Chapter 925: Reaction Inside the Earth Gate

A man's name is like a tree's shadow.

Though Su Yu had never set foot in the Earth Gate, his name had already spread through it—a ruthless man, a powerhouse, a star of slaughter!

He had slain the Lord of the Forbidden Zone!

The myriad realms did not understand, but the Earth Gate, having fought in the age of the Primordial Opening, knew what the Lord of the Forbidden Zone was—what kind of being?

Immortal, progenitor of a race!

Demon, progenitor of a race!

…

Beings who had opened eras, opened realms, opened races—vastly powerful.

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, in the final battle of the late Primordial Opening, the Earth Gate suffered grievous losses; countless warriors of the Chaos Ancient Clans fell in battle. They still held some fear of the Heaven Gate and Earth Gate, yet now tales spread of Su Yu slaughtering countless foes and slaying the Lord of the Forbidden Zone!

At this moment, the entire Earth Gate trembled!

Su Yu of the Myriad Realms!

The Myriad Realms' Human Sovereign—everyone knew of him: a ruthless man who had twice stormed and breached the Earth Gate, a supreme existence. And now, they learned of another: Su Yu of the Myriad Realms!

…

Meanwhile.

In the endless void, a floating continent stood.

On that continent, many people dwelled.

When they heard the great shout, a crowd looked up, their faces changing.

"Tian Gu!"

At that moment, Divine Consort and the others flew swiftly over, gazing at Tian Gu, who was still cultivating. His aura was powerful, and a dense life force emanated from him.

Ever since the Immortal Sovereign was slain and Yuansheng chose to yield the Great Path, Tian Gu had continued cultivating the Immortal Sovereign's Great Path, which he had pursued for a hundred thousand years. With the Immortal Sovereign fallen and no one contending for the Path, Tian Gu advanced swiftly.

Yet now, Tian Gu's face paled slightly.

Su Yu!

He was coming!

He glanced toward the Earth Gate; around him, powerful figures gathered rapidly.

Divine Consort, Sage Marquis, Desolate Heavenly Sovereign, Dao Heavenly Sovereign…

All of them looked at Tian Gu.

Some helplessness and sorrow filled them!

We entered the Earth Gate, but before long, Su Yu seemed about to arrive again!

What could be done?

Tian Gu was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Even if he comes, his primary goal is not to deal with us. Did you hear? He killed some Lord of the Forbidden Zone… What level of existence is a Lord of the Forbidden Zone?"

As he spoke, Tian Gu looked at a powerful figure striding through the air and said gravely, "May I ask, senior, what level of cultivator is a Lord of the Forbidden Zone?"

The newcomer was wreathed in demonic aura!

A hint of arrogance on his face, he replied coldly, "An existence beyond your imagination. A cultivator with thirty-two Path Powers is a true Lord of the Forbidden Zone; the weaker ones have at least thirty Path Powers!"

Tian Gu's face changed!

After entering the Earth Gate, their accumulated years of sealing had been released, and their progress was rapid. Especially Tian Gu—after entering the Earth Gate, the Immortal Sovereign's fall spurred his strength to climb unceasingly.

By now, he had surpassed Divine Consort and the others, who had advanced before him.

He had already stepped swiftly into the realm of ten Path Powers!

This was the domain of geniuses!

Trapped in the Dao Integration realm for years, entering the Earth Gate had brought him some relief. Coupled with the Immortal Sovereign's fall, his progress was so swift that even Divine Consort and the others were astonished.

In the Myriad Realms, this was the second rank!

To be sure, Su Yu had many subordinates, but those who entered the second rank on their own were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Wan Tiansheng and the like were merely second rank, though not far from the first.

Ten Path Powers, thirty-two Path Powers.

And Su Yu had slain a Lord of the Forbidden Zone!

At this moment, Tian Gu sighed.

A boundless dejection suddenly overcame him!

An Immortal must die standing.

On the day the Immortal Sovereign fell, fearing they would lose faith, he told them: Immortals never compromise!

Never submit!

And now… Su Yu, who had slain a Lord of the Forbidden Zone, might be coming.

Not might—he would surely come!

Thirty-two Path Powers—was that the supreme rank?

Tian Gu vaguely understood. That meant the upper reaches had likely been pacified.

No, after the Immortal Sovereign's death, the myriad races of the upper reaches had probably collapsed.

How many were still alive now?

The Divine Sovereign and the others might not be dead yet, but many must have fallen.

The Heaven Gate, even if not pacified, had likely been thrown into chaos.

With Su Yu's current strength, he wouldn't come just for them. That meant his target was those supreme existences!

He looked at the demonic cultivator and asked again, "Forgive my presumption, but what strength is Lord Yanhuo at now?"

Yes, the demonic cultivator before him was a subordinate of the Yanhuo Demon Sovereign.

A demon sovereign who had followed Prison King into the Earth Gate!

The demonic cultivators had died from the Myriad Realms to the Heaven Gate; before, only Mo Heavenly Sovereign remained at the Rule Lord realm. Now, here was another top demonic powerhouse—the previous Demon Sovereign, Yanhuo Demon Sovereign!

After Tian Gu and the others entered, to survive, they had Mo Heavenly Sovereign make contact with that demonic powerhouse through intermediaries. But to avoid being directly absorbed, Tian Gu chose not to go there, instead leading his group to camp in this dangerous region.

The demonic cultivator frowned slightly and snapped, "Is that something you can ask?"

The rebuke stirred anger among the surrounding cultivators.

Yanhuo had some influence here, backed by Prison King, who was considered one of the top existences. Yanhuo was doing fairly well.

But now, cultivators from the Myriad Realms had come, and he was arrogant!

Of course, when under someone else's roof, one must bow the head.

In the Myriad Realms, Tian Gu was the leader of the Immortal race, the leader of all races. Here, he was merely an ordinary second-rank cultivator. On Yanhuo's side, second-rank cultivators were not uncommon.

Though the Earth Gate was not as strong as the Heaven Gate—with fewer supreme-rank and first-rank cultivators—Yanhuo's faction still had some first-rank ones.

To this ungrateful fellow Tian Gu, the demonic cultivator showed no courtesy.

These demonic cultivators, some had followed Yanhuo here in the early days, others were descendants born later. The one before them, though only second-class, barely initiated, still acted arrogantly in front of Tiangu!

In the myriad realms, the Divine Emperor Consort and her ilk, who had long roamed unchecked, held little status here.

The Divine Emperor Consort had only just stepped into the third class, a five-path cultivator.

The others had all made progress, but most wielded only the power of three or four paths—they could still scrape by on the fringes, but here in the inner circle, they counted for nothing!

Tiangu was not angered; he smiled and said, "That was rash of me!"

He looked at the other and spoke again, "Then, sir, do you know if Lord Yanhuo and Lord Yu have any plans to deal with Su Yu?"

"That is not your concern!"

This demonic strongman frowned as he spoke: "That remark just now must have come from the Chaos Lord... killing the Lord of the Forbidden Land, Su Yu... is he the one you mentioned before, who drove you away?"

"It is him!"

"Who does the Chaos Lord think he's fooling?"

The demonic strongman suddenly sneered: "Trying to pull some new trick, are you? Tiangu, you said before that he wasn't even an eight-path cultivator, and now, in the blink of an eye, he's killed the Lord of the Forbidden Land? Ridiculous!"

Tiangu said nothing.

Ridiculous?

Not at all!

Yes, it was indeed unimaginable, because here, only a little over half a year had passed. To say that the eight-path cultivator from half a year ago and the Su Yu who now killed a thirty-two-path cultivator were the same person—any normal person would find it absurd.

The Heavenly Gate probably thought so too; the Earthly Gate side, if they knew Su Yu's previous situation, would likely think the same...

But on Tiangu's side, from Tiangu himself to the ordinary cultivators, no one questioned it.

If it were anyone else, it would be impossible.

But since it was Su Yu, it was a hundred percent certain!

At this moment, Tiangu was rapidly assessing the situation.

The domain of King Yu was probably no longer safe!

Right now, the more powerful the gathering, the more dangerous it was!

Especially King Yu—very dangerous!

Because the branch of King Yu left outside had deeply offended Su Yu back then. Although King Yu was a sworn sister of the Human Emperor and the others, Su Yu didn't know her!

He, Su Yu, had killed ancient humans before!

Yunshui Hou, Anying Hou—these people had been killed by Su Yu just the same. In Su Yu's eyes, King Yu was no nobler than them.

A series of thoughts arose. Tiangu looked at the demonic strongman before him and said with a smile, "Sir, if Su Yu comes, this place might not be safe... There's no protection nearby. Could we move a little farther away, if you permit?"

The demonic strongman said coldly, "Of course not! Without the Demon Emperor's orders, no one may leave!"

Tiangu sighed. I knew it.

Yanhuo still wouldn't let them go.

Seeking refuge with Yanhuo had its pros and cons. The advantage was temporarily gaining a foothold and settling down.

The disadvantage was that Yanhuo had his own plans.

Tiangu and his group were weak—there was no doubt about that. Compared to the strong of the Three Gates, the gap was enormous.

But Tiangu's side had many cultivators from the myriad realms.

Cultivators from the myriad realms were actually a hot commodity!

Killing cultivators from the myriad realms to return to the myriad realms!

The strong of the Earthly Gate killed cultivators from the myriad realms to strengthen their origin and replace their yang energy—this was also what the Earthly Gate needed to do.

Of course, Yanhuo hadn't made a move yet.

Yanhuo had his own direct subordinates, followers, and even some allied strongmen. As for Tiangu and his group, Yanhuo regarded them as trade goods for his personal use. Yanhuo himself didn't need them, but recently, Tiangu could sense that some strongmen had come to spy on them from the shadows—like inspecting goods, secretly sizing them up.

He guessed that his group might have been treated as trade items, to be exchanged with some strongmen within the Earthly Gate!

But they were waiting!

Waiting for his side to grow stronger.

Especially himself—he might have been sold at a good price.

Sure enough, when he proposed to leave, the other party refused to let them go.

Earlier, Tiangu had no other path and had chosen to temporarily settle here, but he hadn't expected Su Yu to arrive so quickly.

The area where Yanhuo and King Yu were located would surely be Su Yu's target.

He was on their periphery—to go there, they would have to pass through his place. If he waited here, he would be courting death!

He had originally planned to lie low for a while longer, but now it seemed that might not be possible!

Tiangu's eyes flickered, and he sighed, "Forget it!"

With that, he looked at the Divine Emperor Consort and the others, then back at the demonic strongman. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Sir, since we cannot move... could you ask Lord Yanhuo to send a first-class strongman to patrol here occasionally..."

"Hmph!"

Tiangu looked helpless: "Sir... I... I came in haste from the myriad realms and didn't bring many treasures, but back then, the Immortal Emperor left behind an Immortal Emperor Stele, which contains some exposition on the Great Path of Life. Would you be interested, sir?"

The demonic strongman's eyes shifted as he looked at Tiangu.

Tiangu smiled: "Sir, what do you think? Could we make some small arrangements—just change the patrol routes of a few strongmen to come by my place more often..."

"Well..."

The strongman pretended to be reserved, but he was actually tempted. After all, Tiangu was the later Immortal Emperor, so his foundation was still substantial.

At that moment, a stone stele appeared in Tiangu's hand. With a brilliant smile, he walked toward him.

Holding the stele with both hands, he looked very respectful.

I've set up a WeChat public account [Book Lovers' Base Camp] to give everyone year-end benefits! You can go check it out!

Not far away, on the demonic side, there were actually people present. Motianzun was there, watching silently. He watched Tiangu, several times on the verge of speaking, but in the end, he remained silent.

Just then, Tiangu reached the man and presented the Immortal Emperor Stele with both hands.

It was indeed a stele left by the Immortal Emperor, and quite powerful.

The demonic strongman reached out to take it.

At that very moment, Tiangu suddenly erupted with a powerful aura, smashing the stele toward him!

Nearby, the Divine Emperor Consort and the others, without any hesitation, all struck with full force at that instant!

Boom!

Under the demonic strongman's horrified gaze, the stele came crashing down. With a thunderous roar, it shattered his physical body. The others struck directly at his Great Path, rumbling!

The Great Path was partially severed!

The stele in Tiangu's hand quickly transformed into a cage, instantly suppressing the man's Great Path and sealing his Sea of Will into the stele.

The group remained silent, not uttering a word.

Swift and ruthless!

This demon clan powerhouse, who had only just entered the second rank but possessed the power of nine paths, was effortlessly crushed by them, captured in an instant!

All around, the concealment formations shattered only now.

Tian Gu stood calm, the stone tablet in his hand struggling, but he paid it no mind. He looked at Mo Tianzun and said softly, "Will you stay, or come with us?"

Mo Tianzun’s face showed complexity. At that moment, a purple-haired youth beside him spoke in a low voice: "We’ll go with you! Yanhuo the Demon Emperor... after entering the Earth Gate, he is no longer the emperor of the demon clan! We cannot fathom his thoughts, but these days, he has granted no favors to the demon clan..."

He turned to Mo Tianzun: "Times have changed! He has been away from the myriad realms too long; his thoughts have shifted. He is no longer the demon clan’s emperor! Lord Mo Tian, we... are no longer on his side! Besides, they underestimate Su Yu, and trouble will come. Only by leaving can we save ourselves!"

Mo Tianzun sighed and nodded: "Brother Tian Gu, regarding the demon clan’s affairs... from now on, discuss them with Mo Duona!"

Tian Gu glanced at him, then at Mo Duona, and smiled: "Mo Tian’s most correct decision, perhaps, is this one! If the demon clan continues like this... they will perish sooner or later! The Demon Emperor is dead, and now Yanhuo... his thoughts are unfathomable! But he may, like the Prison King, have some other ideas..."

He looked into the distance: "If they dismiss the news of Su Yu’s arrival, these people—including the Prison King—will suffer, and suffer greatly!"

"We are of little consequence; even if we speak, no one will heed us!"

"But since the Chaos Lord has sent a message through the Earth Gate, it shows he takes this seriously! I don’t know if the Human Gate has some connection with him, but he must regard this matter with utmost importance to make such a move. Yet some think he has ill intentions—how foolish they are!"

At this moment, Tian Gu felt that the Chaos Lord’s choice was exceedingly wise!

This must be made public!

Otherwise, if Su Yu truly sneaks in and no one takes it seriously, they will all regret it in time.

"We can’t stay here any longer!"

"We are all prime targets; the ancient beasts within the Earth Gate want to devour us!"

"As for Zhou, he is human after all, and cannot coexist with us. As for the Chaos Lord... he should also be a destination Su Yu and his group will inevitably target..."

Tian Gu pondered for a moment and said: "Hiding is impossible!"

After a moment’s thought, Tian Gu spoke: "I want to lead everyone to seek refuge with the Chaos Lord!"

At these words, the Divine Emperor’s Consort’s expression shifted: "You said Su Yu will go there. Besides, we are too weak and carry many clansmen. Tian Gu, one misstep could mean the annihilation of our races!"

"I know!"

Tian Gu took a deep breath: "But we have no choice! Even if the Chaos Lord is attacked, he may be the last to fall. He is the strongest. If Su Yu and his people strike, they might not target him first..."

"Besides, we are not without bargaining chips!"

"Bargaining chips?"

Everyone looked at him. What do we have left?

We have nothing but these clansmen!

Tian Gu said solemnly: "We still have something! Some strong beings from the myriad realms are still alive—the Divine Emperor is not dead! We know Su Yu extremely well, better than anyone, better than the Human Gate. That is also a bargaining chip!"

"The Chaos Lord takes this so seriously, which means he is not foolish. At least, he can listen to others’ opinions!"

"I’ll go first to test the waters..."

The Divine Emperor’s Consort frowned: "I’ll go!"

She looked at Tian Gu: "You cannot go first. If you go and he kills you..."

"He won’t!"

Tian Gu smiled: "Being weak has its advantages. If I were a cultivator of over twenty paths, he might indeed kill me. But I am only a ten-path cultivator. To him, I am a drop in the bucket. Killing me would bring no benefit. If Su Yu comes to deal with him, doesn’t he want to deal with Su Yu?"

Beside him, Dragon Lord said solemnly: "Deal with Su Yu... Tian Gu, can they really do it?"

It wasn’t overestimating Su Yu, but... the myriad races had truly been beaten into fear by Su Yu!

Tian Gu nodded: "Your concern is valid. So... what we need to do is not stay there forever! Instead, we obtain some benefits from the Chaos Lord, enhance our strength, and leave quickly. Or even just a transaction—we sell some intelligence about Su Yu in exchange for resources..."

Tian Gu added: "If we keep hiding, we will die sooner or later! We must take a gamble!"

He looked at Mo Duona among the crowd: "If you are willing to take the risk... you can go to Su Yu, sell some intelligence we know, and exchange it for resources. Su Yu may not necessarily attack... but of course, he might casually kill you!"

Mo Duona frowned slightly: "He could just grab anyone and learn more than we know. Would it be useful?"

It wasn’t fear, but doubt that it would yield anything.

Tian Gu smiled: "We don’t necessarily need to provide him with anything. But let him know... we fear him, we dare not oppose him, and we are willing to offer everything we know! That way, if we do meet, we might have a chance to live... Even if we cannot survive, he may not slaughter our entire race!"

The group exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Tian Gu took a deep breath: "Then let’s each act. Gather all the clansmen, and while Yanhuo hasn’t noticed yet, withdraw quickly!"

This group was decisive.

They had grown accustomed to wandering.

Soon, they collected the clansmen active on the continent. These cultivators from various races remained calm, orderly entering spatial artifacts to take shelter.

Now, unable to return to the myriad realms, with the Earth Gate perilous beyond measure, being able to come out for a breath of fresh air was already a luxury. They could not ask for more.

Su Yu was about to enter again, and they knew exactly how terrifying that man was!

Avoid him!

The group withdrew swiftly and orderly. Since entering the Earth Gate, they had experienced such days more than once. Some clansmen had fallen, sometimes caught off guard by danger and perishing instantly.

...

Perhaps Tian Gu and these myriad-race cultivators were the quickest to react.

Upon hearing that Su Yu might enter, they immediately chose to kill the demon clan’s guarding strongman and flee without delay. Compared to Yanhuo’s wrath, Su Yu was the truly terrifying existence. What was Yanhuo?

Though Yanhuo was not weak, Tian Gu, a mere ten-path cultivator, did not take him too seriously.

Sometimes, strength does not guarantee survival!

If Yanhuo and his kind remained so careless... Tian Gu felt that before long, he might hear news of their fall.

As for persuading them—impossible.

Even the Chaos Lord’s words were barely heeded by a few, let alone the words of people like them, of little consequence.

...

At this moment, Su Yu naturally knew nothing of this.

He was quite annoyed!

He liked to sneak into a village quietly, to be an old schemer, to stab people in the back.

He didn’t like this kind of head-on confrontation!

Because they were not yet at the point of sweeping everything aside. Unless they could truly crush all opposition, Su Yu preferred to work behind the scenes, as a shadowy hand!

But as soon as he entered, his name had spread!

At this moment, the Human Emperor was also helpless: "Good heavens, I don’t even deserve a name anymore?"

"..."

Su Yu was speechless. He looked at the Human Emperor. When had this one started acting like this?

The Human Emperor smiled and said: "Never mind. A good fighter has no great feats. Since you are in the spotlight, let it shine even brighter!"

He said no more, then quickly looked at Hong and smiled: "How are Yi Yue and the others?"

Hao said in a low voice, "A few have died, the rest are still fine... Your Majesty, shall we go find them?"

"According to some arrangements I made back then, they will all have infiltrated different factions..."

The Human Sovereign said, smiling, "No rush. First, tell me what you know. We'll talk as we walk. This place is no longer safe; soon someone will come to investigate. With Wen the Second here, it should be manageable. The Earth Gate may want to pass a message, but they won't expose themselves now!"

With that, the group of them vanished from the spot in an instant.

Not long after, a powerful being came to investigate, observing the Earth Gate. The Earth Gate was as quiet as ever, but few dared to approach, for the Human Sovereign's two earlier strikes had frightened them.

These beings also feared that if Su Yu and the others had truly entered, they might kill them on a whim.

There were ancient beasts, as well as some humanoid creatures.

Some came from the Ancestor of Humanity's faction, some were spies of the Human Gate, and others belonged to the Prison King's lineage.

...

At that moment, Su Yu and the others had already departed.

Hao, now transformed into a refined middle-aged man, quickly reported, "Your Majesty, the Earth Gate has many factions of varying sizes! But the main ones are five: the Azure Flower Mountain where the Ancestor of Humanity resides, the Endless Hell of the Prison King, the Ageless Mountain of the Chaos Lord, and two other more mysterious forbidden lands. It is said that top-tier powerhouses are stationed there, though they have never been seen... However, there are indications that such beings truly exist!"

The Human Sovereign nodded slightly.

Seeing him list these factions with such familiarity, Su Yu smiled and said, "The Ancestor of Humanity and the Prison King—haven't they been targeted?"

"No!"

Hao shook his head. "Because they are very strong!"

This was different from the Heaven Gate!

The Heaven Gate was also powerful, yet even beings of the Death Lord's caliber were heavily opposed upon entry. Here, however, even if the Chaos Lord did not act, the other two mysterious factions, even if they had transcendent beings, likely had no interest in making a move.

And even if they did, they might not succeed!

Su Yu thought for a moment and said, "What is the purpose of the Ancestor of Humanity and the Prison King in entering the Earth Gate? Apart from seeking refuge, could there be another goal?"

Seeking refuge might be one reason.

For instance, the Ancestor of Humanity might be avoiding trouble from the Human Gate. But what about the Prison King?

They had been here for so many years—if they truly wanted to leave, it wasn't impossible!

Yet they had always remained within the Earth Gate.

Previously, some Rule Masters had left, but they were all weaklings; no true strong ones had been seen.

Earlier, one of the Prison King's disciples had gone out.

Prison Qing!

Not particularly powerful; by current reckoning, he was only at the level of four paths. He was said to be the Prison King's ninth disciple. Of course, the state of the Earth Gate at that time could not allow stronger beings to exit.

The Earth Gate's rift was not large!

And the matter of threatening to open the Earth Gate... that was something only Su Yu and his group would dare to do!

When Su Yu and the others entered, they had not considered leaving easily.

At this moment, the Earth Gate's rift was insufficient to support their departure, but Su Yu believed that if they truly fought fiercely inside, killing countless beings, the Earth Gate might forcibly open itself to expel them!

Thus, the three had never worried about leaving.

If they lost, they wouldn't get out.

If they won, there would be countless ways to leave!

The Human Sovereign laughed. "Of course, there are benefits to the Earth Gate. Killing strong beings here replenishes one's origin source! Once the origin source is strong and one absorbs the power of myriad realms outside, one can quickly grow stronger!"

He continued, "Moreover, the Earth Gate seals the Chaos Era. Within the Earth Gate, there is actually a treasure land—the Chaos River!"

Su Yu was surprised and looked at him. "What is the Chaos River?"

"It is some pure Chaos origin power!"

The Human Sovereign explained, "I recovered quite quickly earlier. As you can see, I've reached 31 paths, and it was thanks to the Chaos origin! This substance is good for healing wounds. It is pure Chaos origin, existing before the creation of the world, beneficial for healing and comprehending the power of the Great Dao!"

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "You obtained this?"

He gave him a strange look, then glanced at Hao and smiled. "Senior Hao, was it easy to get?"

Hao quickly replied, "Very difficult! The Chaos River is surrounded by several major factions. Under normal circumstances, only those factions have a chance to obtain some..."

Su Yu looked at the Human Sovereign, who smiled. "What are you looking at?"

Was it hard for me to arrange for some people to infiltrate the upper echelons?

Su Yu thought for a moment and said no more.

Now, Su Yu considered and said, "Human Sovereign, where do you think we should go first?"

The Human Sovereign smiled. "How about we first find those two mysterious transcendent beings? Eliminate them first, then deal with the rest! Once those two are gone, the remaining three factions may not form an alliance!"

"Will the Prison King still listen to you?"

Su Yu looked at the Human Sovereign. "After all, you are her sworn elder brother. Do you think she might heed you?"

The Human Sovereign fell into contemplation. After a long while, he said, "I don't know. Probably not. I cannot fathom her thoughts now. In the old days, I might have been able to judge, but you said that the minions she left outside have been tormenting the human race. She might know all this... yet she did nothing, did not stop them... I don't know how she thinks now. The Earth Gate has a rift; strong beings cannot easily pass through, but they can approach. She should be able to obtain news from the myriad realms, yet she did not intervene..."

He sighed.

Wen Yu, however, seemed to understand the Prison King's goal and said dismissively, "What could she be thinking? Even if she knows, she won't stop them!"

Seeing Su Yu's gaze, Wen Yu explained, "The Prison King is a very cold-blooded creature. She advocates extreme survival of the fittest. In her view, the weak do not deserve to live. Whether they are abandoned or not, whether they are human or not, it doesn't matter to her. So even if she knows her people are causing trouble outside, she won't care!"

Su Yu understood and quickly smiled. "Never mind that! I don't expect cooperation, nor do I desire it! Human Sovereign, I'll say this plainly upfront—if I kill her, you must not stop me! Let's get that clear now!"

The Human Sovereign frowned slightly but nodded without saying anything.

Su Yu continued, "It's not that I must kill her to embarrass you, but I need to give some people an explanation!"

Su Yu said calmly, "I have no great enmity with the Prison King, but she killed February, March, April... These people were serving me! February is March's father. For that reason alone, there is almost no possibility of cooperation between her and me. Perhaps you think that March and the others are far less valuable than the Prison King, but in my eyes, those who support me are my people! Those who do not support me are my enemies! And under this premise, the Prison King is my enemy!"

"If I can kill the Prison King, I will not hesitate!"

He had to make this clear in advance!

The Human Sovereign still had some lingering feelings for the Prison King. Kings Wen and the others were decisive figures. Su Yu could sense their resoluteness, their extraordinary decisiveness!

For instance, earlier in the Heaven Gate, their coordinated actions from afar were top-notch!

But when it came to the Prison King, things changed.

Su Yu could understand—tens of thousands of years of sworn siblinghood, emotions ran deep. The Human Sovereign and the others had their private feelings; they were, after all, human. Humans must have the seven emotions and six desires. That was why the Human Sovereign and King Wen had both shown favoritism toward the Prison King back then!

The Human Sovereign rarely hesitated or wavered, but now he sighed once more and said nothing.

Wen Yu, however, seemed somewhat carefree and said casually, "Kill her if you want! I won't even bother about her sullying my reputation! If my elder brother hadn't stopped me back then, I would have settled accounts with her!"

The Prison King, impersonating the Time Master, had killed many, even some allied races!

Later, Wen Yu dared not show his face as the Time Master, for it would bring trouble.

Even King Wen did not dare to claim that his sister was the Time Master, as it was also troublesome.

Hao, standing by, listened silently and did not speak.

In front of the Human Sovereign, talking about killing his third sister—this new supreme powerhouse of the human race held no low status among the three. Hao could sense that this was a fearsome existence. No wonder the myriad races had been routed; this man would likely show no mercy when he struck.

The Prison King... After all, the Hou was the Martial King’s mount, so he did possess some inside knowledge. For instance, there was a time when the Prison King had targeted him, and it was only because the Martial King stepped in to frighten the foe away that he survived; otherwise, he would have perished long ago.

Su Yu followed the Hou as they pressed forward. Walking along, he asked, "Does January know that February was murdered by Yu?"

The Human Emperor fell silent for a moment before nodding. "He knows."

Su Yu raised an eyebrow, thoroughly surprised. "He knows, and yet you still dare to employ him? You shielded Yu, after all!"

Could January truly be content with that?

Su Yu was already pondering whether January had secretly betrayed the Human Emperor.

February was January's descendant. With his descendant slaughtered and the culprit protected by the very sovereign he served, how could he possibly be at peace?

This matter, Su Yu felt, was rather thorny to handle.

March and his kin were currently serving Su Yu. If January were to defect... what then?

Would I have to execute January myself?

If March and the others found out about this... even if they knew January had turned traitor, it would still lead to a troublesome outcome.

Su Yu had no desire to fall out with the powerful experts who supported him; the Iron-Eater Tribe had sided with him since the early days.

Exhaling slowly, the Human Emperor suddenly remarked, "It matters not. Regarding January, I made certain amends years ago. The fact that the Iron-Eater Tribe has managed to thrive to this day is actually tied to that. Back then, after Yu killed February, I severed a portion of the human race's fortune and infused it into the Iron-Eater Tribe, binding their survival to that of humanity."

In a low, heavy voice, the Human Emperor continued, "I also promised January that if he could exact vengeance on his own, or find someone else to slay Yu... I would not interfere."

Su Yu arched his brow. "Is that not just drawing a cake to satisfy hunger? If January could kill her, he would have done so long ago."

An empty promise, one of no practical use whatsoever.

It was identical to what Su Yu had told the Martial Emperor—if you have the ability to kill the Martial King, I will hold back the others for you. He said it precisely because it was virtually impossible.

This time, the Human Emperor wore a bitter smile. "At that time, that was the utmost I could achieve. Had you demanded that I execute Yu back then... do you truly believe I could have done it? Tens of thousands of years of shared camaraderie..."

Su Yu shrugged. "Fair enough. Still, you did not handle this matter very cleanly."

"Indeed. That is precisely why I am merely the Human Emperor."

The Human Emperor sighed. "If I were truly capable of absolute selflessness, of treating the entire world as one, I would not be the Human Emperor—I would be the Emperor of All Races. Had I truly treated the myriad races exactly as I treat humanity, they might not have rebelled against me. Therefore, the destruction of the ancient era lies heavily upon my shoulders. Su Yu... you need not overestimate me. I am no saint."

Hearing this, Su Yu fell silent.

The Human Emperor knew it all; he understood everything perfectly.

Yet, he was the Human Emperor.

This mirrored some of Baizhan's strategies from the past, though the Human Emperor was slightly better than Baizhan. Aside from refusing to execute the Prison King when she struck out against their allied races, he had generally taken excellent care of his allies.

The Human Emperor was no saint; his responsibility... lay fundamentally with the human race alone.

Su Yu was no saint either; his responsibility extended only to those who supported him and recognized his worth.

In this era, a true saint simply did not exist.

At that moment, the Time Master was also observing the two men. Seeing that no conflict had erupted between them, she finally spoke up, "Why think so much? We have only just arrived. Why don't we hunt a few ancient chaos beasts, have a grand feast, and then get to work once our bellies are full?"

She interjected, lightening the heavy atmosphere.

She felt there was no need to breed friction over the Prison King. In the present human race, Su Yu and the Human Emperor were the twin pillars of strength. For the sake of a single Yu, it was entirely unnecessary to fracture their pre-existing tacit understanding.

The Human Emperor nodded and offered a faint smile. "Wen Yu speaks correctly. Why not capture a few ancient beasts first, kill them, and feast before anything else?"

On any ordinary day, he would have ignored such a suggestion from Wen Yu.

At this moment, however, he voiced his support.

Su Yu also smiled. "Very well."

This matter was now considered resolved. In any case, since the Human Emperor had stated that he would not interfere if Su Yu chose to kill, that was sufficient.

As for whether the Human Emperor would lend a hand... Su Yu chose not to concern himself with that.

Forcing the Human Emperor to slay a sworn sister of tens of thousands of years was indeed a cruel ask.

Beside them, the Hou, who had been holding his breath in terror, finally let out a sigh of relief. He hurriedly intervened, "Lady Yu, I know exactly where the most delicious ancient beasts reside. Allow me to lead the way!"

He prayed these luminaries would not start a civil war the moment they stepped inside. Fortunately, the worst had been averted, though it had nearly frightened him to death.

Su Yu smiled, perceiving the beast's anxiety. There was truly no need for it; he and the Human Emperor harbored no fundamental conflict, nor would they fall out over the Prison King. At most, he simply would not associate with those on Yu's side.

For their immediate course of action, the group did not seek out any formidable powerhouses. Instead, under the guidance of the Hou, they resolved to enjoy a hearty feast first.