both returned; his courage has grown!"

?? The Ming Princess's face turned cold. How bold!

?? "Then... I should go back too?"

?? "Mm!"

?? Su Yu nodded: "The Yue King should also return. You are reconnecting the Wen King's Heavenly Dao. The Wen King is back now; go see if there are any benefits to be gained."

?? "Lan Tian, escort them back."

?? With that, Su Yu looked at the Wu Emperor: "Return to my realm. Over there, the physical path has a gate-level path that is not weak. Try to merge with it..."

?? The Wu Emperor, however, was extremely solemn: "Tai Shan has returned?"

?? "Yes!"

?? "What level of strength is he now?"

?? The Wu Emperor was eager to try, yet also uneasy. What strength had he reached?

?? "Don't provoke him for now!"

?? Su Yu said dismissively: "That fellow is very strong right now!"

?? How strong?

?? Strong enough to defeat the Wu Emperor with ease!

?? The Wu Emperor gritted his teeth: "Strong as he is, I am not afraid of him!"

?? Revenge!

?? Su Yu smiled: "As you wish. If you can't defeat him, return to my realm."

?? "Can't defeat him?"

?? The Wu Emperor felt belittled and clenched his teeth: "Then let's try!"

?? "Try then. Go back for now."

?? The Yue King interjected: "What about the myriad races here..."

?? "I am here!"

?? Su Yu smiled: "If they dare come, I'll slap one dead with a single palm! Rest assured. I've already turned the gate upside down with slaughter; what are they compared to that?"

?? "Go on!"

?? Su Yu waved his hand. Lan Tian's figure emerged. He glanced at the Great Zhou King, then at Su Yu, and considering that Su Yu had told them all to return, Lan Tian said nothing more, only chuckled: "Then we'll go back first."

?? The others now vaguely sensed something—the Great Zhou King had not been told to return.

?? The Ming Princess, seeing this, spoke: "Then we'll go back first. Your Majesty the Yu Emperor, take care. By the way, Zhou Tian has been quite diligent these days. Perhaps he should also return for some rest?"

?? The Great Zhou King looked at her and said softly: "Thank you for your kindness, Princess. I will report the situation to His Majesty before leaving."

?? The Ming Princess said no more and soon departed along the long river.

?? The others, also silent, followed and left.

?? ...

?? After they had gone, Su Yu found a spot on his own, sat down cross-legged, and a tea table appeared before him.

?? The Great Zhou King sat down silently.

?? Beneath their feet, the river water still flowed. The Great Zhou King watched Su Yu brew tea, his expression shifting as he fell into deep thought.

?? Su Yu finished brewing, poured him a cup, and asked: "Was it intentional?"

?? "What?"

?? Su Yu smiled: "Deliberately tampering with some of my past memories? Xing said he never shouted about the seven supreme paths—did you fabricate that? When I took you there that day, did you deliberately twist some time and space to make me suspicious?"

?? The Great Zhou King picked up the teacup, took a sip, and smiled: "Your Majesty overthink things. It's merely that my methods were not refined enough to fully alter all the memories of the past."

?? Su Yu smiled: "How could that be! I wasn't that powerful back then either."

?? With that, Su Yu thought for a moment and said: "Would you mind telling me more?"

?? He looked at the Great Zhou King: "Some things, if you don't clarify them, I cannot be like the Human Emperor and pretend they never happened. The Human Emperor feigns ignorance while knowing the truth, but I am not one to willingly embrace confusion! So, I live a more tiring life, yet I prefer to get to the bottom of things!"

?? The Great Zhou King laughed bitterly: "There's really nothing to say! I was never a good man, just... ah!"

?? He sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "I was assimilated, that's all!"

?? Su Yu pondered: "After following the Human Emperor for many years, you were assimilated by him?"

?? "Perhaps!"

?? The Great Zhou King sighed again: "The path of responsibility... is truly terrifying! The matter is not as complicated as you imagine. Some people left the myriad realms, hoping to gain more understanding and control over them. And I was the spy left behind."

?? The Great Zhou King drank his tea: "My only purpose was to sit and watch the rise and fall of events, observe everything, and keep an eye on all. I had no other tasks. But as time passed, other thoughts arose... This myriad realms, this imperial court—they are actually quite beautiful!"

?? The Great Zhou King smiled: "It's that simple!"

?? Su Yu smiled: "Then back then, how did the Heavenly Gate know that the Human Emperor was about to strike? Did you provide the intelligence? But you weren't here at that time..."

?? "It wasn't me!"

?? The Great Zhou King shook his head: "That has nothing to do with me, nor with the Human Gate. It was only connected to that one..."

?? "Zhou?"

?? "Mm."

?? The Great Zhou King nodded.

?? Su Yu thought for a moment: "Then what is your true strength? Even I cannot see through you to this day?"

?? "Cannot see through?"

?? The Great Zhou King chuckled: "You overestimate me. You cannot see through me only because... I have never disguised anything!"

?? Su Yu was taken aback.

?? The Great Zhou King said softly: "What you see of my strength is what it is. You don't truly think I could disguise myself before the Human Emperor, do you? When Xing appeared, I merely used the Way of Deception to slightly fool him!"

?? Su Yu frowned: "Wen Yu said she placed a rule-tracking force on the Time Scroll to follow the Human Emperor..."

“Exactly!”

The Great Zhou King nodded: “Your Majesty has likely forgotten—the Human Emperor’s physical body… is in the Myriad Realms!”

The Great Zhou King smiled: “Actually, it’s not that complicated. The Human Emperor’s physical body has a stronger aura! That day, the Time Scroll was actually heading straight for the body, and fearing discovery, it forcibly changed direction before the Star could notice, striking it down in the Starfall Mountain region!”

Su Yu raised an eyebrow: “That simple?”

The Great Zhou King nodded: “That simple!”

“What relation are you to Zhou?”

Su Yu looked at the Great Zhou King, who smiled: “His descendant!”

“Then you, Baizhan, and Yu—are you all in the same camp?”

“Not quite!”

The Great Zhou King shook his head: “They are they, and I am I. Yu was merely a pawn of the Human Gate. Later, Zhou actually broke free from the Human Gate’s control! Entering the Earth Gate was precisely to avoid the Human Gate’s influence! With the Human Gate and Earth Gate separating them, controlling him became far more difficult!”

Su Yu stared at him: “And after the Human Emperor left, were you truly sealed?”

“Truly!”

The Great Zhou King chuckled: “You underestimate the Human Emperor. Unless I were stronger than the Human Emperor at his peak, how could I deceive him? Many things are real, only… you might not believe them! In the years after the Human Emperor left, I wavered, I was lost, but later I realized I could never return to the past.”

Su Yu frowned slightly: “Then the Human Ancestor Zhou—was he good or evil?”

“To the era of the Heavenly Gate, he was evil. To this era… he is not evil. Good and evil—different perspectives, different judgments.”

The Great Zhou King said softly: “To him, this era is actually one he created… From the ancient times, the rise of humanity was also his initial effort. Later, to escape the Human Gate’s control, he chose to leave the Myriad Realms and enter the Earth Gate for refuge. He could not go to the Heavenly Gate, nor the Human Gate—only the Earth Gate was the sole place where he could break free from control.”

Su Yu nodded slightly: “He left you behind to observe the Myriad Realms?”

“You could say that.”

The Great Zhou King nodded: “In truth, during this time, there were many changes, shifts in the heart’s path—no need to elaborate. By the era of the Human Emperor, I initially only intended to observe from nearby… but I fell into the trap myself. The true sense of responsibility to save this era was born… actually, it was after the Human Emperor’s physical body returned. In earlier years, I had always been stationed at the Human Mountain… the body was at the Human Mountain, and the influence grew stronger and stronger, until finally… today came to be.”

Su Yu frowned: “So you’ve turned from darkness to light? But why… did you deliberately guide me?”

“You mean the memories of the past?”

“Yes.”

Su Yu looked at him: “The Seven Paths to Supremacy… you must have known that once I touched the Heavenly Gate, I would soon discover the problem!”

The Great Zhou King smiled: “Sooner or later, you would discover it. Sometimes I was torn myself—should I speak, and what would be the outcome? Since I couldn’t make up my mind, I let you come and ask me.”

Su Yu frowned: “One more question. When you threatened the Star back then, and the Star merged the copy of the Time Scroll into my body… was that coincidence, or your scheme? I was just a child then; you couldn’t have known whether the Time Scroll was real or fake. You just watched, and later ignored it?”

“It wasn’t my scheme!”

The Great Zhou King laughed: “Some things are fated! As for later ignoring it—actually, I didn’t. I did intervene! Do you really think your encounter with Liu Wenyan was a coincidence? It was inevitable! Only, Liu Wenyan chose to ignore it.”

Su Yu was startled.

The Great Zhou King continued: “Liu Wenyan was a genius of that era, and I had high hopes for him. When you met him, he would inevitably notice something unusual about you. If Liu Wenyan had chosen to kill you back then… the outcome might have been different!”

“I lacked the ability to accomplish any grand plans… As for Liu Wenyan back then, I actually hoped to make amends… So when you met him, I wondered when he would kill you? In the end… your teacher—I won’t judge him, but he is a gentleman! A true gentleman… Unfortunately, gentlemen are not in vogue in this era!”

He laughed bitterly: “He noticed your abnormality early on, didn’t he? Yet he never thought to harm you. That is both good and bad—he missed a great opportunity! You could receive and merge the Time Scroll; he should have been able to as well! He could even receive powerful divine texts—the Time Scroll… he could have too!”

The Great Zhou King added: “Later, when he never acted, I knew some things were destined.”

Su Yu’s mind conjured the image of Liu Wenyan, and he was silent for a long time.

So my encounter with Teacher Liu also involved some scheming by the Great Zhou King. He looked at the Great Zhou King: “If Teacher Liu had killed me back then?”

“Then he would have killed you.”

The Great Zhou King said calmly: “If he had truly killed you, perhaps this era would be quite different. I don’t know the specifics.”

Su Yu exhaled: “So I should thank Teacher Liu for not killing me?”

“That’s up to you.”

The Great Zhou King smiled: “In my view, his not killing you… is actually a kind of foolishness. Seizing every opportunity to rise—that might be what a hegemon should do. He was never born to be a hegemon.”

Su Yu sneered: “You had no good intentions!”

“You can’t say that. Affection and distance differ—he… after all, has a different relationship with me. I hoped he would kill you and seize your fortune!”

He looked at Su Yu again: “Besides, he didn’t do it, did he?”

Su Yu sighed at this, suddenly feeling regret: “Teacher… was too benevolent, not cut out for it. He has the air of a gentleman, but this era does not suit him. Everyone schemes against him, especially you.”

The Great Zhou King was silent.

At this moment, he did not know what to say.

Su Yu snorted: “Are you still in contact with the Human Ancestor Zhou?”

The Great Zhou King shook his head: “After he entered the Earth Gate, contact was lost.”

Su Yu was silent for a while, then said: “Forget it. Some things, I don’t really want to pursue. I said before, some matters are between you and my teacher. When I have time, I will go see my teacher.”

The Great Zhou King remained silent.

And Su Yu fell into thought.

He too wondered—if Liu Wenyan had killed him back then and seized the Time Scroll, what would Liu Wenyan be like today?

Sometimes, he felt his teacher was too soft-hearted, truly not cut out to be a strong one.

Perhaps he should find time to visit his teacher.

He wondered how they were doing.

It had been a while since he last saw them.

As for the Great Zhou King, Su Yu was unwilling to probe further. Some of his words were probably sincere—that he had truly been influenced by the Human Emperor. The Human Emperor’s Dao was truly terrifying.

Qiong had been influenced for only a short time, and look what happened!

And the Great Zhou King had followed him all along.

The Human Emperor might have known all along but chose not to interfere. He was not afraid of traitors around him, because traitors… would eventually be converted by him.

As for Yu, who had followed the Human Emperor for so many years, he ultimately walked his own path.

Was that a divergence in ideals, rather than betrayal?

Su Yu fell into deep thought.

PS: I thought a lot about the arrangement for the Great Zhou King, and in the end, I chose the most plain approach. Because if I wrote other possibilities, it would overturn the setting that the Human Emperor and King Wen were very formidable—if they had hidden for so many years without the Human Emperor noticing anything, that would be too foolish. After much thought, a plain transition is best. Headache!