Chapter 922: Pursuit

The Great Zhou King is a descendant of the Human Ancestor. After following the Human Emperor, he was influenced by the Human Emperor's Dao of Responsibility, and ultimately chose the Human Emperor's camp.

As the Great Zhou King himself said, in this process, he experienced confusion, hesitation, and inner conflict.

In the end, he chose to embrace this era!

A new era!

Thus, during the Tenth Tide, he spared no effort to turn the entire situation around, and he nearly succeeded.

Su Yu's ability to merge with the Time Scroll was greatly related to him.

Back then, he was merely a threat to Xing; if they had truly fought, he likely would not have been Xing's match.

So, he never made a move at that time.

Now, Su Yu's emotions were also complex.

After a long while, he sighed softly: "I thought you might still be hiding your strength, that perhaps you could become a true supreme being. But you're not. What a pity!"

The Great Zhou King looked somewhat helpless, sighed, and said nothing.

Su Yu continued: "From the ancient times to now, have you made no progress at all?"

The Great Zhou King said softly: "I've said it long ago—my talent is not top-tier. I merely accumulated bit by bit over time. You are the geniuses of this era, the darlings of the age, while I am but an ordinary mortal of this time!"

Through accumulation over the ages, the Great Zhou King had only just acquired the power of sixteen Daos, barely entering the first rank.

Many Daos, cultivated for years, only became mastered after merging into Su Yu's world, allowing him to step into the first-rank realm.

At this moment, Su Yu felt a sense of emptiness.

"Is your true name Zhou Tian?"

"Yes."

"Is it related to Tian?"

Su Yu looked at him: "The Zhou Tian civilization, the sun, moon, and stars—your name carries some significance. And that person, Tian, has vanished. I previously speculated whether you were connected to him, but it turns out you're not. The Eight Tribe Leaders—Yue is female. Is there only one female among them?"

"Are you really not a direct son of the Human Ancestor Zhou or something?"

The Great Zhou King only said he was a descendant—how many generations removed?

With whom did Zhou produce descendants?

At Zhou's level, if he sought a woman, she would surely be powerful as well.

Just look at King Wu—he and King Ming had Dao companions, both top-tier existences, first-rank powerhouses.

The Great Zhou King shook his head: "Zhou Tian—it's just a name! I am considered a great-grandson of the Human Ancestor Zhou. My father and grandfather both died in battle during the apocalypse. The Human Ancestor left behind more descendants than just me—Yu is one, the Giant Clan's ancestor is another. In truth, the Human Ancestor's lineage has many bloodlines! In the early ancient times, he was still active across the myriad realms, and even among today's human race, some of his descendants exist—though countless generations removed. It's like with Wen, Xing, and the others—if you think they are descendants, they are; if not, then they aren't."

"Does the Human Ancestor only require you to observe the myriad realms?"

The Great Zhou King nodded slightly: "Only that, because I cannot change anything, nor am I strong enough! Being too talented, too powerful, would draw too much attention. Only someone as ordinary as I could survive from the ancient times to the present! Otherwise, would you believe that a supreme being would submit to a group of youngsters?"

Su Yu smiled: "That's hard to say—maybe they see potential in the young?"

Having said that, Su Yu finally asked: "Is there anything else you want to say?"

The Great Zhou King was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Nothing more needs to be said. This tide, my disciple might want me to say something to him... but I truly have nothing to say."

To Liu Wenyan, he had no further words, no more instructions.

The Great Zhou King watched the waters of the long river flow slowly, and after a while, he said: "If you see him, tell him—if he wants to hate, let him hate. There's no need to hold back! Holding it in for so many years harms the body. I don't mind if he hates me! Perhaps I should have taught him the Dao of Endurance back then—he might have achieved even more!"

He smiled self-deprecatingly.

Su Yu frowned slightly. The Great Zhou King looked at Su Yu, smiled, and said: "One last thing."

"Speak."

The Great Zhou King exhaled and said slowly: "The Human Ancestor likely left some things behind in the myriad realms. The Dao of the Physical Body may have been abandoned by him—just a decoy, much like King Wen's Dao of the Brush. If he has opened a heaven, then his heaven might still be in the myriad realms!"

Su Yu looked at him, frowning: "Are you betraying your ancestor?"

"It seems the Human Ancestor hasn't done anything to you—why betray him?"

The Great Zhou King shook his head: "It's not betrayal. I actually hope you can cooperate. He is a traitor to the Heaven Gate, and also a traitor to the Human Gate. Within the Earth Gate, he may not be welcomed either... I just hope he can have a good ending, rather than being killed! He betrayed humanity—from a human perspective, he is unforgivable. But from your perspective... he might not be impossible to win over."

Su Yu fell into thought. "You mean I should find his heaven and coerce him into cooperating?"

"Something like that."

The Great Zhou King smiled: "Without some leverage, you wouldn't trust him to cooperate."

"Do you know where his heaven is?"

The Great Zhou King shook his head: "No, but it's likely in one of a few places. First, within the Giant Realm! Second, somewhere in the Chaos. Third, within the Human Realm!"

Su Yu was startled: "Within the Human Realm?"

"Yes, the more dangerous the place, the safer it is! The more unexpected the location, the more likely!"

The Great Zhou King smiled: "If he hid his heaven within the Human Realm, the Time River's rejection of it would be less than for other heavens. So, it's not impossible!"

"The Human Realm?"

"Could it be?"

The Human Ancestor should have opened a heaven. According to others, those who haven't opened a heaven—masters of the Dao of Rules—were all sealed away, because once they reached the level of mastering a Dao, they were elites of their era and would be sealed together.

The Human Ancestor wasn't sealed. There was also the Dead Spirit Master, who opened a heaven. The Human Ancestor should have opened one too.

Su Yu thought for a moment, then nodded: "If we can find it later, good. If not, so be it."

Then Su Yu added: "He betrayed humanity and colluded with the Human Gate—why?"

According to what others said, the Human Ancestor and humanity shouldn't have had any conflict.

The Great Zhou King shook his head: "I don't know about that. If you meet him, you can ask him yourself. Old matters are no longer secrets—at least not now. He might tell you!"

Su Yu smiled: "True."

With that, Su Yu stood up and said: "You should return to the myriad realms too! I'll go ahead and see where those fellows are hiding."

The Great Zhou King said nothing, didn't tell Su Yu to be careful—Su Yu didn't need caution. He didn't linger either, soon drifting downstream.

As for Su Yu, he went upstream.

He decided to leave the matter of the Great Zhou King to Liu Wenyan to decide. The Great Zhou King's schemes had benefited Su Yu, but for Liu Wenyan, it was deeply tragic.

Su Yu pushed these thoughts aside and continued flying upstream.

He moved as if on level ground!

At Su Yu's level, even within the Time River, he felt almost no pressure.

He pressed on, and after a while, he sensed a presence—a special aura.

It seemed vast and grand!

Yet, faintly, it carried a sense of weakness.

Su Yu's eyes flickered.

"Am I near the True Gate of Heaven's Gate?"

The river of time, as the portal draws near, is being compressed—both ends squeezed to their limits, compressed into the myriad realms. When the three gates open together, that is the opportunity the Lord of the Dead has always coveted: to devour the river!

Otherwise, in its current state, he cannot swallow it.

As Su Yu advanced a bit further, he saw a colossal portal.

Near the portal, a group of people struggled to survive in its faint glow.

When they spotted Su Yu's figure, their faces changed in unison!

Su Yu!

A voice, fierce in tone but weak in spirit, rang out!

The Divine Emperor roared: "Su Yu, how dare you come here?"

At that moment, faint radiance shimmered on the portal, as if awakening.

Su Yu, however, ignored them, fixing his gaze on the massive gate, lost in thought. After a long pause, he said: "When will you merge with the myriad realms?"

The Divine Emperor and the others trembled with fear, thinking Su Yu was addressing them, yet it didn't seem so.

Then, the Heavenly Gate suddenly rippled slightly, and a voice, ancient and seemingly benevolent, emerged: "Su Yu, do you truly look forward to my merging with the myriad realms?"

Everyone was stunned!

The Heavenly Gate was alive!

And it even knew Su Yu!

In that moment, they found it unbelievable, for they had never known the gate possessed life or consciousness.

Su Yu smiled: "Somewhat. Also, I have a doubt: you are the Opener of Heaven—are you completely sealed? If you awaken, would you need to kill to perfect your origin and prevent your own fall?"

"Once I became a gate, I was sealed," the Heavenly Gate answered.

Su Yu chuckled: "You shelter these people—are they prepared for those within the gate?"

The Heavenly Gate did not reply.

Su Yu thought for a moment and said: "I know you won't awaken now. I have a question, and you must answer it, or else you won't keep a single one of these people!"

The Heavenly Gate was silent for a while: "What do you wish to know?"

"What kind of existence is the Human Gate?"

"Do you think I would know?"

Su Yu smiled: "Yes, I believe you should know something!"

After another silence, the Heavenly Gate said: "A majestic existence!"

Su Yu was surprised: "You actually used the word 'majestic'?"

"Because it is indeed terrifying!"

The will of the Heavenly Gate rippled: "My sealing was also its doing!"

Su Yu smiled: "Alright!"

If the Human Gate said it was terrifying, then it probably was.

He turned his gaze back to the people before him and grinned: "How about giving me half of them? Otherwise, if you fight me, you'll have to awaken, delaying your recovery."

At this, the Divine Emperor and the others turned pale!

Was Su Yu so fearsome that even the unapproachable Heavenly Gate would compromise with him?

Yet the Heavenly Gate refused, speaking calmly: "You won't attack me, for I can open and forcibly draw you inside. Do you wish to clash with Kong and the others?"

Su Yu smiled: "Not really!"

He dropped the subject and looked at the Divine Emperor, his smile radiant: "You are merely nourishment for those inside the gate! Divine Emperor, there is one thing I still don't understand. Back then, the Human King rallied you against the three gates—he must have told you something about what lies within, about the union of yin and yang. He wouldn't have hidden it from you. Why did you rebel?

Is cooperating with those inside the gate truly wise?"

He continued: "We are all cultivators of the same era! Those inside the gate, though they share our blood and lineage, are beings of a past age. Do you think they won't kill you?"

The Divine Emperor's face darkened. After a long pause, he said: "Rebellion? What is rebellion? We merely fought to survive!"

He sneered: "The Prison King slaughtered our people endlessly, the Time Master did the same, and the Literary King and Human King turned a blind eye! Your human race is the cruelest, the most venomous! When the Human King dragged us here, wasn't it to use us as pawns to help him suppress the convergence of the three gates? From start to finish, you treated us as cannon fodder, as chess pieces! If the Human King hadn't eventually met his own downfall, do you think he would be so easygoing now? It's only after being wounded and unable to suppress us that he appears so pitiful!"

The Divine Emperor laughed coldly: "You people are the most hypocritical!"

Su Yu nodded slightly: "And when you cooperated with those inside the gate, did you never consider that you might be treated as nourishment?"

The Divine Emperor was silent for a moment, then said slowly: "No."

Su Yu was surprised: "Why are you so certain? What makes you think you won't become nourishment? Just your strength?"

Around the Divine Emperor, some people grew restless, showing signs of unease.

The Divine Emperor looked at Su Yu and said gravely: "Because many of us have cultivated the Three Bodies Method!"

Su Yu was taken aback. What did that mean?

Then, as if understanding something, he realized.

Indeed, the Divine Emperor said calmly: "Back then, to resist your human race and to gain leverage in negotiations with the powerful inside the gate, many of us practiced the Three Bodies Method. Most of us haven't merged with our Future Bodies, but once the three gates open, we will choose to do so."

He looked at Su Yu: "The Human King's fate is a lesson before us. By now, we understand some things: as long as we merge the Three Bodies, they dare not recklessly devour our Dao, for doing so might cause problems—serious problems. Our Dao would become partially illusory, like rootless duckweed."

He faced Su Yu, now smiling: "Su Yu, don't think your human race is the only clever one! Those inside the gate dare not devour us who have cultivated the Three Bodies! Otherwise, the immensely powerful Human King would be their cautionary tale!"

Su Yu rubbed his chin: "I have to say, your tactic seems somewhat effective! The Three Bodies Method was probably passed down by the Human Gate. The Future Body has major issues—it might even be a power lent by the Human Gate. Most of the old relics inside the gate know this, though few in our era do. So, those fellows might indeed hesitate to swallow you?"

The Divine Emperor said flatly: "Exactly. Of course, we wouldn't choose this path unless absolutely necessary. You forced us into it! Between certain death and the possibility of being trapped by the Human Gate, we chose the latter."

He said this for Su Yu to hear, and also for the Heavenly Gate.

You cannot devour us!

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

Su Yu smiled: "Who taught you this?"

He had never considered this before—or rather, he hadn't known about it until later.

But the Divine Emperor might have known all along.

Su Yu continued: "Then why didn't the Immortal Emperor and the others merge their Three Bodies before they died?"

The Divine Emperor said calmly: "Because at that time, they didn't expect to die here. As for us, we are now prepared. Once the three gates open, we will merge the Three Bodies!"

"Why not merge now?" Su Yu smiled. "Merging now would at least increase your strength a bit."

The Divine Emperor stared at him: "Because you simply don't understand. When the three gates open, the past, present, and future are at their strongest. That is when merging the Three Bodies yields the greatest enhancement. Su Yu, you could try it too."

Su Yu chuckled: "No, forget about me! I don't want to court misfortune! You haven't told me yet—who taught you all this?"

"Is it meaningful?"

Su Yu nodded: "Of course it's meaningful."

"Something like this, I don't even know about it, but you're thoroughly familiar with it."

"Could it be that the Human Gate taught you?"

"Fusing the Three Bodies is indeed a result the Human Gate seeks."

"Does that mean the Divine Race really has a connection with the Human Gate?"

"Or was it that the Immortal Emperor previously communicated with the Human Gate?"

Su Yu saw them all hiding near the Heavenly Gate, glanced at it, and smiled: "Well then, forget it. If you won't give it to me, you must have your own plans! I'll wait for you in the Myriad Realms! I hope you merge with the Myriad Realms soon—otherwise, I fear I might kill you without lifting a finger, and that would be a pity!"

Su Yu sighed: "In truth, we had no enmity, but it's fated that one of us must prevail! From Star, I can infer that perhaps you truly wish to revive the human race—but the human race you envision is yours, not mine!"

The Heavenly Gate said nothing.

Different eras destined them to share few common pursuits.

Su Yu slowly retreated. Since the Heavenly Gate offered shelter, Su Yu wouldn't force an attack; being dragged into the gate would be no good.

Just as Su Yu withdrew, the Heavenly Gate's will suddenly rippled: "Su Yu, you are the Fourth Gate! The gate that seals the era! My present is your future! You think you can resist, you think you can struggle, but you don't know that in the final moment, the one you trust most may betray you! The Human Gate is more treacherous, more mysterious, and more powerful than you imagine!"

"The Human Gate represents annihilation. Each time an era is destroyed, the Human Gate grows stronger. When one age after another perishes, the Human Gate may have been watching from the shadows all along, drawing power from the destruction of eras—you are doomed to perish!"

At that moment, the Heavenly Gate spoke many words.

Finally, it added: "In truth, we don't necessarily have to be enemies. Why not join forces against the Human Gate?"

Su Yu stopped, looked at the Heavenly Gate, and smiled.

Join forces?

Was it possible?

No, it wasn't, because their desire to return meant they would inevitably strike at the strong of the Myriad Realms—Su Yu and his kind were the finest nourishment.

And for Su Yu, these strong were also nourishment.

"We'll see!"

Su Yu didn't outright refuse, smiling: "Besides, I won't believe everything you say!"

With that, Su Yu quietly withdrew.

Su Yu didn't linger long in the upper reaches of the River of Time.

Soon, he flowed downstream.

Before long, Su Yu returned to the Myriad Realms, silent and unseen.

Entering the Myriad Realms, Su Yu's figure flickered and vanished.

After a moment, Su Yu slipped into the Human Realm. In the Human Realm, the Human Emperor and the others had already departed.

Su Yu quickly returned to Nanyuan, flickered again, and dove into that fake civilization relic. He walked to the relic's end, tore open space, and in the relic's interlayer, a small space emerged.

Su Yu's figure flickered, and he entered this small space.

It was a modest space, about the size of Nanyuan—the largest Su Yu could carve out with his previous strength, not a true world, but a pocket dimension.

In this small space, there weren't many people.

At that moment, the sound of reading aloud drifted from the academy in the small town.

The clang of blacksmithing rang out in rhythmic beats.

Su Yu's figure appeared outside the academy. Inside the small school, some children were studying—orphans who had lost parents and kin in the war, not many, just over a hundred.

Yet there was no shortage of teachers here.

At that moment, on the podium, Liu Wenyan was giving a lesson.

Su Yu's figure materialized outside the window. In the classroom, Liu Wenyan seemed to sense something, glanced outside, and upon seeing Su Yu, merely nodded slightly before continuing his lecture to the children: "Opening the apertures is an extremely crucial stage in life. Only after opening the nine apertures can one begin cultivation!"

"Cultivation is a process of strengthening the self, of fortifying the true self—but the strength gained from cultivation is not the ultimate goal. What is the goal of strength?"

He was teaching the children, speaking truths they might not yet understand.

And some of the ideas he expressed, Su Yu didn't necessarily agree with.

But he said nothing.

He just watched silently, waited, and listened.

This was the Liu Wenyan he knew—it seemed that long ago, he had been just like this.

Su Yu had entered Nanyuan Intermediate Academy at twelve, and Liu Wenyan had taught him for over five years. But before twelve, Su Yu had also listened to Liu Wenyan's lectures, back when he was trying to suppress those nightmares.

It was the same now, listening to him speak of profound principles that were hard to grasp.

Later, Su Yu gradually understood some of them, but he still thought Liu Wenyan was pedantic.

Even after arriving at the Great Xia Civilization Academy and learning many things about him, Su Yu still felt he was pedantic—though since he was his teacher, Su Yu never said it.

If Su Yu had been in Liu Wenyan's place back then, he wouldn't have chosen to abandon everything, inherit a divine rune, and then retire to this small town.

To put it nicely, it was carrying on his master's will.

To put it bluntly, it was actually escaping.

Fifty years!

Just to protect this divine rune—losing family, brothers, friends—was it worth it?

Su Yu thought it wasn't!

And after all those years in seclusion, Liu Wenyan clearly knew Su Yu had issues. Even when he spoke with the Xia family, he said Su Yu should have inherited the relic, but he never once thought of seizing that opportunity for himself.

Su Yu admired him, but even today, he still felt his character was too indecisive.

One thought after another surfaced in Su Yu's mind.

After who knows how long, the class ended.

Liu Wenyan tucked a book under his arm, wearing a long robe with an air of scholarly grace, and walked out of the classroom. Su Yu quickly followed.

As they walked, Liu Wenyan said: "Why are you here? Is everything fine outside?"

"There's nothing much happening in the Myriad Realms now—just waiting for the Three Gates to open!"

Liu Wenyan smiled: "Do you have confidence?"

"I don't know."

"You can do it!"

Liu Wenyan chuckled, heading toward the residential area behind the academy, and added: "Have you seen the others?"

Su Yu smiled: "No, I just arrived and was captivated by your lecture—it felt like going back to those days! In the blink of an eye, over ten years have passed!"

"Yes, over ten years!"

Liu Wenyan laughed: "I've been quite idle lately, but your Teacher Bai gives me a headache—he keeps blowing things up over there. You need to reinforce the space, or I'm afraid I'll get blown to bits by him one day!"

No sooner had he spoken than a thunderous crash erupted!

Su Yu looked into the distance—a courtyard had been flattened outright!

A curse rang out: "Damn, failed again!"

Su Yu chuckled: "What's he researching?"

Liu Wenyan said casually: "Not sure, seems to be attempting some kind of Dao rule conversion. Fooling around. If he keeps this up, he'll blow this whole place to bits! It's fine if he dies, but don't let him blow up these kids!"

Su Yu smiled: "I'll reinforce the space around here later."

As he spoke, from another direction, a massive hammer flew out, heading straight for Bai Feng. It came crashing down, accompanied by Zhao Li's roar: "If you blow things up again, I'll hammer you to death!"

Soon, Zhao Li's figure materialized, furious. But at that moment, he caught sight of Su Yu and Liu Wenyan. Seeing Su Yu, he looked slightly surprised, then quickly said: "Don't leave in a hurry. Later, replenish some materials for me. My forging hasn't been going smoothly lately, and I've run out of supplies!"

Su Yu nodded with a smile: "Alright! Teacher, keep at it. I'll come find you later!"

"Mm."

Zhao Li shot a glance at Liu Wenyan but said nothing more.

After a while, the two arrived at a small courtyard.

As soon as they entered, a voice came from inside: "Back? Time to eat."

Su Yu's expression shifted oddly as he looked at Liu Wenyan.

Liu Wenyan paid it no mind, stepping inside and saying: "I'm back. Su Yu's here too. Prepare something for him."

The next moment, a figure emerged from the house.

Su Yu broke into a grin.

Wu Yuehua, seeing Su Yu smile like that, didn't mind. She feigned composure: "He's all alone here, so I came to cook him a meal. You two eat—I'll be off. The dishes are all on the table!"

Su Yu laughed: "Master's wife, you're quite reserved now. Why not join us?"

Wu Yuehua snorted—not at Su Yu, but at Liu Wenyan. "Forget it. Someone else will be coming soon. Awkward if we meet. I'm leaving!"

With that, she turned and walked away.

Su Yu looked surprised, then seemed to realize something and couldn't help but laugh: "Teacher, even in a place like this, those few are still competing?"

Liu Wenyan chuckled: "You wouldn't understand. This is life's only pleasure!"

With that, he and Su Yu entered the house. The table was already set with food and a bottle of wine. Liu Wenyan smiled: "Life's not bad, eh? Envious?"

"A little," Su Yu nodded. "But the place is small, and there aren't many people."

"What do you need so many people for?"

Liu Wenyan dismissed the thought, gestured for Su Yu to sit, and took a sip of wine with satisfaction. "Your coming here today surprised me. I haven't seen you in over a year."

"I went to the Heavenly Gate. A few months there, and it's been a year here."

Su Yu also drank a cup of wine and smiled: "As long as Teacher's life is good, I'm content. I just hope you don't find this place too dreary."

"Dreary? Not at all," Liu Wenyan laughed. "Just bring me more books, and some seeds too. There's food and drink here, but nothing beats the satisfaction of growing your own!"

Su Yu looked at him: "Teacher, do you want to leave?"

Liu Wenyan was silent for a moment, then said: "At first, I did. Later, I stopped wanting to. In truth, this kind of life might be what I've always dreamed of. Like back in Nanyuan—those fifty years there I still miss. But I knew there were things I hadn't finished, so I had to leave. If I could, I might have stayed hidden in Nanyuan for a lifetime. It would have been fine."

He spoke earnestly. Su Yu studied him and then asked: "Teacher, I have a doubt. Back then, my father found you, and I told you about those nightmares. With your experience, you must have known something. Why didn't you ever think of seizing my opportunity?"

Liu Wenyan laughed: "Why must we always drag human nature to its worst? Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself. Back then, I didn't want to hand over my teacher's divine text. Everyone wanted it, I refused, and they killed my whole family. If I seized your opportunity and killed you, your father would fight me to the death. Then I'd have to kill him. After that, if others found out, I might have to kill them too..."

Liu Wenyan smiled: "I've suffered that pain myself—why would I inflict it on you?"

Su Yu thought for a moment and then asked: "Back then, the King of Daxia was also here. Didn't he ever think of taking it?"

"The King of Daxia?" Liu Wenyan chuckled. "He had the thought. He thought it was a relic too. But I'm a scholar—I could talk that barbarian around. We were all subjects of Daxia, fighting for him. Why should he care whose opportunity it was? The Xia family still has some humanity. Otherwise, Daxia wouldn't be so good at war."

Su Yu nodded.

He raised his cup in a toast: "Then I must thank Teacher for not killing me back then!"

"What nonsense!" Liu Wenyan laughed.

Su Yu continued: "Teacher, you know about Ye Batian, don't you?"

Liu Wenyan was silent for a moment, then nodded: "He's dead."

Su Yu frowned.

But Liu Wenyan didn't look at him: "My teacher died. Died over fifty years ago. His origin scattered across the myriad realms, impossible to revive. Su Yu, Ye Batian was my teacher. Don't call him by his name—show some respect."

Su Yu frowned: "Teacher..."

Liu Wenyan smiled: "What do you want to say? That my teacher isn't dead? Then resurrect him for me to see?"

Su Yu said gravely: "He said you could hate him."

"I don't hate him."

Liu Wenyan waved a hand: "Some things are one's own choice. Nothing to do with others. You, with your impulsive nature, always have to investigate everything, get to the bottom of it. Why bother?"

Liu Wenyan chuckled: "When I was young, maybe I was impulsive too. Later, I understood—peace and simplicity might be the truest path."

Su Yu thought for a moment, then nodded: "Since Teacher says so, then Ye Batian is dead. Completely fallen."

"Mm."

Liu Wenyan didn't pursue the topic. Instead, he smiled: "These days outside, have you thought about finding a partner, carrying on the family line? Have a child—I'll be their first teacher! Teaching these kids lately has been pleasant, but it lacks a sense of achievement... none of them are as clever as you! I teach, Old Zhao teaches smithing, Teacher Bai handles research, and Junior Hong teaches fighting..."

Su Yu smiled bitterly: "No, no time, and no interest!"

"Food and sex are human nature!"

Liu Wenyan sighed again: "Your teacher's biggest mistake in life was saying the wrong things when you were in the throes of youthful passion! Compared to that, nothing else matters!"

Su Yu smiled wryly: "Teacher, what times are these? If you can't help it, why not have a few kids yourself to play with?"

"Nonsense!"

Liu Wenyan laughed, but then added: "Though, it's not impossible!"

He raised an eyebrow and grinned: "Want your teacher to show you how it's done?"

Su Yu chuckled: "Teacher, go ahead! I'll talk about it later. Once I've settled all the chaos, then we'll see!"

"Ah, incorrigible!"

Liu Wenyan's wine lost its flavor as he sighed repeatedly: "What a pity! Your father has talked to me about this many times. He almost fought me over it. Every time we drank, he'd curse me out. I had no choice..."

He shook his head again: "You're hopeless!"

Su Yu rolled his eyes. Hopeless?

"Teacher, I'm still young!"

Alright! Let us speak no more of these grievous matters!

Liu Wenyan chuckled and said, “Rest easy here—no other troubles. Go see your father and the others when you return; they miss you! Oh, and tell Maoqiu to stop licking all day long. A few days ago, that creature, perhaps driven by hunger, went and licked Yuehua’s alchemy furnace. One furnace of pills—all the essence licked clean. It ruined over a dozen batches before we discovered the culprit, hiding right beneath the furnace. If not for the drool dripping down, we’d never have known.”

Su Yu was baffled. “Is that so?”

“That hungry?”

“I left food for it when I departed. It’s already finished?”

“What an appetite!”

“Look at Feiqiu—self-sufficient for a hundred thousand years, and it never starved.”

“Sigh!”

Su Yu smiled and nodded. “Alright, I understand. I’ll leave it more food when I get back.”

With that, the two drank wine and ate.

They spoke no more of the Great Zhou King.

Before long, another man arrived, sat down, and ate with a cold face, ignoring Su Yu. After a while, he poured out his bitterness: “I raised an unfilial son—over a year without coming home, and when he does, he doesn’t visit his father but goes drinking with an old codger. Anyone would think his father was dead!”

Su Yu was helpless and knew not what to say.

After another moment, Bai Feng entered, his head covered in black ash. He too sat and ate: “Good disciple, did you win? If you won, dismantle the Three Gates and give them to me for study. Oh, and you compressed the River of Time—let me study that too. I feel I’ve hit a bottleneck in my research and urgently need these things!”

Su Yu smiled and nodded, offering a perfunctory reply to brush him off.

More and more people came.

In the small courtyard, familiar faces appeared. One table was not enough, so another was added.

Drinking, eating, complaining, scolding, laughing, cursing—

Such was the daily life here. Su Yu watched silently, ignoring Maoqiu bouncing atop his head.

Perhaps this was the outcome he desired.

Su Yu did not know if they were truly happy, but at least at this moment of his arrival, they were happy.

In the small courtyard, laughter and joy echoed.

At this moment, he suddenly felt that everything he had done held meaning.

The burden of the Human Emperor was too great; he did not wish to bear it.

These people before him—they were the responsibility he ought to carry.

Su Yu ate and drank in silence. At this moment, his weary heart gradually relaxed.

At this moment, he, a 35-path powerhouse, actually drank too much. Leaning on his chair, he smiled foolishly with drunken eyes, amused.

Watching Teacher Liu being surrounded and scolded by his three wives, he suddenly found it very interesting!