Sure enough, it is important to read more."
While lamenting, Su Yu looked at the various miniature book-holding Wan Tianshengs. Suddenly, he blanked out. He noted that he could see the titles of these books as well.
Yin and Yang: Essay on Copulation.
Su Yu stared at Wan Tiansheng for a long while before raising his middle finger at the old man. What a shameless old man! Why did the old man read such a book? How many of his million books were similar in nature?
Tsk.
Su Yu sneered with disdain. How shameless. So these were the so-called million books he had read? No wonder he loved staying in his room so much.
Chapter 1831: Fate Realm (1)
Su Yu's feelings aside, Old Wan was indeed showcasing the air of a grandmaster right now.
He seemed boundlessly talented. Countless Wan Tianshengs were reading. He had only lived for a hundred years, yet his life experience seemed even richer than that of someone who had lived ten thousand years. He seemed like a refined, scholarly gentleman. Perhaps this was the real Wan Tiansheng.
Su Yu also had the refined air of a scholar, but his was more fake. He had only spent ten or so years studying, and he had indeed learned a lot from books. But he could replicate Wan Tiansheng's scholarly aura.
Wan Tiansheng's dao pioneering had taught Su Yu some new things. Initially, he had thought that dao pioneering was simply a process of opening a tributary by force. But no. It was a process of expanding one's dao through one's knowledge and understanding. Brute force alone was not sufficient to expand a tributary.
As Su Yu observed, the human dao continued growing rapidly. Naturally, it was not as big as some of the more impressive daos Su Yu had seen. But this was a completely original dao, one Wan Tiansheng had created himself. The water flowing into the tributary was the power of laws.
When the power of laws was in the River of Time, one couldn't make use of it. But upon flowing into the tributary, it would transform into a compatible power one could control.
Wan Tiansheng's aura continued growing.
His main body had a gratified expression as he turned to face Su Yu and said, "Culture King's blockade isn't an entirely bad thing. Over the past ten years, I have learned many new things. I killed Eternals, encountered Daofuses, witnessed the myriad daos, and experienced the Myriad Realms."
He smiled and said, "If I were to start pioneering my dao ten years ago, I would have been stuck long ago. My created dao wouldn't have been as strong."
Su Yu smiled and said, "Principal, your rich accumulation will eventually result in success. It is only a matter of time."
Wan Tiansheng smiled and said nothing else. Slowly, the number of miniature Wan Tianshengs started declining, signifying that Wan Tiansheng had nearly exhausted all his accumulation. Rumbling sounds rang out as the tributary continued growing.
And finally, Wan Tiansheng's aura reached an unprecedented level, as though he had reached the level of a Daofuse. Of course, for dao pioneers, Daofuse was not a realm per the terms of the ancient past.
A dao pioneer would remain an Eternal.
According to the white dog, dao pioneering was filled with uncertainties. One would never know one's final destination. Thus, one's cultivation level couldn't be determined properly. Thus, a dao pioneer wouldn't know if they had reached the Daofuse Realm of their dao.
At most, one could only compare one's strength against others to determine where one stood. But a dao pioneer would remain an Eternal. However, Su Yu could feel that Wan Tiansheng might already have the combat strength of a Daofuse.
Not even Su Yu knew much about Wan Tiansheng's cultivation.
A short while later, all the miniature Wan Tianshengs were gone. Wan Tiansheng had not used a weapon for his dao pioneering. One could say that he had opened the tributary with his body alone.
With a flicker, he appeared before Su Yu. He had left his tributary.
Looking at the dao he had created, he sighed and said, "My accumulation and experience still aren't enough. My experience and comprehension can't support further expansion."
He smiled and continued, "There was once a legend of a character cultivator who could traverse a boundless range in a day. By day, he was a farmhand. By evening, he ascended the emperor's hall. I feel like I can somewhat understand this feeling. You can be considered an emperor now. Am I ascending your hall?"
Su Yu laughed and said, "Yes. But you should feel pressured as your competitor is Lan Tian."
Instantly, Wan Tiansheng sank into silence, his previous carefree aura vanishing completely. He merely gave Su Yu a silent stare. With that single remark, Su Yu had dragged him down from the high of his previous achievement.
Su Yu looked at the tributary and asked, "Principal, are you stopping here?"
"I'm at my limit." Wan Tiansheng explained, "The limit is there. I will need to accumulate more to grow further. Each battle fought, each book read, each person met, everything is a part of my accumulation. All my past accumulation has been exhausted for now."
"Do you believe you can be a match for Daofuses now?"
"Daofuse?" Wan Tiansheng laughed and said, "I won't know before fighting one."
Su Yu nodded and asked, "So are we done here?"
He added, "You have opened your own dao. The laws might not allow it. You might need to face a tribulation later."
Wan Tiansheng nodded and said, "Not necessarily. The laws only cover the area their daos cover. There are still some daos here, but if we go further, I doubt we will find any other daos. With no daos, there are no tribulations."
Wan Tiansheng looked upstream and shook his head, "No, we can't keep going further. Forcing our way upstream is the same as attempting to force our way to the past. Time flows constantly. Breaking the passage of time is nearly impossible."
He gazed into the distance and said, "I have a feeling that...something is waiting for us ahead."
Su Yu sank into a long silence before saying, "Perhaps. Perhaps a disaster is waiting ahead. Perhaps it is a world-shaking battle. Where are the ancient Human Emperor and the others? Beyond the boundless void? Or somewhere within this river? Who knows?"
Perhaps all of them were still in the past. But the passage of time for them was different. Essentially, they were located in a different dimension. Perhaps when the passage of their time finally caught up with the present, they would meet.
Wan Tiansheng nodded. He could feel it as well. He smiled and said, "If we were to fight someone here right now, three or five years here might be the same as thirty or fifty years outside. Or even longer, like three to five hundred years. Everyone would assume that we are dead. By the time we won and returned through the river, perhaps over a thousand years would have passed."
Wan Tiansheng sighed and said, "Perhaps this is the truth. I don't understand. Why didn't they move downstream instead of staying where they were, fighting each other while fighting against the current?"
If they had moved downstream, their timeline would overlap with that of the Myriad Realms. Why didn't they do so?
Su Yu laughed and said, "The answer for that is simple. Someone is refusing to let them through. What if someone did what Culture King did and erected a blockade there? They would either have to kill the other party or break through the blockade."
Wan Tiansheng listened pensively as he said, "True. You have a distinct view about this matter."
Su Yu laughed and said, "It's not a hard conclusion to reach. If some of the things I know are true, then Human Emperor and the others are probably blocking the return of those people. The overlap will happen soon. Perhaps it will happen in this era. And I might know that point of overlap."
Wan Tiansheng gave Su Yu a long stare before saying, "The ninth level."
Su Yu nodded, "Yes. That was their entry point. Definitely. When the overlap happens, they will also leave through that point."
Su Yu asked, "What do you think, Principal?"
Wan Tiansheng thought about it and nodded, "Yes. There might be an entrance there. We might also need to enter through that point if we wish to look for them. Or perhaps we only need to go against the stream and go far enough to meet them."
"Forget it." Su Yu chuckled and said, "There are a bunch of Masters of Laws there. Even after countless years in combat, these are not the opponents we can afford to provoke. I would be more than happy to see them trapped there forever."
Wan Tiansheng laughed and moved on from the topic. He said, "Let's go. It's time for us to return. This is where I stop for now."
Then, he removed the character he had embedded into Su Yu's Heaven Gate.
With that, he lost his ability to directly see the tributaries and other daos. He could only feel them with his senses. He focused and immersed himself in the sensation for a long while before saying, "The Heaven Gate is a good thing, but it is also a bad thing."
Su Yu raised his brow.
Wan Tiansheng explained, "That sense of exploration will be gone. It's the same as getting the answer to a question directly. The pleasure of discovery is gone. The joy of adventure is not there anymore. You can't experience the high of having suddenly realized something. And when this goes on for long enough, you might lose the ability to explore entirely."
"This isn't necessarily a good thing."
He continued, "The River of Time is a mysterious place. But due to your Heaven Gate, you no longer give the river the respect it deserves. For you, the various daos are nothing but a river and its tributaries. The world will eventually grow dull on you."
Dull world.
Su Yu had a thoughtful look.
Wan Tiansheng added, "The act of pioneering a dao is an act of moving on your interest and desires. An understanding of what you know and need, an understanding of what you can do. It's not the same as picking a random powerful spot to open a tributary.
"I suggest you use your Heaven Gate in combat, but shut it when comprehending the daos. By seeing the very nature of the various daos, you will neglect the process. Have you seen the end of the pen dao? Does it feel ordinary to you? Does it seem too achievable because you can see it there? In such a situation, you will only focus on reaching the end without learning anything. But in such a scenario, can you really reach the end?
"It's essentially the same as receiving the answer to a question and focusing only on the answer. Perhaps you can find the correct steps to reach that answer after enough tries, but how well will you understand the answer itself?
"How well do you know the process? Do you even know the meaning behind the process? Yes, you know the correct answer. But so what? Try shutting your Heaven Gate and looking at the river again. Perhaps you might find an entirely new experience."
After some thought, Su Yu shut his Heaven Gate. Instantly, the tributaries vanished from his vision. Even the water of the river seemed a lot more murky than before. Su Yu had an illusion that he had suddenly gone blind.
No, it was more like a shortsighted person losing their spectacles. Everything he saw was blurry.
"Where is the pen dao?"
Su Yu focused on his senses. Since they were on the way back, they should pass by the pen dao before long. Shortly after, he trembled slightly. He looked to the side. He saw nothing, but the pen dao should be there. He could see the water undulating there, and he could feel his characters jumping in excitement, telling him to enter and go further.
Su Yu shook his head. Prior to this, he could see ahead. But now, he couldn't see anything. He only saw the stretch he had occupied, about thirty percent of the entire tributary. Even the thirty percent he saw was very blurry to his eyes.
He looked at Wan Tiansheng with a thoughtful expression and said, "Principal, you can probably see the entirety of the dao you created, right?"
Wan Tiansheng nodded.
Chapter 1832: Fate Realm (2)
Understanding dawned on Su Yu. He sighed and said, "I understand. I know how much of the pen dao I have fused with. It is only a tiny stretch of the entire tributary. And I missed a lot of details in the part I had fused with. I never paid them much thought. I don't truly understand the part that is supposed to be mine."
Su Yu smiled and said, "I was too focused on the path ahead, but I neglected the scenery. The Heaven Gate was immensely helpful, but it also created some bad habits. I should be paying more attention to the little details."
Wan Tiansheng nodded and said, "The Heaven Gate is amazing. It allows you to see the nature of daos. It will be powerful in any era. But there must be a difference between those with Heaven Gate opened. Some might neglect the little details like you, getting too confident and eventually finding themselves stuck."
Su Yu thought about it and nodded, "Yes. I understand now. Martial Emperor. His arrogance has severed his path forward. He must have opened his Heaven Gate earlier than Culture King and the others, but just Martial King was capable of defeating and suppressing him.
"If I'm guessing things right, the Human Emperor and the four major kings had all opened the Heaven Gate. Martial Emperor was probably weaker than them despite being a senior to them. He must have advanced blindly in the process of growing his dao. Indeed, he is a brute."
Su Yu came to understand many things. Some of his previous questions were finally answered. He had been curious about Martial Emperor. How was he so weak that he couldn't even defeat Martial King. They had all opened the Heaven Gate. Su Yu believed that only supreme geniuses could open the Heaven Gate.
But he finally understood. Martial Emperor must not have bothered to understand his own path. He must have advanced blindly the moment he saw a powerful dao, just like what Su Yu had been doing with the pen dao.
At this rate, Su Yu would have no ability to strengthen the pen dao upon mastering it. He wouldn't even have the ability to pioneer a new dao. He would only have his eyes on the pen dao.
Even after pioneering a new dao, he would dislike it because it would be too weak. After seeing a mountain, how could a mere hill catch his attention?
Seeing that understanding was dawning on Su Yu, Wan Tiansheng smiled and said, "You're a smart man. You're different from Martial Emperor. I never met him, but I can feel that he's a stupid brute. They were probably not the only ones with the Heaven Gate open. There must have been more, but their strength differed. Clearly, their comprehension of the daos was different."
Su Yu nodded. He said curiously, "Principal, you don't have the Heaven Gate. You don't even have all the acupoints and apertures open. How are you so strong?"
"No, it's not that people like me are strong. You are simply too weak." Wan Tiansheng shook his head and said, "You have a far bigger potential than any of us. There is no doubt. I won't be your match at the same cultivation level. You have just initiated your dao fusion. You are not at that cultivation level yet."
"Oh." Su Yu said, "You are indeed a learned man, Principal. I am curious. The various races have so many ancient fossils, but none of them feel too knowledgeable. You have only been alive for a hundred years, but you feel much more experienced than they."
Wan Tiansheng laughed and said, "You're only twenty-one. What do you think about your knowledge base?"
"Decent."
"Compared to your peers?"
"Naturally, I have a far higher knowledge base. I studied the cultivation methods of the myriad races before. I witnessed the experts of the various races before. I explored the past, traversing the worlds of the living and death, pursuing the real nature of the myriad daos. Meanwhile, my peers are still working hard to grow as Skysoars."
"There you have it." Wan Tiansheng said, "At present, the Myriad Realms are filled with mediocre people. The fossils are either busy slumbering or killing each other. They only focus on cultivation for the sole purpose of gaining strength without asking themselves about the source of strength.
"They don't know what they want to do with that strength. They only want strength. This is the same as dreaming. Let me give you an example. When these people start dao fusion, what will be their first method to grow stronger?"
Su Yu thought about it and said, "Kill the other people pursuing the same dao."
"Exactly." Wan Tiansheng laughed and said, "This is the thought of a mediocre person."
Su Yu looked sheepish as that was his thought as well. The principal was clearly insulting him here.
"What do you think one should do, then?"
"Me?" Wan Tiansheng thought about it and said, "Plunder the comprehension of others."
Su Yu frowned. Wan Tiansheng explained further, "With ten people on a single dao, and with you mastering one tenth of it, this does not signify that the others have snatched your portion. Rather, it signifies that they have comprehended different things about the dao.
"There are ten aspects to this dao, and you have only comprehended one. To grow, you need to comprehend new things, things others have comprehended. When your comprehension surpasses theirs, you can take everything they have for yourselves. Squeeze them out and take over everything."
Understanding dawned on Su Yu as he said, "And this is why Masters of Laws are so powerful. They have comprehended a lot more. Fighting over the dao with them is the same as fighting a stone with an egg. They can easily expel someone from their daos."
"Yes!" Wan Tiansheng said, "A day may come when you master the pen dao. You will believe that as a Master of Law, nobody can snatch the dao from you. But Culture King might understand the dao better than you. He can instantly snatch it from you, removing your control over the dao. At the time, you will be completely helpless before him."
Su Yu nodded again and said, "Yes. That is very true. In short, I need to find a chance to get rid of Culture King. Is that what you're saying? Are you trying to provoke a fight between me and Culture King?"
Wan Tiansheng flashed a gentle smile and said, "Not at all."
"Principal, are you still holding a grudge toward him?"
"Impossible!"
Su Yu laughed and said, "That must be the case. Why would you mention him for no reason?"
"I was merely setting a relatable example for you."
Su Yu laughed and said, "You are right. I will keep this in mind. I don't want to have flowers growing from my arse like Martial Emperor. He was talented enough to open the Heaven Gate, yet he was met with such a miserable end."
"Indeed. Martial Emperor is truly useless."
Wan Tiansheng nodded in agreement. In such a manner, the two juniors who were as strong as Daofuses started criticizing a Master of Law. One that might be incredibly powerful.
Just because Martial Emperor wasn't Martial King's match did not mean that he wasn't a match for other Masters of Laws. No matter what, he was genius enough to open the Heaven Gate.
But in the eyes of Su Yu and Wan Tiansheng, it was precisely because of his Heaven Gate that he was disappointingly weak.
***
A short moment later.
Both Su Yu and Wan Tiansheng walked out of a rift in thin air.
Instantly, golden and crimson clouds gathered in the sky. Wan Tiansheng glanced at Su Yu, wondering if he should hide somewhere.
Su Yu considered the matter and shook his head. "A tribulation is also a way to comprehend new things. Don't worry. A single tribulation is not enough to drain the heavenly paws too much."
Wan Tiansheng smiled and said, "In that case, let me experience the feeling of having both a heavenly reward and a heavenly tribulation at the same time."
With a single step, he reappeared in the sky. The clouds started converging around him. With his left hand, he suppressed the crimson clouds. With his right hand, he gathered the golden clouds. He focused on sensing the power of laws around him while suppressing the crimson clouds with a massive palm.
The tribulation was here to punish his dao affirmation. This was a punishment meant to deal with Sunmoons. At most, it would reach the level of a fourth or fifth-degree Eternal in strength. Wan Tiansheng was too strong, so the punishment might have been further boosted to the sixth or seventh degree in strength.
But for Wan Tiansheng, it was still too weak. Done with comprehending the clouds, he smiled and nonchalantly slapped the crimson clouds apart. Just like that, the tribulation was over.
Down below, the various soldiers watched with stupefaction.
Meanwhile, the Eternals were watching solemnly.
That wasn't a weak tribulation. It was surprisingly powerful. But Wan Tiansheng had easily scattered it. Just how strong was he now?
Great Zhou King was looking at Wan Tiansheng as well. He frowned, feeling like he had finally met his match.
Wan Tiansheng was finally an Eternal.
A proper Eternal.
He seemed to have pioneered a new dao instead of fusing with an existing dao. There was no Daofuse Realm for someone like that. He would remain an Eternal.
Shortly after, Wan Tiansheng landed on the ground again.
Standing beside Su Yu, he flashed Great Zhou King a gentle smile and said, "Greetings, Great Zhou King. I was in a rush earlier and couldn't greet you. Please forgive this junior's rudeness."
"You're too polite." Great Zhou King nodded.
Wan Tiansheng smiled again and said, "You deserve my respect. You have protected humanity for countless years. Now that Emperor Yu has established the Clearfilth Office, I have a heavy duty on my shoulders. I will be relying on your guidance for my tasks moving forward, Senior. This includes the capture of the traitors in the Upper Realm. You are more familiar with the humans there. I hope to obtain your cooperation in this matter."
Great Zhou King smiled and said, "Sure. I will tell you all I know."
Once again, Wan Tiansheng nodded. He said, "In that case, I'll be troubling you. When Emperor Yu conquers the Myriad Realms, your massive contributions will definitely be recorded in the laws, and your feats will be known for eternity. Countless generations of humanity will remember your great contributions to humanity."
Great Zhou King's face twitched slightly as he said, "No, that's too much. I am just a normal human."
"No, not at all." Wan Tiansheng said, "With your help, chaos ended among humanity and order returned. Emperor Yu was only able to ascend thanks to you. You were the one who had suppressed all dissidents. And Emperor Yu did not disappoint. On his first day as the human lord, he spilled the blood of Daofuses, establishing the might of humanity. Your keen eyesight is unparalleled. In fact, not even I had expected Emperor Yu to do so well."
He smiled and continued, "When traitors appear in the future, when villains attempt to steal the fortune of humanity, we will be relying on you to bring order to chaos yet again. Your assistance is required to defend the legitimate leader of humanity."
Legitimate?
Chapter 1833: Fate Realm (3)
After a long silence, Great Zhou King inhaled deeply and said, "I will."
Wan Tiansheng smiled and said, "I believe Great Zhou King understands what I'm saying. In an era of chaos, a saint is required. The rotten, the corrupt, the outdated, all shall be swept away. We shall clean the filth and give humanity a bright future. This epoch is a new start. Everything is new."
Great Zhou King sighed and said, "I understand."
"Don't be too serious, Great Zhou King. I am merely speaking candidly about what I feel."
Next, Wan Tiansheng looked around and bowed slightly before saying, "I was at fault for killing your descendants back then. There are rules for everything. Back then, I was not the enforcer. Thus, I was wrong for taking on the duty of enforcement without being an enforcer. I overstepped."
He claimed the mistake of overstepping, but he did not claim that killing those people was a mistake.
"According to the human laws at the time, enforcing without the role of an enforcer is punishable by..."
Suddenly, Wan Tiansheng waved his hand. Instantly, ten thousand swords appeared in the sky before raining down upon him. One by one, they stabbed into his body. The expressions of the surrounding Eternals changed.
Below, numerous people exclaimed in surprise. Great Zhou King frowned, while Su Yu remained silent.
Every inch of Wan Tiansheng's body now had a sword embedded in it, apart from his head. With a pale face, he smiled and said, "I have been punished in accordance with the human laws. I no longer owe humanity anything. From now on, I will no longer feel any guilt toward humanity. It doesn't matter if you acknowledge my appointment. Public affairs will remain public affairs, and personal affairs will remain personal affairs. If you're still unhappy with me, talk to me in private without the baggage of our official positions."
By punishing himself, he had shattered the chains around him. He did not believe that he was wrong in killing all those people. His only mistake was that he had carried out the duty of an enforcer without being an enforcer. But now, he was already an enforcer.
Nobody said anything.
After a long silence, Su Yu said, "Director Wan and everyone else, this matter ends here. If you wish to take your revenge in private, you are free to issue a challenge. You can fight to the death or merely spar. I won't stop you.
"As cultivators, dying in a challenge is simply part of the risk. A new year is coming. In about a month, year 352 will be over. Tomorrow, we will change the calendar. The Anping Calendar shall end in the year 352. Anping (peace and calm) is no longer appropriate as peace is over. The following year will be the first year of New Domain (Yu) calendar."
The hearts of numerous people thumped. The changing of the calendar.
The first year of New Domain.
Su Yu continued, "With a new year, many new things are coming. A new world. New policies. And a new beginning. We can commemorate the past, but do not live in the past."
"Emperor Yu is wise."
Wan Tiansheng was the first to bow. The numerous soldiers shouted as well, "Emperor Yu is wise!"
The Anping Calendar was coming to an end.
Over 350 years had passed since the founding of the various prefectures. Prior to that, humanity had fought in a war of nearly one hundred years. After the founding, a new calendar was established, signifying the start of an era. And in about a month, that era would end.
Only a small number of people understood that this was Su Yu's way of telling them that Anping Calendar wasn't the only thing that was over. He was also severing the future from the previous nine epochs.
Right at that moment, the fortune of humanity started roiling. Then, it surged, growing even stronger than before. Up above, Su Yu's projection appeared again. This time, it was clearer than before. It was visible from all corners of the Human Realm.
***
Once again, the projections of various experts appeared outside the various realms.
What was it this time?
Why couldn't Su Yu stay idle for once?
***
Human Realm.
Emperor Su's Court.
Su Yu did not remain in the Eastrift Valley.
Only a few individuals were in the palace. Suddenly, a playful, smiling Lan Tian appeared. When noticing the solemn Su Yu, the silent Great Zhou King, and the pale Wan Tiansheng, he withdrew his smile and carefully sat down beside Wan Tiansheng. He even sat upright, looking incomparably solemn and serious.
Su Yu did not smile at Lan Tian. He was terrified that a smile would trigger Lan Tian's madness. Thus, he decided to stay solemn and strict. They were here to discuss serious matters!
Su Yu said, "At present, we have two important matters to prioritize. Firstly, the various tokens must be planted as soon as possible. Secondly, I need a human expert in the Death Realm, someone to seal any death qi fluctuations.
"The aura of that person must not be too powerful as that might throw the Death Realm into chaos as well. Great Zhou King is good at this, and he is also capable of teleportation. He can help teleport us as we give chase to our fleeing targets."
Great Zhou King asked, "Wasn't I supposed to seal the realms from the outside?"
"Great Ming King can do that." Su Yu said, "Great Ming King is on the verge of achieving Daofuse. He will take on this task. As for me, I must go to the Death Realm personally to open the death tunnels."
Great Zhou King thought about it and nodded, "I understand."
Su Yu looked at Wan Tiansheng and said, "After Great Zhou King's departure, you will keep watch in the Human Realm and keep the calm, Director Wan."
"Noted."
Wan Tiansheng appeared rather calm.
Su Yu looked at Lan Tian and said, "Deputy Director Lan, be very careful. Make sure to hide these tokens well. This is very important. They each hold the fortune of humanity. Additionally, make sure you hide them near the Daofuses undetected. We can only do this once before things become suspicious."
Seeing that the atmosphere was so serious, Lan Tian could only reply seriously, "Okay."
"In that case, let's not waste time. I will gather the hous and iron devourers in preparation for a secret attack on the Fate Realm. Director Wan and Great Zhou King, our main goal won't be killing any Daofuses this time. Of course, I don't mind killing a few if there is a chance. We will act depending on how the situation unfolds. Give up on killing them if it risks death on our side.
"Follow my plan closely. Do not act rashly. I want to lead a complete team in the attack against the Upper Realm. I don't want to lose five Daofuses just to kill ten Daofuses. Not to mention five, I'm not even willing to lose one.
"If a zero casualty victory is possible, there is no need to use the lives of our Daofuses to trade for the victory. Some might say that exchanging one for ten is worth it, but in my eyes, that's bullshit. Losing even one will weaken our forces. And how are we supposed to contend against the Upper Realm weakened?"
Great Zhou King wanted to speak, but he remained silent after some hesitation. He felt like Su Yu cared too much about casualties. Was that possible in a war?
Su Yu did not explain more. If he was the weaker party, there was no helping it. But at present, his side had a massive advantage in the Lower Realm. In that case, why shouldn't he aim for zero casualties?
"I won't say more. I'll go look for some people. The moment those Daofuses are lured away, it will be time for you to act, Lan Tian."
"Okay."
***
The meeting ended shortly after. Su Yu left in a hurry after noticing that Lan Tian was trying to speak to him.
He had considered taking Lan Tian on a trip to the River of Time as well, but the time wasn't right yet. He was worried that Lan Tian would grow suddenly, resulting in the fluctuations of the auras of all his clones. That would expose all his hidden clones amid the myriad races.
The likelihood of that was very high as Su Yu had a feeling that Lan Tian was most likely following a singular dao, a dao shared by his various clones. Thus, he had to set the matter of taking Lan Tian to the River of Time aside for now.
***
Shortly after.
The Iron Devourer Pseudo Emperor met Su Yu. He was informed that they would be attacking the Fate Realm after three days. The Pseudo Emperors of the hous and spatial beasts were informed of the same.
The primordial giants were not included. Su Yu had not bothered to visit them. With the three Pseudo Emperors, Su Yu himself, Great Zhou King, the book spirit, the tea plant, and the furballs.
All in all, he was preparing to deploy ten Daofuses on top of himself for this mission. Wan Tiansheng would watch over humanity during the attack. As for Great Qin King and the others, they would be on standby in Grand Dream City.
Officially, there were two Daofuses in the Fate Realm. Su Yu did not know if this was accurate, but he didn't care either. He would not fight inside the realm. After all, most of his allies weren't humans. It would be stupid to have them fight under a suppressive force.
They would attack from the outside. And the myriad races would come to help them fate race. If not, they would probably approach the Human Realm to force the attacking force to withdraw.
***
While Su Yu was preparing for the attack.
Fate Realm.
Heavenly Fate Mountain.
The Fate Pseudo Emperor was performing a quick divination with his fingers. A short moment later, several bloody lines appeared on his hand. He healed himself without a change in his expression.
Then, he looked up at the sky and sighed inwardly. Trouble was coming. The trouble would either come from the humans or the Upper Realm. It occurred to him that neutrality was no longer possible in this epoch.
"The time to make a choice has arrived. One time. Just one more time."
Fate Pseudo Emperor had a heavy feeling. He would observe one last time before making a choice. The choice of the fate race was extremely important.
After all, they held the entrance to the Upper Realm. With the suppressive force in the realm, anyone controlling the realm would hold a major advantage over the other races. The myriad races would not allow them to side with humanity.
But siding with the myriad races would also invite the attack of humanity. It was only a matter of time.
Chapter 1834: Great Treasure (1)
The Myriad Realms had been calm for quite a while. Three months, to be precise. The only thing that had happened during this time was Su Yu's attack against Heavenly Overseer Marquis.
In the past, three months was no time at all. But now, the myriad races couldn't help but be pleased with this short calm.
Apart from the pitiful minor races in the eastern sector, the other races only wanted this calm to persist. After all, a bunch of Eternals and Daofuses had died in the previous battle. This was no longer something the minor races could participate in.
As time passed, life started returning to the Allheaven Battlefield. After all, life would still go on. The Allheaven Battlefield was filled with treasures and source qi. The myriad races couldn't hide inside their realms forever, right?
Humanity had been focused on the minor realms of the eastern sector, and they had nearly pacified the entirety of the eastern sector. Amid the numerous battles, the eastern sector was also bustling with activity.
The minor races that had surrendered to humanity finally found their courage to leave again. For these races, the advantage humanity held in the Myriad Realms was actually a good thing for the ordinary members of these races. As for the suppression of their higher-ups, that was none of their business.
Plain of Desires.
Those from the other races were starting to appear here again.
The ancient city continued standing tall.
However, its master had changed. However, the city still looked the same for everyone else. Nobody noticed anything different. It was still guarded by an Eternal, and the strength of the Eternal compared to the previous guardian was irrelevant to weaker cultivators.
Heavendoom City.
This city was located in the Plain of Desires, near the Sea of Stars. Some activity was returning to the city as well. With an increased flow of people, the city no longer felt as bleak as before.
In fact, even the actual death qi in the city had decreased in density. That was mostly because the death sovereign ruling the region below was no longer around.
The day after Su Yu notified the allied races about the attack, several individuals appeared before Heavendoom City.
Three males and one female, all humanoid beings.
Zhou Polong was the person in charge of watching over Heavendoom City now. Additionally, Mayor Tian He was still there as well. However, he had not been doing much as a mayor recently. Heavendoom had left, and both him and Zhou Polong didn't know each other well. He knew that they were meant to keep an eye on each other to keep the matter a secret.
Main city gate.
The same Sunmoon was in charge of watching over the city gates. Commander Tian Men, a familiar face to Su Yu. He glanced at the four newcomers and did not find anything suspicious.
All four seemed to be humans.
As of late, human experts could be seen in all corners of the Allheaven Battlefield. They were all busy seeking fortuitous opportunities, plundering the minor realms, snatching resources, and exploring the Sea of Stars. Being a force under Su Yu's command, the ancient cities had become a popular place for humans to visit as well.
In fact, half the people in the city were humans. Thus, the addition of a few more humans did not catch much attention. All four felt like Mountainseas, a level of strength that wouldn't be too eye-catching.
Instead of challenging the main gate, the four entered through a side gate. Tian Men merely glanced at them once before removing his attention.
"Quite new..."
Suddenly, Tian Men's ears jerked slightly. Quite new? Were they talking about the city? But the city still looked the same, down to the architectural design of the buildings. The weapon of the guardian had changed, but most people weren't aware of that. And Commander Tian Men was also unaware of that. Nevertheless, he could tell that something was indeed different due to his many years of experience at this job.
The city no longer felt as repressive and dangerous as before. It felt somewhat lacking compared to the past. Of course, he could only feel this because he had been guarding this place for hundreds of years.
He did not ask. He did not do anything about it. This was a matter of the higher-ups. It might even be related to Su Yu. He knew what to ask and what not to ask. As for the group of newcomers, nobody said anything else. They continued roaming the city.
Tian Men looked at them again, noting that they were moving quite slowly. It felt as though they were here for the first time, but there was an odd sense of familiarity about how they carried themselves in the city as well. They felt like people who had returned after a long time, finding themselves in a place that was both familiar and alien at the same time.
After looking at them again, Tian Men still discovered nothing unusual about them. He frowned slightly, but he was not too worried about them. That was merely a random remark. If even the commander like him didn't know the truth, there was no hope for outsiders to know anything.
Finally, Tian Men looked away. Right at that moment, one of the people in the group looked back at Tian Men, seemingly having sensed something. But he said nothing and resumed walking again.
Up on the city wall, Tian Men frowned. Was that person looking at him earlier?
How sharp.
After a slight hesitation, Tian Men decided to report the matter with his token. Something was off, even if he didn't know what it was.
No matter. The mayor would decide. Thus, he sent a message to Tian He before tossing the matter to the back of his mind.
***
Inside the mayor's residence.
As of late, Tian He had been living a carefree life. Heavendoom was gone, while the newly arrived Zhou Polong was quite polite. The new guardian was much less domineering than Heavendoom, and wouldn't scold him for his uselessness out of nowhere like Heavendoom.
In fact, the new guardian was a familiar face to Tian He. Zhou Polong. This was something he had met before. But since Zhou Polong was too young, Tian He didn't fear him too much. He liked their current situation, where none would provoke the other.
He only needed to spend his time sipping tea and reading. In fact, even his desire to affirm his dao had dropped significantly. Instead, he had been focusing on living a healthy and comfortable lifestyle. This didn't feel that bad to him.
Suddenly, his mayor's token shook.
After reading the message, he cursed. Tian Men was too paranoid. This was a small matter. Why did Tian Men alert him for this? As an ancient city, newcomers would arrive all day long. It was only some Mountainseas, not Eternals. Not even Zhou Polong had reacted. Why was Tian Men so worried?
Despite his thoughts, Tian He still did his job and sent his willpower out. He didn't even bother to cover it up. As the mayor, it was perfectly normal for him to inspect the city every now and then.
Many of the experts in the city felt it, and none reacted. They were already accustomed to this. Nobody cared. Before long, the group of newcomers sensed it as well. Noticing the indifference of those around them, they decided to ignore the matter as well.
They allowed the willpower to sweep past them.
When the wave of willpower passed, one of them sent a voice transmission, "Is this the current mayor?"
"Yes. I believe he's called Tian He."
"A peak Sunmoon."
"The mayors nowadays are very hardworking, it seems. They are even scanning the city frequently."
"This must be an arrangement put in place by that Su Yu guy."
After a short conversation, they continued walking around with nonchalance.
***
Mayor's residence.
Tian He frowned. Nothing was wrong. What was Tian Men doing? Those were regular human Mountainseas. Was this worth a report to him?
"Crazy guy."
Tian He muttered to himself before tossing the matter out. But on second thought, he decided to take another look. In any case, he had nothing else to do.
When Tian He flew out of the mayor's residence, Zhou Polong opened his eyes. He merely gave Tian He a glance without saying anything. He wouldn't care so long as Tian He remained in the city.
He couldn't be bothered to be too controlling. After all, Tian He had a relationship with Xia Longwu. He was also quite familiar with Su Yu. Thus, Zhou Polong did not feel it was appropriate for him to be too meddlesome. He was only here to guard the tunnel and temper his weapon. Nothing else mattered.
***
Instead of flying straight toward the four individuals, Tian He started patrolling the city instead. He even stopped here and there to warn some random experts to behave themselves before moving toward the four.
At the moment, the four were being bothered by a humanoid bird. The bird was trying to sell them something. They were annoyed with the pestering, but they did not say anything harsh. They were merely annoyed at being pushed to buy something they weren't interested in.
"Friends, with one look, I know that you come from a major human prefecture. I have an ancient weapon of humanity here. It is boundlessly powerful, comparable to a heaven weapon of the current era. It was something I obtained after braving countless dangers!"
The bird constantly marketed his product to the four.
Of the four, the woman had the urge to sneer with disdain about hearing that. But she held back and said with disdain, "Ancient weapon? I doubt you can produce even an earth weapon. Just go away. Don't even dream of scamming us."
"How would I dare?" The bird smiled and said, "It's really an ancient weapon. It's merely a little bit worn out. I'm serious..."
Then, he pulled a piece of dark stick out and said, "Look at this. It's obvious how old this thing is. It is still so well preserved despite its age. It might really be a heaven or even a divine weapon during the ancient past."
The woman laughed at how ridiculous this was. She said, "Divine weapon? Do you even know what a divine weapon looks like? Why don't you claim that this is an ancient emperor weapon instead?"
The bird laughed sheepishly and said, "How can an emperor weapon compare to a heaven weapon? What even is that? Divine weapons are the best. It is only natural that I promote a divine weapon."
"Ignorant."
The woman snorted. Just then, the other three glanced at her. Noticing that, she shut her mouth.
Behind, Tian He approached while greeting some random pedestrians in the area. Before long, he walked by them. But suddenly, he stopped, turned around, and asked, "Which prefecture are you from?"
The eldest of the four, a middle-aged man, stepped forth, flashed a smile, and said, "Mayor, we are from Great Yong."
"Not Great Xia?" Tian He raised his brow and said, "So be it. I assumed you are from Great Xia since your physical cultivation seems impressive. That damn Xia Longwu has been avoiding me as of late. He still owes me something."
Tian He grumbled and continued, "If you're really from Great Xia, pass that bastard a message. Tell him to hand over the opportunity he promised me. Don't get too cocky after becoming the so-called General of the North. I am one of the earliest followers of Emperor Yu. I don't fear him!"
"Yes, yes, we will pass the message!"
The middle-aged man agreed with a smile.
"Good."
Tian He continued walking away. But suddenly, he looked at the bird and scolded, "Don't bother the humans. You are getting more and more audacious nowadays. Are you not afraid of losing your head? I'll spare you this once. Leave."
Tian He looked at the group again and said, "Be careful when you buy things here. If you end up scammed, you can only blame yourself. No fighting is allowed in the city."
"Thank you for the reminder, Mayor."
Tian He nodded before glancing at the three behind the middle-aged man. In response, all of them smiled and bowed slightly as a sign of respect. With a nod, Tian He said, "The humans are producing more and more talented successors. This is a good thing. Enter the Sunmoon Realm as soon as possible and aim to affirm your dao. You may contact me in the mayor's residence if you encounter any trouble here."
"You are too kind, Mayor."
The middle-aged man thanked the mayor yet again. Tian He said nothing else and continued his patrol. The four stood there for a bit before resuming their stroll in the city.