Chapter 82 - 82

Chapter 1303: Nine Leaf Skylotus (3)

After becoming the mayors of Grandstar, Grand Dream, Empyrean Cloud, and Rainbow Rain Cities, Su Yu intended to help Heavendoom out as well. But he found that the burden on him was getting quite heavy.

Thus, he gave up on that thought temporarily. It didn't look like Heavendoom was in need of help anyway.

Empyrean Cloud had also warned him that Heavendoom was a hyperactive fellow. He might end up running off from the city and refusing to return like a stubborn dog after going outside. She advised him to let Heavendoom be for now.

Otherwise, he might find himself spending all his time dealing with Heavendoom's death qi in the near future. Furthermore, Su Yu also had to continue working on his body forging.

***

While Su Yu was forging his body, he heard some sounds coming from the outside. As he opened his eyes, the door swung open as Senior Wang, who had recently converted into a resident, walked in and said, "Mayor, the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion is seeking an audience."

"Who did they send?"

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Su Yu nodded, "Send him in."

A short while later, a faceless elder stepped into the room. He bowed and said, "Third Heaven of the Heaven Department greets Mayor Su."

Su Yu smiled, "Elder, what brings you here?"

Third Heaven cupped his fists together and said, "I'm mainly here to discuss the matters about the Luminous Domain Mansion."

"Why me?" Su Yu said, "I'm not involved in that."

Third Heaven said, "I was sent by the head. According to the head, both the pavilion and the holy cities are existences that have persisted since the ancient past. We should cooperate during the coming opening of the Luminous Domain Mansion. This time, the divines, devils, immortals, and the other races will be sending a large number of experts into the mansion."

Su Yu laughed, "Are they trying to make up for their recent losses? But isn't the mansion a place where it is more dangerous the higher your age and cultivation level are? Are they not afraid of suffering more losses?"

Third Heaven said, "The major races and some of the ancient races will be sending more experts than usual into the mansion this time. Major Su might not be aware of this, but this will be the hundredth opening of the Luminous Domain Mansion since the most recent reactivation of the Allheaven Battlefield. It has been a thousand years since the most recent reactivation. Every hundred years, the mansion will produce more benefits than usual. For a thousand years, the benefits will be even bigger. According to what the pavilion knows, a nine-leaf skylotus might even bloom on the seventh level."

Su Yu was confused. And what was that supposed to be?

Aware of Su Yu's ignorance, Third Heaven explained, "The nine-leaf skylotus is helpful for Invincibles. Or to be precise, it is very helpful for Invincibles. You know that Invincibles differed in strength. The strongest among them are Pseudo Emperors, while the weaker ones are at the level of minor realm leaders. And most of them will be stuck at the same level for life. Any progress is extremely difficult for an Invincible. For those in the Invincible Realm, the comprehension of time and space is the focus. Each leaf of the nine-leaf skylotus will help an Invincible meld an extra tri-life body. It is extremely valuable..."

"Wait, wait. What are you talking about?" Su Yu frowned, "Melding an extra tri-life body?"

Third Heaven said, "You must be aware that to affirm one's dao, one needs to capture the past and future before bringing all three bodies together. But there are various versions of the past and future, while you can only capture one of each. With the nine-leaf skylotus, you can capture additional bodies and meld them into your existing bodies, increasing your combat strength. This is also a great way of reaching the Pseudo Emperor Realm."

"Great Qin King is actually not far from the Pseudo Emperor Realm—"

Su Yu interrupted the explanation, "The Pseudo Emperor Realm is essentially the Daofuse Realm, right?"

Third Heaven nodded, "Yes, but I don't know anything in specific. According to the head, if Great Qin King can get his hands on the nine-leaf skylotus, he might be able to advance into the Pseudo Emperor Realm, becoming the first Pseudo Emperor of humanity."

Su Yu nodded, "And how does this affect me? I'm not an Invincible. But thanks to your explanation, I now understand that the mansion might produce more treasures this time. Therefore, the various races will be putting a lot more effort on this."

"Yes." Third Heaven said, "The Luminous Domain Mansion is essentially the mansion of a faction from the ancient past. This legacy should be ours as both the holy cities and the pavilion originated from the ancient past as well. The pavilion has great need for this nine-leaf skylotus. Thus, we hope to work with you—"

Su Yu interupted him again, "Wait. Work with me? Let me be blunt. We are far from strong enough to deal with the conflicts inside the mansion. We can act tough here and there outside, but we will be helpless without our guardians and death spirits in the mansion. Those mayors are only regular ninth-stage Sunmoons. Are you trying to say that I can help you with your quest for the nine-leaf skylotus?"

Third Heaven nodded, "That is what the head has in mind. According to him, you will definitely enter the mansion. You are an ancient city mayor, also the most talented individual in existence. As someone so loved by fate, you are actually the most likely person to win the contest over the nine-leaf skylotus. Your great luck will make it happen."

"Are you talking about the head of the Heaven Department?"

"Yes."

"He's near the Pseudo Emperor Realm?"

"I don't know."

Third Heaven shook his head. He was being truthful about that. But that was most likely the case if the department head was trying to get the nine-leaf skylotus. Upon his advancement into the Pseudo Emperor Realm, the influence of the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion would increase significantly.

Su Yu regarded Third Heaven in silence for a long while before saying, "Is everyone else aware of this, or is the pavilion the only party aware of this information?"

"Those who have entered the seventh level before might all know this." Third Heaven said, "The humans and some minor races might not know this, but most of the people who have been at the seventh level will know that the nine-leaf skylous has been around for a very long time. However, it has never bloomed. Based on our previous observations, it will bloom during the coming opening. It is only useful after blooming. Thus, the various races will be targeting it, especially the devil race. The Devil Pseudo Emperor needs it to restore his tri-life body, and the Blood Fire King needs it to advance into a Pseudo Emperor. They won't let go of this chance."

Su Yu smiled, "Therefore, you wish to work with me. Interesting. Isn't the Heaven Department head in slumber? So he's out now? Why should I hand it over to you if I manage to get it? Tell me."

"The head is willing to trade some other treasures for the skylotus." Third Heaven said, "The head knows that your physical cultivation is still stuck at the Skysoar Realm. For anyone else, the Cloudbreach Realm won't be hard to reach. But for you, it will be extremely difficult. With how powerful your source qi is, your nine transformations will be much harder than a regular person. You need the most precious of resources if you wish to complete your transformation. And the pavilion is able to provide you with what you require.

"The skylotus isn't that helpful for you, but it's very helpful for us. The head is willing to trade enough resources to complete one transformation for each leaf. There is no limit to what we will provide. You can use as many resources as you need until the completion of your transformation."

That was the deal. They would help with his nine transformations if he could get them the skylotus.

Su Yu smiled, "Your head is wise. Enough resources for me to reach the ninth-stage Cloudbreach Realm for something one can use to become a Pseudo Emperor?"

"It's different." Third Heaven said, "Your Cloudbreach Realm is far too different from the Cloudbreach Realm of a regular person. In any case, this is only the start of our negotiations. We both need to enter the mansion first. The major races are keeping watch over the entrances of the mansion. Before we can proceed with anything, we need to join hands and get more slots to enter the mansion. In three months, the various races will finalize the allocation of slots. We need to fight for the slots we want then or it will be much harder for us to enter the mansion."

Su Yu smiled, "Sure. I can agree to work with you to get more slots. As for what happens inside the mansion, we'll see. Who knows? I might not enter, after all."

Third Heaven said nothing about that. Everyone was speculating that Su Yu would enter. This was the first opening of the Luminous Domain Mansion since his rise in power. Nobody would believe that he wouldn't want to enter.

In fact, the various races were sending so many experts this time because they wanted to both get the treasures in the mansion and kill Su Yu if possible. Su Yu would never cease being a threat as long as he was still alive.

When Third Heaven left, Su Yu muttered to himself helplessly, "Why is everyone certain that I'm going?"

How annoying. Was he that sort of impatient man to everyone? Hmph! In that case, he should break everyone's expectations and stay out of the mansion.

But that thought didn't last long before he wavered again. Should he go?

Yes!

He was about to finish his body forging, but he had yet to complete his source qi transformations. He had quite a lot of treasures he could use, such as the precious ancient dragonblood tree, the celestial devil fruits, the five elemental fruits, and so on. But were they sufficient?

The Heaven Department head was right. His nine transformations would be drastically different than anyone else. For everyone else, their transformations would be regular Skysoar transformations. But for Su Yu, it would be akin to a Sunmoon completing nine transformations. There was no comparing the two.

That was especially true with his yang acupoint open. His transformations would only be more difficult. As a vault of countless treasures, Su Yu couldn't miss out on the Luminous Domain Mansion. But now, everyone was sure he would go. He really wanted to do the opposite and shock everyone. Alas...it was too tempting...

"Nine-leaf skylotus...just what does the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion want?"

Why were they telling him this? Were they trying to pass a message to humanity? Why would they mention Great Qin King otherwise? Su Yu frowned. The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion was no friend of theirs.

Pseudo Emperor...that was indeed what humanity lacked. If Great Qin King could reach that level, even if he couldn't fully unite all the prefectures, the other Invincibles would be a lot more obedient than before.

"It feels like they're plotting against me!"

Was the Heaven Department head trying to make use of humanity and create some trouble for the myriad races? That was very likely.

Chapter 1304: Dark Tidings (1)

Su Yu was quite surprised by the offer of cooperation.

Deep in thought, he walked into the inner hall. There, Grandstar opened his eyes and said, "Are you doubtful?"

Su Yu nodded, "I'm thinking about the Luminous Domain Mansion. If I go, it will remain open for a month. The holy cities will lose several mayors during that time. Will the guardians be able to withstand the burden without their mayors?"

Grandstar said, "You worry too much. During the time when the Allheaven Battlefield was sealed from the other realms, the holy cities would barely have any mayor to serve us. And we have survived just fine."

Su Yu was overestimating the effect of the mayors. Yes, they were important. But the guardians wouldn't all drop dead and die just because there were no mayors temporarily.

Su Yu nodded, "One other matter. After entering the Luminous Domain Mansion, my death qi connection will be severed temporarily. But I can't bear to part with Lord Sovereign Xing Yue."

Su Yu sighed, "My yang acupoint is now fully opened. Without Lord Sovereign Xing Yue to supply me with death qi, my yang acupoint will turn toward my source qi instead. I doubt I can last long when that happens."

What a terrifying thought. He couldn't bear to part with his beloved Xing Yue. Without her, he would need to feed his yang acupoint alone. Like the old man from the Bai Family, he would need to spend all his time on that. How was he supposed to do anything else? Like picking more fights, for example.

Wouldn't it be awkward if he were to drop dead in the middle of a battle because of his yang acupoint? This was a very grave issue.

Before Grandstar could say anything, Su Yu continued, "Lord, is there a way I can take Xing Yue with me everywhere?

Xing Yue was a battery. He wouldn't feel comfortable without access to this battery.

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A furious howl rang out from the death tunnel.

Even Grandstar, who was seated atop the tunnel, was shaking from all the ruckus. Xing Yue was attacking the entrance madly in her fury. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to go out of the tunnel and kill Su Yu. This was intolerable!

How could he insult a death spirit like that? He was actually thinking of bringing her everywhere like a portable battery! How dare he? Was he even listening to himself?

She was a death sovereign, an Invincible of the death spirits. She was the overlord of a legion, feared by many. Today, a puny Su Yu was actually insulting her repeatedly. She couldn't control her anger anymore.

Looking at the shaking stone statue, Su Yu helplessly said, "Lord, can't you soundproof the tunnel?"

Why was he overheard by a death sovereign again? How annoying.

Grandstar glanced at Su Yu. Why was the kid blaming him for that? The kid should blame his brain for coming up with such an idea instead. Grandstar had been around for countless years, but this was his first time hearing such an idea.

He wasn't even surprised to see Xing Yue so angry. One should be a tad bit humane even when facing death spirits, right? No matter what, that was an Invincible. A self-aware death spirit. How could he provoke her so?

Su Yu turned serious again, "Lord, I'm serious. Is there a way to do this? Without the death qi connection, things will get troublesome for me. I might have to give up on entering the mansion."

Noticing that Xing Yue was still raging in the tunnel, Su Yu rolled his eyes and said, "Lord Sovereign, what's the point of this? I didn't break the laws. Even if you manage to come out, you won't be able to harm me. Are you trying to kill yourself? Also, with me gone to the Luminous Domain Mansion, you will have your peace for a month. If I can't enter, I will spend the coming month doing nothing but sucking your energy. Do you want that?"

"..."

Finally, the ruckus inside the tunnel calmed down.

Su Yu continued, Lord Xing Yue, do you have any solution for this problem? With the yang acupoint, I can only absorb, not reverse. Reversing your death qi might help bring you back to life, but pure absorption will only kill you. This time, you will die for real."

In short, he was telling Xing Yue to think of a solution for him instead of wasting her time raging. Meanwhile, Xing Yue was sulking inside the tunnel.

Su Yu, her supposed subordinate, was threatening her! He was threatening to suck her dry if she didn't help! She felt like she had shamed the entire Death Realm. She wondered if she was the first ever death sovereign to be threatened by a living dead in existence. This was a disgrace!

Xing Yue continued roaring inwardly.

She was no longer roaring with her mouth. Instead, she suggested coldly, "You can take more treasures capable of replenishing source qi with you..."

Su Yu rejected the idea, "No. That is a stopgap measure. I need a proper solution."

"..."

Xing Yue spent some time cursing inwardly before saying, "You...may spend less time in there. Try to avoid too much fighting. I believe you can leave the Luminous Domain Mansion in advance."

"I can't do that. Either I don't go or I go and take everything I can before leaving."

Su Yu complained, "Lord Sovereign, why are your suggestions completely useless?"

Damn it! Xing Yue was losing her mind again. This was intolerable!

Grandstar hurriedly released his aura to suppress the tunnel before looking at Su Yu resentfully. Why was he provoking the death sovereign again? Did he not have anything better to do with his life? Yes, he could suppress Xing Yue. But that might create a riot down there. And it wouldn't be pleasant to deal with.

Su Yu was feeling quite helpless as well. He discovered that his death sovereign seemed quite unstable emotionally. Even He Tu, the death sovereign of Grand Dream City, was the same. Was this bad temper due to their incomplete memories?

Definitely. Their flawed memories must have broken something in them. Why would they be so easily provoked otherwise? Just look at the Invincibles of the myriad races. You could spend a year scolding some of them nonstop and they would still remain indifferent. Most of them would only show their anger when that was part of the plan to achieve some other goal.

For example, the devil king, who was here to create trouble for him previousl,y was perfectly calm regardless of what Su Yu said to him. Even Great Zhou King was the same. Unless he intended to kill you, he would not react if someone were to scold him to his face.

Su Yu decided to stop provoking Xing Yue. Instead, he solemnly beseeched, "Lords, please help me. Lord Xing Yue, please calm your anger. It's unhealthy to be angry all the time. I am now your subordinate. We're family. You need to be more magnanimous when dealing with your own people."

"..."

Xing Yue said nothing, but she maintained her cold expression. It wasn't like Su Yu could see her.

"Lord Xing Yue, do you wish to return to life?" Su Yu smiled, "I heard that if I'm strong enough to reverse your death qi faster than you can produce death qi, it might be possible for me to bring you back to life. Lord, we're not enemies. If I'm strong enough, you might be able to come back."

Xing Yue said, "I would have been sucked to death by the time you grow that strong."

Who was he trying to trick?

Su Yu didn't know what to say. Wow. That was too strong a logic to argue. Xing Yue would have died long before he was that strong.

Whatever. He decided to put that matter aside for now. He had to find a way to deal with his yang acupoint. With his many open acupoints, he had enough source qi to barely satisfy the yang acupoint. But it would take too much effort. In a fight, his enemies would only need to drag the battle out to tire him to death.

The perfect solution was to open the yin aperture. However, he needed to open 360 apertures for that to happen. This was his conclusion. Unfortunately, he had only opened 216 so far. He still needed 144 apertures. He was too far away from opening his yin aperture. But...he could perhaps think of something through blood essence.

Then again, the blood essence of cultural researchers was too rare. He had reached an agreement with Zhan Wushuang for blood essence, but that was merely a gamble on his part. There was no guarantee that Zhan Wushuang could really find him the blood essence he needed. Perhaps he could try to get some through the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion.

At present, the golden book was no longer as helpful to him. In fact, it had been a while since he had actively used it.

Suddenly, Grandstar said, "If you really need help, you can try talking to my boss. Perhaps he can seal your yang acupoint temporarily. There is no way to fully shut that acupoint, but my boss is a Daofuse. He might be able to help with that. I can't help with this acupoint since I'm too unfamiliar with it. Something might go wrong."

He was also capable of sealing acupoints temporarily, but it would be quite a risk to take. He might end up killing Su Yu instead.

Su Yu thought about it and nodded. That was an option. He could get a Pseudo Emperor to help him. At worst, he would need to work without his yang acupoint temporarily.

Su Yu said, "I have one more question. I believe everyone in there will be looking forward to killing me. My death qi is too thick for me to effectively hide from them. I'll have no choice but to reverse more of my death qi and turn myself into a normal living being. But I'm worried that my name will reappear on the Heaven Index. Everyone will know I'm back. What should I do about this?"

That would be annoying.

After giving it a thought, Grandstar suggested, "Negotiate with Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. They control the Heavenly Hunt Index. The index must be damaged since it can't capture auras automatically. Instead, the pavilion members have to do it manually. This gives you an opening. If they agree to remove your aura from the index, your name will not reappear."

Grandstar was certain something was wrong with the Heavenly Hunt Index. Back then, it could gather the aura of any genius stepping into the Allheaven Battlefield automatically. Meanwhile, the little furball was still unknown to the index even now. Clearly, the little furball's aura had yet to be harvested.

Su Yu frowned. He disliked this idea. After some hesitation, he said, "I wish to keep this a secret from the pavilion. Is there any other alternative, Lord?"

"If you need other alternatives, you need to ask my boss. He knows more about the ancient past."

Su Yu grumbled inwardly. Why did this stone statue seem completely ignorant? In the past, he thought that the stone statue knew everything. But nowadays, he felt like the stone statue was completely ignorant. Did the stone statue somehow seal his own memories after becoming a guardian?

Chapter 1305: Dark Tidings (2)

"Fine."

Su Yu felt very helpless. These two seemed incapable of providing him with any useful information.

Probably embarrassed at being unhelpful, Grandstar hurriedly said, "I can see that you are near completion of your body forging. However, your source qi transformation is still somewhat flawed, or incomplete, to be precise. You have only converted part of your acupoints, but the intermediary or material used for the transformation is quite impressive in quality. Did you use the saber qi of Xia Family as the basis of your transformation?"

"Yeah."

Grandstar said, "The saber qi you used is near the level of an Eternal. Thus, you need someone of similar strength to help transform the rest of your acupoints and complete the first of your nine transformations."

Su Yu nodded.

Grandstar said, "Since your 144 acupoints have been transformed with a cultivation method as the foundation, I suggest that you do the same for your remaining acupoints. Perhaps you can get a unique power from the divines, devils, immortals, or dragons to serve as the seed for the rest of your acupoints."

Su Yu nodded again. This time, he was impressed with how keen Grandstar was. He considered the suggestion. To complete his first transformation, he would require the help of powerful experts from seven or eight races. That was because his 360 acupoints had been derived from the cultivation methods of numerous races.

The saber qi of Xia Longwu was only able to transform 144 of his acupoints because those were the acupoints of the Sky Sundering Saber. Seeing that Su Yu was finally impressed, he exhaled in relief. How dare the kid look down on him? Would the kid finally understand how impressive he was?

Grandstar said, "In your current state, source qi transformation will be very difficult and inconvenient since you cultivate too many cultivation methods. It's like you're walking in multiple directions at once. Be careful lest the cultivation methods clash with each other. Since you have opened the grand cycle acupoints, you should circulate them with the proper grand cycle cultivation method and harvest the power of the grand cycle."

"Grand cycle cultivation method?"

Grandstar said, "Yes. Your current cultivation is too messy. You don't have a proper system to govern all your acupoints. You have no way of fully utilizing the strength of all these acupoints you have opened.

"You are not the only person in history to have opened the grand cycle acupoints. Do you think that the geniuses during the ancient past would do the same and utilize a messy mix of cultivation methods to circulate their grand cycle acupoints?"

In fact, the bigger question was Su Yu's opening of the grand cycle acupoints. How did he do that? It was not supposed to be possible.

Humanity had lost the knowledge regarding the 360 acupoints. The difficulty of opening the 360 acupoints in this age was far higher than the difficulty during the ancient past. That was because many of these acupoints had been forgotten and there was no proper cultivation method to open them.

Thus, this was the biggest mystery of all. How had one opened these acupoints without the proper cultivation method?

Of course, Grandstar could see that Su Yu had gathered the 360 acupoints from numerous different cultivation methods. But some of these cultivation methods came from some other races. How did Su Yu modify all of them to suit the human body?

Some people had some guesses about how he had accomplished this, but nobody had said anything about it thus far. As for the possibility of him accomplishing that through sheer talent, that was quite impossible.

To effectively convert the cultivation method of one race to another, one would probably need to dissect hundreds of thousands of corpses of each race to gain sufficient knowledge to do that manually. It was clear that he had done the conversion through some unique methods.

Su Yu muttered, "Right! A grand cycle method! Since the grand cycle has been opened in the past, a cultivation method for the grand cycle must exist out there! Is this the case, Lord?"

"Yes."

"Do you know it?"

"No."

What a stupid question.

He added, "But I suspect such a cultivation method might exist in the Luminous Domain Mansion. That used to be a place of incomparable glory. Numerous powerful cultivation methods exist there. But there is no guarantee that you will be able to find it. If there is such a cultivation method there, it will only exist in the highest level."

Su Yu was rendered quite speechless. As far as he was concerned, something that could only be found in the highest level might as well not exist. But he wasn't too bothered. Content orıginally comes from NoveIＦire.net

He said, "It's fine. Lord, I believe since those of the ancient past were capable of creating such a cultivation method, I can do the same. Since I know so many cultivation methods and the location of all these acupoints, I can simply keep trying to circulate them."

"Through trial and error, I can try the numerous combinations and circulation routes. Hmm..." He laughed awkwardly, "It will require a large number of attempts."

A scarily large number of attempts.

With an awkward laugh, Su Yu decided to forget about it. The number of attempts would be large enough that even if he had each human in existence attempt a potential combination for him, he would not have enough humans to complete the trial.

Of course, there were smarter ways of creating cultivation methods instead of randomly trying all potential combinations.

As Su Yu had tried deriving cultivation methods before, he knew that there was a set of rules that all cultivation methods followed.

Grandstar said, "You will create it yourself? You will probably fail. You are better off looking for the grand cycle method used during the ancient past. It is much better to complete the transformation of your acupoints as a whole instead of transforming them separately. That will split your acupoints into chunks of different power systems, making it far harder for you to fuse all your acupoints into one in the future."

"At that time, entering the Sunmoon Realm will be almost impossible unless you give up on some of your opened acupoints."

Su Yu nodded. That was true. In that case, he really had to enter the Luminous Domain Mansion.

He asked, "Lord, are you sure this cultivation method exists in the mansion?"

"Nothing is guaranteed, but the likelihood is quite high." Grandstar said, "The most likely places for this cultivation method to exist are the Luminous Domain Mansion and the Human Realm. The opening of grand cycle acupoints was a feat almost exclusive to humanity during the ancient past. Of course, those from the divine, devil, and immortal races had also produced such geniuses in the past, but the majority of these absolute geniuses were humans. Of course, I don't know more than that. The acupoints of each race are different. It is advisable that you find the version used by the ancient humans. The versions of the other races can only be used as reference."

Su Yu nodded, "I wonder if any of these geniuses had died in the Luminous Domain Mansion with their corpse left behind. That would help a lot."

As long as he had the corpse of one such individual, it would help regardless of race. He only needed the blood essence from the corpse.

Perhaps his golden book would help convert the cultivation method into a version suited for the human body. Of course, the corpse also mustn't belong to too strong an expert or he wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure of the blood essence harvested from such a corpse. The grand cycle method might not be a foundation cultivation method, which was the method his golden book would usually extract, but things might be different for the blood essence of someone who had opened the grand cycle acupoints, right?

If he had to, he could also extract the memories of the deceased expert from the blood essence for the cultivation method.

Grandstar said, "You shouldn't be placing your hope in a corpse. A genius with the grand cycle acupoints opened won't die so easily. When such a person dies, they will most likely be in the Death Realm. The corpse of such a genius is almost impossible to stumble upon."

Su Yu asked, "Lord, can the living enter the Death Realm?"

"Hmm?"

Su Yu's eyes lit up as he said, "From your words, many geniuses had actually risen from the dead in the Death Realm. Some of them should still have some of their past memories, right? If I can find a genius who had opened the grand cycle acupoints in the Death Realm..."

Suddenly, Xing Yue said, "Even if there are such individuals in the Death Realm, they are beyond the reach of the likes of you."

Su Yu flashed a fawning smile and said, "Lord Xing Yue, I am quite curious about the Death Realm. Since it's only a matter of time before I become your subordinate and do battle in the Death Realm for you, I should learn more about it, right? I'm really curious. Just what kind of a place is the Death Realm? Are there many experts in there? Or are there only death sovereigns in there?"

He had suddenly developed an intense curiosity toward the Death Realm. No corpse of ancient Invincibles had ever been found. Perhaps that was because all of them had transformed into death spirits?

So they were all in the Death Realm? All Invincibles to have ever existed? That would be terrifying. There was a proper Emperor in the ancient past, and that Emperor was dead. Was the Emperor in the Death Realm as well?

Holy shit!

Before this, the Death Realm did not seem too scary for him. But now that he was putting some thoughts into it, the Death Realm was actually an extremely terrifying place.

Xing Yue ignored him.

With a fawning smile, Su Yu urged, "Lord Sovereign, don't be like that. We're family! You're my direct superior! I'm really curious. Is the Death Realm big? Are there many experts in there? Are you the boss down there? But Yanmo does not seem to have any respect for you. How dare he? Yanmo was an ancient devil. How about you, Lord? Maybe you used to be a human! In that case, we're family!"

Xing Yue ignored him again.

Grandstar laughed in amusement and answered, "The Death Realm is...very big. There are many experts there. Too many. Most of them are in slumber. Or to be precise, they exist in a somewhat sealed state. Time does not exist for them. Space does not exist for them. Some are simply resting in the Celestial River of Death. A death sovereign like Xing Yue has regained part of her memories. That is the origin of her desire to dominate. The weaker death spirits are without any intelligence. They can only roam around aimlessly or simply remain idle without any purpose in their existence. Those far stronger than Xing Yue will also remain without purpose since the memories of such experts are far harder to return."

Su Yu drew his own conclusion from that explanation.

He exclaimed in surprise, "So you mean that death sovereigns like Xing Yue are only the middle of the pack? They have just enough strength to regain some of their memories, but they are not the best of the best. With the recovery of memories impossible for the weak and too difficult for the truly strong, the mediocre ones are running about believing they own the place?"

That was pretty much it. But why must he be so honest? Being so honest might further provoke Xing Yue. Sure enough, the tunnel started trembling again as Xing Yue roared madly in fury.

This was intolerable! She swore she would kill this little bastard! How dare he?

Grandstar suppressed her and said, "You can see it that way. It is very difficult for the truly strong ones to complete the conversion into death spirits. They might remain in the Celestial River of Death, but they won't exist as proper death spirits. A death spirit without any intelligence is no better than a corpse. People like Xing Yue are lucky that they are not too weak, yet not too strong, to regain some memories. Such death spirits will instinctively move toward the death tunnels due to their desire to return to the world of the living."

Understanding dawned on Su Yu.

The overall strength of the Death Realm was unbelievably powerful. A lot of dead experts had been brought to that realm. However, most of them were akin to puppets. No matter how strong a puppet was, it would not be too terrifying.

Su Yu said, "So the lesson from that is if you must die, you shouldn't die too strong or you won't even regain your memories after death. Even if you die, you must die a balanced death. Wow. It sure is difficult being a death spirit."

"That's right. For example, the death spirits you killed previously were mostly mindless puppets. They only attacked you due to the guidance of some ancient laws. They did not possess any independent thoughts. Only at the ninth-stage Sunmoon and beyond would they start regaining some of their memories."

Su Yu smiled, "In that case, Lord Xing Yue must have died a balanced death. Congratulations, Lord Xing Yue."

Damn it! Xing Yue had stopped raging despite her fury. She had discovered that the more she raged, the more provocative Su Yu would become.

Su Yu merely giggled. He greatly enjoyed the feeling of making people so annoyed they wanted to kill him yet couldn't. This was the best kind of feeling.

Regardless, he had learned a lot from this conversation. He also knew where to focus his efforts moving on. If he had to, he would need to enter the Death Realm and have a nice chat with some death spirits who had opened the grand cycle acupoints.

Of course, he would only do that when he was desperate enough. And he wasn't that desperate yet. After all, Xing Yue would probably be the first to tear him apart after he entered the Death Realm.

Chapter 1306: Dark Tidings (3)

Done with the conversation with the two, Su Yu left the inner hall.

Thus far, he had completed sixty-nine body forgings. He was three forgings away from the Cloudbreach Realm. The yang acupoint was an issue he must handle. Furthermore, he could probably try contacting Bai Feng's grandpa. No matter what, that person could be considered one of his.

With several ancient cities under his control, perhaps he could grant the old man control over one of them. Of course, he would need to convert into a living dead for that. Then again, even being a living dead would be an improvement to his current state.

As for properly shutting the yang acupoint, that was still not on the table. If Su Yu couldn't even do that for himself, how was he supposed to do that for Old Man Bai? That might require the opening of 360 apertures and the yin aperture. The old man was already so old. He might die before he could open all those apertures. In that case, he might as well convert into a living dead and extend his lifespan for a bit.

"I guess it's time to contact Teacher."

Su Yu was very supportive of the idea of converting Bai Feng's grandfather into a living dead. For him, being a living dead was no big deal at all.

With the yang acupoint open, Old Man Bai would grow even stronger after converting. Then again, he was only a Mountainsea. Even with the boost of the yang acupoint, he would only be as strong as a Sunmoon. And that was no longer sufficient to impress Su Yu. Thus, this would only be a charity case, not something that could actually help him in any meaningful manner.

As he walked about, he contacted the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. At the moment, he was still a white mask since First Profound's mask was still on Nan Wujiang.

Through the Heavenly Hunt Directory, he asked, "I need to purchase some blood essence. Do you have any for sale?"

"What blood essence do you need?"

"The blood essence of cultural researchers, regardless of race. Make sure the blood essence is above the Skysoar Realm, but not too strong as well."

"Cultural researcher..."

The person paused, either thinking about the request or checking the available stock.

After a while, a reply came, "Cultural researchers are rare regardless of race. And they rarely participate in battles. We only have some human blood essence with us. Do you need it?"

"Fuck off."

Su Yu was left speechless. Sure enough, the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion couldn't be relied upon.

"Don't you have any other blood essence?"

"We do, but according to the head's order, we can only proceed with this deal after we finalize our cooperation agreement."

Screw that! Su Yu snorted. Clearly, the pavilion was trying to blackmail him. Did the order come from the Heaven Department head? Wasn't that fellow supposed to be in slumber? Clearly, he had awakened. Was he going to start running the pavilion himself?

Then again, that was understandable. There were simply too many spies in their organization. It was about time for them to start putting their house in order.

"Sure, we can talk about our cooperation. But before that, give me a bottle of blood essence for free if you want me to agree to the talk. Don't bother blackmailing me with this. I'm still an elder of the pavilion. You need to show me some respect. Are you from the Yellow Department? Do you know your head? Zhu Tianfang, your head, is my relative. Do you know First Yellow? That's Hollow, my old friend. I also have a lot of other friends in the Yellow Department. Be careful lest I get your direct superior to make life hell for you."

Su Yu started throwing his weight around. How dare the pavilion blackmail him when it was so badly infiltrated?

Su Yu wasn't too bothered about how the pavilion would react to his threat. If they refused to provide him with blood essence, so be it. He would think of something. No matter what, he had to deal with the issue of his yang acupoint. Otherwise, he would be forever bound to Xing Yue. But for now, he had to keep Xing Yue safe. She was too important for him.

***

While Su Yu was trying to deal with his yang acupoint.

Human territory.

Eastrift Valley.

A certain piece of news started spreading out of nowhere.

The nine-leaf skylotus might appear in the seventh level of the Luminous Domain Mansion in the coming opening. That was a level the modern humans had never reached. In fact, they didn't even know what the skylotus was. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs NoveI~Fire.net

However, their ignorance did not last long. They soon found out that the skylotus was an incredible treasure capable of helping an Invincible become a Pseudo Emperor. It was invaluable.

It could be used to strengthen one's tri-life bodies to the point where one could enter the Pseudo Emperor Realm. The number one expert of humanity, Great Qin King, was known to be capable of contending against Pseudo Emperors.

But that was not exactly true. Back then, he had joined hands with Great Zhou King, and Great Xia King to only fight a Pseudo Emperor to a standstill. One could say that the human race still lacked a combatant at the highest tier of strength.

A Pseudo Emperor had the strength to contend against seven or eight Invincibles at once. Alone, a regular Invincible would find even escaping from a Pseudo Emperor hard. The fight between the old turtle of Grand Dream City with the dragon king not long ago was an example of this.

Meanwhile, Great Qin King was not yet capable of killing regular Invincibles easily. He lacked the ability to prevent Invincibles from escaping. Humanity was greatly shaken upon hearing about what the skylotus could do.

***

Vanguard Regiment.

Qin Zhen, who had recently completed his dao affirmation, looked at Great Qin King in shock and asked, "Father...nine-leaf skylotus in the seventh level. Is this information accurate?"

Great Qin King frowned.

After a long while, he said, "The person who had started this rumor did not do it out of kindness. Peace has just returned to humanity. The spread of this news will change things. The myriad races will further strengthen their suppression of humanity. They will not allow the skylotus to fall into the hands of humanity.

"I doubt the rumor came from the divines or devils. They will be more than happy to see us remain ignorant. I believe some people are trying to create chaos and benefit from it. The culprit is most likely the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion."

Qin Zhen said, "Father, it doesn't matter. Since there is hope, we must fight for it. After becoming a Pseudo Emperor, you will be able to unify humanity. Those people will be forced to stop their habit of pretending to be helpful without actually doing anything meaningful."

"You're being too wishful."

Great Qin King shook his head. He had been standing guard in the Eastrift Valley for hundreds of years. He knew how those human Invincibles were.

He said, "They are trying to create trouble for me. I naturally won't reject a chance to become a Pseudo Emperor. But Old Zhou, Old Xia, Old Zhu, and the others will also fight for this hope. Everyone wants to be a Pseudo Emperor. I'm worried that the crack among humanity will widen before we get the skylotus.

"Things have just calmed down in the human race. Rather than seeing the crack widen, I would rather see a new Pseudo Emperor emerging from a different race. It would be even better for the skylotus to fall into the hands of the Blood Fire Devil King."

"But..." Qin Zhen said, "If you can break through, humanity might achieve true unity. Under the lead of Great Qin, the entire humanity can resist the myriad races together instead of wasting our efforts in internal struggles."

"You're still too young." Great Qin King shook his head and sighed, "This isn't a good thing at all. With the spread of this rumor, I'm worried that...forget it. Since the rumor has been spread, we can only let it be. Seventh level...Skysoars and Cloudbreaches will mainly roam the first three levels. Cloudbreaches and Mountainseas will mainly roam the middle three levels. As for the final three levels, it will be hard to reach unless you're a Sunmoon. Are they trying to force humanity to send Sunmoons into the mansion? Or perhaps even Eternals?"

"I'm willing to enter and get this treasure for you, Father." Qin Zhen declared solemnly, "Father, I volunteer!"

"..."

Great Qin King's mood sank. This was perhaps what the person who had spread the rumor wanted to see. Since Qin Zhen was behaving this way, it was clear the other Invincibles would also behave similarly.

Would Zhu Tianfang go?

What about Liu Wushen?

What about the Zhou Family?

The coming opening of the Luminous Domain Mansion would be a troublesome one.

Nine-leaf skylotus...was there a deeper conspiracy? Or was this simply an attempt to sow chaos?

Great Qin King sighed. So what if he could become a Pseudo Emperor? Was that even enough to unite humanity? Things wouldn't be so simple. Perhaps humanity needed something other than a Pseudo Emperor. Great Qin King couldn't think of what he could do as a Pseudo Emperor. Was he supposed to fight and kill his old comrades to unify humanity by force?

What humanity needed was a super expert who was both ruthless and unfamiliar with the others.

Someone like...Su Yu?

Suddenly, that name emerged in Great Qin King's head. But he shook his head. No. Su Yu did not have much affection for the human race. He was too young and hot-blooded. He only remembered his grudges. He only cared for his own people, not humanity as a whole.

That was not his fault. He was who he was because of the environment he grew up in.

Great Qin King sighed, "The end...might be near."

For some reason, the Luminous Domain Mansion was starting to feel like a bearer of dark tidings for the future of humanity.

Chapter 1307: Su Yu's Inheritance (1)

Rumble!

Somewhere in the Sea of Stars, a battle was ongoing.

With one strike, Zhan Wushuang punched through a Mountainsea before extracting the blood essence and casually tossed the corpse away. Then, he left without giving the corpse a second look.

A group of terrified individuals were left behind him. Their leader had just been killed.

Zhan Wushuang.

He had regrown his physical body recently. Even so, he was still an eighth-stage Mountainsea, a top genius of the divine race.

Behind him, a trembling individual asked, "Why? You're a genius of the divine race. You should be attacking the elites of the other major races. Why did you set your eyes on our leader?"

They couldn't understand this. A top genius like this should not have attacked those from a minor race like them for no good reason. A Mountainsea from a minor race should not be sufficient to even catch the ire of Zhan Wushuang. Read full story at novel fire.net

Zhan Wushuang continued flying away without a response. Behind him, a burst of immortal qi erupted.

The air shimmered as Xuan Wuji appeared. He coldly demanded, "Zhan Wushuang, what are you doing? Why are you killing and extracting the blood essence of the innocent?"

Zhan Wushuang ignored the question.

Xuan Wuji questioned, "You were captured by Su Yu yet you were able to return alive. Are you doing this under his order? Have you submitted yourself to him? We all know that Su Yu is good at producing ability blood essence. Zhan Wushuang, don't do anything you will regret."

Finally, Zhan Wushuang turned his head to look at Xuan Wuji. He indifferently said, "Xuan Wuji, mind your own business."

Then, he vanished with a flicker.

Xuan Wuji stared at the empty spot in front of him for a while before smiling to himself. Then, Dao Cheng appeared beside him and softly said, "Brother Wuji, looks like he has indeed reached an agreement with Su Yu."

Xuan Wuji sneered, "Definitely. Su Yu isn't the type to release a captured enemy for no reason."

Dao Cheng nodded in agreement.

Behind them, the surviving individuals started begging for justice, "Lord Immortal Wuji, we beseech you to enforce justice against Zhan Wushuang for slaughtering the innocent. He has fallen..."

"Yes. He has fallen." Xuan Wuji smiled, "I will avenge you. The myriad races will not tolerate the existance of such a demon."

They were overjoyed to hear that. They were merely trying their luck, but the immortal genius had really agreed to enforce justice for them. This was quite a pleasant surprise. This was unbelievable.

Several characters appeared and twirled around Dao Cheng's fingers before vanishing. In the blink of eye, they shot through the survivors before igniting their corpses. In the blink of an eye, not one of them remained.

Next, Dao Cheng's characters rippled, creating a warp in the air as he twisted the time and space of the area.

Done with that, Dao Cheng smiled and said, "Brother Wuji, do you have your recording? May I suggest that you sell it to the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion?"

Xuan Wuji said, "There is no rush. I'll do some editing. Zhan Wushuang, a genius of the first divine race, who has fallen so low that he's slaughtering the innocent for no reason. He is truly the pride of the divines."

"With the devils in chaos and the humans being the public enemy of the myriad races, only us immortals can pursue justice against the divines."

Xuan Wuji sighed and said, "How sad. The divine and devil races are among the most powerful races in existence. Yet Zhan Wushuang has joined hands with the demonic Su Yu to slaughter the innocent, supporting Su Yu in his pursuit of the demonic arts."

Dao Cheng laughed as the characters around his fingers vanished. "True. However, the ultimate blame lies on Su Yu. I do hope he will enter the Luminous Domain Mansion this time and give the myriad races a chance to punish him for his sins."

Xuan Wuji nodded with a smile. He said, "The humans are trying to get the nine-leaf skylotus to push Great Qin King into the Pseudo Emperor Realm. As for Su Yu, he is actually a hidden chess piece of Great Qin King. Together, they will conspire to conquer humanity before conquering the Myriad Realms."

"Su Yu must die."

The two smiled again before vanishing with a flicker.

Not long after, a furious Sunmoon arrived. When he saw the blood in the sea, he roared, "Who did this? The bloodjade snake race will not forgive this!"

Damn it!

All the people who had died here were the members of his race. Many of them were Mountainseas, with a few Skysoar and Cloudbreach geniuses in the group as well. They were on the way to try their luck at the Luminous Domain Mansion, but they had all been slaughtered out here. Who was the culprit? When the Sunmoon inspected the corpse left behind by Zhan Wushuang, his eyes flickered with uncertainty. A divine? A first divine?

Damn it!

The Mountainsea had been punched through with one hit.

"First divine race..."

The powerful divine qi left in the corpse was not something one could easily fake.

"Who was it?"

The Sunmoon's face fell. How did those from his race provoke such an attack from the powerful divine race? The Sunmoon did not stay long. After collecting all the corpses he could find, he vanished with a flicker.

***

Battles were erupting all over Sea of Stars, and people were dying everywhere.

Somewhere in the Sea of Stars. The surface of the sea rippled as a little golden dragon shot out of it. Next, a figure appeared at the same spot.

Topsoil Spirit cursed, "Long Wuyou, are you courting death?"

Damn it!

He had not provoked the little golden dragon. Why was the little golden dragon bothering him?

Long Wuyou was already a Mountainsea while Topsoil Spirit was still an eighth-stage Cloudbreach. However, Topsoil Spirit had rich enough combat experience that he did not fear the inexperienced golden dragon. He warned, "If you keep following me, I won't be holding back anymore!"

Up in the sky, the little golden dragon said, "Topsoil Spirit, everyone is saying that you're the hope of the five elemental race. You are the supposed future king of the five elements. Let me see just how strong you are when you're in the middle of the sea compared to a dragon."

The king of the five elements?

What a joke.

The little golden dragon refused to believe that anyone could be stronger than the dragons in water.

Topsoil Spirit cursed and said, "I never said that. Strictly speaking, Su Yu is far stronger in water. Long Wuyou, why don't you fight him instead?"

"Nope. I'm only interested in fighting you."

"..."

Damn it! So this bastard dragon was at least smart enough to pick his fights. Topsoil Spirit didn't know what to say anymore.

Suddenly, his expression changed. Then, he smiled and said, "Long Wuyou, there's a human there. Look at how easily he's walking on water. He has an impressive mastery over water. You should challenge him instead."

Long Wuyou looked over and coldly said, "That's only a third-stage Cloudbreach."

Such an opponent was too weak to catch his eyes. As a young genius, he had his pride.

When the distant human noticed the golden dragon and the illusory silhouette, his eyes flickered as he muttered, "Topsoil Spirit and Long Wuyou?"

Both were Earth Index geniuses. None of them should be provoked lightly. That was especially true for Topsoil Spirit, who was ranked quite highly on the Earth Index.

Noted that the two were observing him, he didn't dare to turn around and flee. Rather, he stopped and flashed a humble smile before saying, "Hello, friends. May I ask for directions to Grandstar City?"

Topsoil Spirit and Long Wuyou exchanged gazes. Then, Topsoil Spirit said, "You're heading to Grandstar, Friend?"

"Yes." Instead of fleeing, the human started approaching them. With a smile, he asked, "Do any of you know the way to Grandstar City?"

"What is your business there?" Curious, Topsoil Spirit said, "That's a dangerous place. Su Yu might be a human, but he does not seem to like other humans that much."

The human said, "I'm different. Are you heading there as well? The two of you look quite familiar. Are you perhaps the famous Topsoil Spirit of the five elemental race and Long Wuyou of the golden dragon race?"

The two were quite surprised to hear that. Topsoil Spirit asked, "Why aren't you running if you know who we are?"

The human laughed, "Why should I run? It's not like I can escape the two of you. And if you don't intend to kill me, why should I bother? As one of the few members of Great Xia's multiple character faction, I would rather face my death bravely than struggling before dying pathetically."

Alarmed, Topsoil Spirit asked, "Are you...really from the multiple character faction?"

"Yes." The human introduced himself, "My name is Liu Hong, a researcher from the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. My teacher was Zhang Ruoling, a student of the multiple character faction from Liu Wenyan's generation. You might not know my teacher since he died long ago after failing to withstand the pressure of the characters he inherited."

Topsoil Spirit muttered in surprise, "Zhang Ruoling...that name sounds familiar. Are you the same Liu Hong who is sixth on the Yellow Index?"

Anyone capable of entering the index could be considered a top genius. So this fellow was a member of the multiple character faction as well?

Topsoil Spirit asked again, "Are you really from the multiple character faction?"

"Yeah."

Liu Hong flashed his elegant and gentle smile as he said, "I heard both of you are enemies of my martial nephew, Su Yu. Sigh. I guess fate is indeed toying with me."

With a regretful tone, he said, "If you wish to kill me, so be it."

Topsoil Spirit merely smiled while Long Wuyou snorted with disdain, "What a joke. Who do you think you are? Su Yu? Me? Killing you? Are you joking?"

This was a mere third-stage Cloudbreach. Even if he was on the Yellow Index, but the Yellow Index was nothing special. Long Wuyou was too proud to dirty his hands with the blood of such a weakling. Weakling...well, that was not exactly true since this was still an index genius.

Unlike Long Wuyou, Topsoil Spirit wasn't so fearful of Su Yu that he wouldn't dare to kill anyone from the multiple character faction. But he found no reason to offend Su Yu excessively for no reason. Instead, he was more curious about this human. He asked, "Friend, are you going to Grandstar City for Luminous Domain Mansion?"

Liu Hong nodded, "Yes. I was on my way back to Great Xia when I heard that Principal Wan had left. Even Martial Uncle Liu and the others were gone. Sigh. After thinking about it, I realized that I have to rely on Su Yu if I want to get a slot to the Luminous Domain Mansion."

With a slightly embarrassed expression, he continued, "Principal Nan Wujiang is the Invincible of my faction, but...sigh. I think I'm better off looking for Su Yu. No matter what, I was his teacher for one year. I only need a slot for myself. After hearing that the ancient cities will be getting their slots as well, I decided to get one from him."

Chapter 1308: Su Yu's Inheritance (2)

"You taught him for a year?" Long Wuyou replied with a shout, "Nonsense! Su Yu's teacher is Bai...Bai Feng! That's the name, right? It's not you!"

Liu Hong laughed and explained, "The dragons must not be familiar with the education system of humanity. Bai Feng is merely one of his many teachers. I was the head instructor for Su Yu's batch. Bai Feng and Martial Uncle Liu were not the only ones who had taught him before. Strictly speaking, I am his proper teacher officially. Based on the system of the dragon race, you can call me his practical teacher and Bai Feng his nominal teacher. I was the one who had actually taught him."

This was too confusing for Long Wuyou. Why was the education system of the humans so weird? In all the other races, the relationship between a student and a teacher was a lot more straightforward.

However, he wasn't completely clueless about the human race. He also knew that Su Yu was the student of both Bai Feng and Liu Wenyan. At the same time, Liu Wenyan was also Bai Feng''s martial uncle. In any case, the humans did not seem to enjoy following the proper hierarchy most of the time. He did not say more about the system since he knew too little about it.

Rather, he said curiously, "Why had Su Yu never spoken of you before?"

Liu Hong laughed, "Brother Wuyou, are you aware that the teacher Su Yu respects the most is not Liu Wenyan, but someone called Zhao Li instead? Do you know that name?"

"That..."

"Zhao Li, the person who had taught Su Yu the Soul Expanding Hammer and the art of weaponsmithing. But you don't know this. That's simply because you're not close enough to Su Yu. Nobody will spend all their time reciting the names of everyone they respect and love, right? You're not his friend. Why should he tell you anything?"

True.

Even Topsoil Spirit nodded. He said, "Since you're calling yourself his teacher, what did you teach him?"

"War God Art, Skybreak Technique—"

"Aren't those the common cultivation methods widely spread in the Human Realm?"

Liu Hong smiled and said, "Yes. In that case, tell me what Liu Wenyan taught him. The foundations are everything. We're wasting time here. If you're not killing me, can you tell me the way to Grandstar City?"

Topsoil Spirit studied Liu Hong thoughtfully. A teacher of Su Yu. A member of the multiple character faction. Interesting. He had interacted with Su Yu several times before, but he had not been able to converse much with Su Yu. In truth, very few people had conversed much with Su Yu apart from the few individuals who were actually close to him.

Topsoil Spirit had always been curious about Su Yu. And now, one of Su Yu's teachers was right in front of him. He found this incredibly interesting, even if this might be a lie.

He said, "Grandstar City is quite far away. Since you're an expert of the multiple character faction, are you interested in a spar? Don't worry, I only wish to compare notes and experience the strength of the multiple character faction. I mean nothing else. The multiple character faction has such a big fame, but its members are too rare. It's not every day we get a chance to witness a multiple character faction member in action."

"Comparing notes?"

With a smile by Liu Hong, a tiny sword shot out and cut space itself apart. Topsoil Spirit vanished with a flicker before returning in the form of a massive wave. The air shook and warped as the two clashed.

The moment Liu Hong drew his blade, he had vanished. Thus, the wave was not able to strike anything but air. When Topsoil Spirit reappeared, a tiny and transparent sword reappeared before slicing the watery body of Topsoil Spirit into two.

The body turned into regular water as another Topsoil Spirit appeared behind Liu Hong. Liu Hong merely smiled as his body shattered into pieces. This body of his was merely an illusion.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of moves. When Topsoil Spirit moved forth to attack again, Liu Hong withdrew and sighed, "I'm done. I'm not your match. The gap between us is too big."

With an amazed look in his eyes, Topsoil Spirit said, "So this is the so-called character technique of the multiple character faction. How impressive. Yours is a lot more exquisite than the one that brutish Su Yu is using. I fought that brute once. He seemed to know nothing except attacking with that hammer of his."

His fight with Liu Hong was short yet it felt magical. All sorts of character abilities were utilized by Liu Hong, yet each of them was incredibly imperceptible. If it wasn't for the fact that his cultivation level was five stages higher, the fight would have been much more difficult for him. Liu Hong was telling the truth. He was a multiple character cultivator.

"Friend, are you trying to enter the Luminous Domain Mansion as well?"

"Yeah."

Topsoil Spirit's eyes flickered as he smiled and asked, "Are you entering with Su Yu?"

Liu Hong replied without a change in expression, "No. I know the myriad races are trying to target that student of mine. I won't be going with him since that will only drag him down. I'll be operating independently."

Topsoil Spirit smiled, "I hope you don't misunderstand my question. Even if the myriad races are planning something against Su Yu, that's not something I can get involved in. I can see that you are young yet strong. You're very talented. If fate allows it, perhaps we can work together in the Luminous Domain Mansion. That's not a place where strength rules supreme. Luck and talent can be very important as well."

"Is that so?"

Liu Hong said, "I've never been there so I know very little about that place. I'm not against this, but first, I need to get a slot from Su Yu. If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave."

Topsoil Spirit smiled, "Sure."

With a casual wave of his hand, he sent a faint ray of light toward Liu Hong's body. Noticing that, Liu Hong frowned and washed over his body with his source qi before inspecting his body with his characters. He wasn't able to find anything, so he could only shoot Topsoil Spirit a suspicious glance before leaving after cupping his fists at the two.

When he was further away from the two, he burned his entire body while muttering, "Nothing at all? How odd."

***

Not far away, Topsoil Spirit smiled. Could Liu Hong find it?

He would be quite impressed if Liu Hong was capable of that.

Beside him, Long Wuyou sneered and said, "All these schemes and tricks are nothing before the great dao. What's the point of monitoring him?"

"I'm merely curious." Topsoil Spirit said, "I wonder what his goal is. I have never heard about him being a member of the multiple character faction. This is too odd. Since he's heading to Grandstar City, I can investigate the city through him."

Long Wuyou snorted again, but soon, he said, "Give me one of your five elemental worms. I am curious as well."

Topsoil Spirit laughed in amusement before tossing a yellow worm over. With the worm in hand, Long Wuyou was able to constantly monitor Liu Hong and his surroundings.

After burning and scanning his body with his willpower and characters, Liu Hong exhaled in relief and muttered, "Looks like I was too suspicious. If they meant me harm, I wouldn't have been able to leave. I guess they are too scared of Su Yu to do anything."

His lips arched into a smile as he continued, "Su Yu's name sure is effective. They actually bought the story. Hehehe."

Anger bubbled in Long Wuyou. How dare the human fool him?

Beside him, Topsoil Spirit laughed and said, "Stay calm. It doesn't matter. I want to see if he's really looking for Su Yu."

***

Nothing else happened. Liu Hong started flying silently in Grandstar City's direction.

After some time, a white mask appeared in front of him. The white mask coldly said, "We meet again, Liu Hong."

Liu Hong asked, "Friend, you have been stopping me a lot recently. Just what are you trying to do?"

"Business."

The white mask said, "Friend, I am the only person aware of this information. The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion is very generous when conducting business. Why are you refusing to deal with me? Do you disagree with the price?"

"What nonsense are you saying? I don't understand." Liu Hong said, "Stop bothering me. I'm on my way to meet Su Yu. Don't force me to tell Su Yu about you. I will be fine, but you will be dead. Su Yu hates it when others try to take advantage of him."

At that, the white mask started releasing his aura.

Liu Hong said, "Are you trying to silence me? You won't get what you want even if you kill me."

The white mask said, "What's the point, Liu Hong? You have been doing all this for the sake of cultivation resources. You might have enough to reach the Mountainsea Realm, but what about the Sunmoon Realm? A hundred drops of sunmoon profound yellow liquid. If that's not enough, I can add thirty-five elemental fruits as well..."

"Heh."

Liu Hong sneered, "You must be dreaming. Furthermore, this thing only works for a human. It will be useless for you anyway." Read complete versıon only at novel(ꜰ)ire.net

The white mask asked in annoyance, "Are you sure? Why did I hear that everyone can cultivate this art regardless of race? The Five Elemental Art is a secret art from the ancient past..."

Topsoil Spirit's heart skipped a beat.

Liu Hong coldly said, "Secret art of the ancient past? I don't know about that. I only know that if I leak it, Su Yu will kill me. I don't know where you heard this, but it's not true. I don't have what you want."

"Liu Hong, why must you be so stubborn? You had a secret agreement with Bai Feng to nurture Su Yu. He was too ignorant due to his youth so ,he ended up handing it to Bai Feng. You managed to steal it, but do you believe that nobody knows about what you did?"

Liu Hong's expression turned solemn as he asked, "Have you been...monitoring Bai Feng all along? I doubt the pavilion has been monitoring me. I'm not that important."

"Since you can guess that much, you should understand that we won't offer to deal with you without full confidence. Liu Hong, the Five Elemental Art is not something anyone can have. You better sell it to us or calamity will befall you because of this art."

Liu Hong's expression changed slightly. He said, "Calamity? I'll return it to Su Yu and the calamity will be gone. I might not be his teacher, but I helped him a lot in secret. I helped him escape the assassination of the single character faction. I helped him escape Great Xia. I even helped him gather all those resources. I only stole it out of anger that Bai Feng refused to share. I never intended to go against Su Yu. I only need to return it to him. He won't do anything to me."

"Stubborn fool." The white mask shook his head, "If you don't agree to deal before you reach Grandstar City...you will regret your choice. At the time, I won't be the one you need to face. We have people capable of searching memories in the pavilion."

"Is this a threat?" Liu Hong sneered, "You are free to try. Do you think I'm completely unprepared against all threats? You might have succeeded if you had captured me when we first met. But now...come. Search my memories. I dare you."

"Just what do you want for it?"

Liu Hong said, "What do I want? A lot. A hundred five elemental fruits. Three hundred drops of sunmoon profound yellow liquid. Five hundred strands of heavenearth profound light."

"You're dreaming."

"In that case, forget the deal."

Liu Hong walked around the white mask. The white mask stared at him coldly for a long while before saying, "I will return. Liu Hong, you have nothing in the ancient city. You are not a selfless person. You are selfish. You will do anything to benefit yourself. Don't pretend otherwise."

Liu Hong did not spare the white mask a glance as he said, "Who are you to criticize me? Blame yourself for being too stingy with your price."

"I'll make an application for what you want. Do slow down your pace. I believe you don't intend to really seek death in the ancient city."

With that, the white mask vanished.

Chapter 1309: Su Yu's Inheritance (3)

Further away from Liu Hong.

Topsoil Spirit was greatly alarmed. What was that?

Five Elemental Art?

Su Yu!

Yes! He recalled witnessing Su Yu's instant mastery over the Five Element Purgatory. Was that due to the Five Elemental Art?

No wonder.

No wonder things had always felt odd when he faced Su Yu. So that was the case.

Numerous thoughts emerged in Topsoil Spirit's mind. Did Liu Hong know the Five Elemental Art as well? Was this a version only suited for human cultivation? Or was it suitable for all races? Or perhaps it was only suitable for the five elemental race.

He swallowed as a new thought came to him. Should he kill Liu Hong? That way, he could get the art from Liu Hong's memories. But there must be a reason for Liu Hong to be so fearless even against the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion.

The art was known by Su Yu, Bai Feng, and Liu Hong...

It would be much harder to get the art from Su Yu or Bai Feng. Of the three, Liu Hong was the easiest target. Was he making this trip to force the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion to give him a better offer?

Topsoil Spirit was greatly surprised by this seemingly random encounter. The more he thought about it, the more impressed he was with his luck. He was more and more convinced that he was the hope of the five elemental race. A seemingly empty encounter had actually provided him with a way to get the fabled Five Elemental Art.

He swallowed again. He was sure such an art existed. There were records pertaining this art in the five elemental race. Supposedly, this art originated from the human race. Topsoil Spirit finally understood why Su Yu was so resistant toward the talismans of his ancestors. So it was because Su Yu knew the Five Elemental Art.

"What should I do now?"

Suddenly, Topsoil Spirit recalled his company as he looked up at Long Wuyou.

Noticing his gaze, Long Wuyou spoke through voice transmission, "Don't look at me like that. Are you thinking of silencing me? Don't bother. You're better off thinking of a way to get that art. What a surprise. So Su Yu knows this art? I read about it in our records as well. This art is supposed to be extinct. Is this even real?"

Topsoil Spirit remained silent.

Long Wuyou started stepping away from Topsoil Spirit as he said, "The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion is famed for its information network. Clearly, they have been monitoring this human for quite a while. Topsoil Spirit, it won't be easy for you to get this art without alerting anyone."

Topsoil Spirit's eyes flickered. Suddenly, he said, "Long Wuyou, lend me something. This art is very important for the five elemental race. We will not skimp on the rewards if you're willing to help us. You know very well that this art might be useless for others yet it is extremely important for us."

"What are you thinking?"

Topsoil Spirit took out a white mask, put it on, and spoke with a modulated voice, "Trade."

Long Wuyou blanked out slightly before laughing, "Good idea. So you're going to steal this deal from the pavilion? If you succeed, you can do it without alerting anyone. Not even Liu Hong will know your identity. Topsoil Spirit, you're a lot more devious than expected."

Topsoil Spirit spoke again in the voice of the white mask who had just spoken to Liu Hong not long ago, "It is better to avoid unnecessary troubles. Things will get troublesome if more people know about this.

"Long Wuyou, I need to borrow something from you. I also need your promise of secrecy. The five elemental race will remember this favor. You will receive our help during your future dao affirmation.

"We can even provide you with two carrier treasures in secret. Sure, you're a descendant of the grand elder of the golden dragon race. But the celestial dragons rule the dragon race. Will you have the full support of the dragon race? There are plenty of talented dragons out there. For example, Long Yingyue of the Heaven Index and Long Zhan of the Earth Index. You don't hold any advantage over them."

Long Wuyou's expression changed repeatedly as he considered the matter. Finally, he asked, "What do you need?"

"Do you have any sunmoon profound yellow liquid? I have some five elemental fruits and heavenearth profound light. But I don't have too much. I also lack sunmoon profound yellow liquid..."

Long Wuyou hesitated and said, "I have some, but that human is asking for too much. Not even the two of us can afford his price."

Topsoil Spirit inhaled deeply and said, "We can give it a try. How much do you have?"

"Fifty strands of heavenearth profound light and fifty drops of sunmoon profound yellow liquid."

"That's all?"

Topsoil Spirit was quite surprised at how poor the little golden dragon was.

Long Wuyou's face sank. What was that response? That was actually a large amount. In fact, these were the resources he had saved for his advancement into the Sunmoon Realm. He had only been allocated these resources as preparation for the coming opening of the Luminous Domain Mansion.

After a slight hesitation, he said, "I also have a dragonblood fruit."

After doing a short calculation, Topsoil Spirit said, "I don't have enough either..."

Long Wuyou asked, "Are you not worried that this might be a fake art? You should be careful. The humans are good at scamming. Don't you remember what Su Yu did?"

"This is different." Topsoil Spirit said, "I'm confident Su Yu knows the Five Elemental Art. After my previous encounter with him, I investigated his history. He had disseminated several cultivation methods in the Human Realm. The willpower cultivation method he released might be the incomplete version of the Five Elemental Art. I checked with my elders before. With 180 apertures opened, it is likely that he knows the Five Elemental Art. And it is also possible for Liu Hong to know this art."

Long Wuyou said, "Topsoil Spirit, he's not asking for a cheap price."

"If it's really the Five Elemental Art, the five elemental race will not be stingy."

Seeing how obsessed Topsoil Spirit was, Long Wuyou said nothing else. However, he was still suspicious. This was a tad bit too convenient. But his doubt did not last long. He was also aware that each super genius was an existence with an abundance of luck. As the hope of the five elemental race, it wouldn't be too surprising for Topsoil Spirit to really stumble upon the Five Elemental Art.

Thanks to the great luck enjoyed by all geniuses, the likelihood of something like this happening was quite high.

Before long, the two were done pooling all their resources together. Then, Topsoil Spirit vanished with his white mask. He had to seal a deal with Liu Hong before the white mask returned.

He aimed to complete this deal on behalf of the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. Nobody would know it was him except Long Wuyou. Unfortunately, Long Wuyou was too difficult to kill.

He would have attacked unhesitatingly otherwise. It would be unwise to try that when he was in the territory of the dragons. That might create a big ruckus and leak the secret. That would make it impossible for the five elemental race to get the Five Elemental Art.

***

Not long after, Liu Hong shouted, "Enough. If you can't pay the price, just leave me alone. The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion is supposed to be the number one organization in existence. I'm not even asking for much. Why are you refusing to agree? Are you thinking of killing me and taking it by force?"

Topsoil Spirit replied with his modulated voice, "Liu Hong, I already talked to my elder about this. A hundred drops of sunmoon profound yellow liquid, fifty-five elemental fruits, and a hundred strands of heavenearth profound light. This is our limit.

"You shouldn't get too greedy. You might end up with nothing instead. This price is enough to take you all the way to the peak of the Sunmoon Realm. I have everything on me. If you're willing to deal, we can complete it right here. If you're still stubborn...well, are you sure you're really going to the ancient city? Who else can you sell this art to apart from the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion? Su Yu?"

Liu Hong coldly said, "Piss off. I don't have it."

"Liu Hong, what's the point of this stubbornness? With these resources in your hand, you will be able to convert them into strength. With more strength, you will be able to get even more. The Luminous Domain Mansion will open soon. If you don't increase your strength before then, you will end up returning from the mansion empty-handed. If you miss this chance, you will need to wait ten years for the next opening. And a lot can happen in ten years."

Liu Hong frowned and said, "I can't trust you. You are stronger than I. You can always kill me after getting what you want."

Topsoil Spirit was starting to grow anxious. He wouldn't be so impatient if it were anything else, but this was the Five Elemental Art! It was too important for him.

With this art, and if it were really usable by the five elemental race, they could very well rise in power again. In their records, they used to be one of the major races of the Myriad Realms when the five elements were one. Alas, the five elements had eventually separated, resulting in the decline of their race.

Nevertheless, he did not let his anxiousness show. Rather, he coldly asked, "What do you propose, then?"

Still frowning, Liu Hong suggested, "How about this? We'll complete the deal in front of the ancient city. I'll enter the city after the deal while you can leave. Both of us will stay silent about that. Otherwise, both of us will suffer Su Yu's wrath..."

That was unacceptable!

Topsoil Spirit cursed inwardly. That would take too long. Those from the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion might arrive to expose his disguise before then.

He gnashed his teeth and said, "Do you have it on you?"

"Nope." Liu Hong coldly said, "Do you take me for an idiot? Am I supposed to make myself a tasty target to rob and kill?"

He said, "It only exists in my mind. And my sea of willpower has been set to self-detonate the moment anyone attempts to search my memories. You can write it down while I read it for you, but we need to reach an agreement first.

"You can choose to trust me or not. Your people are everywhere. I believe some of them will be capable of determining the authenticity of the art. I wouldn't want to offend the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion for no reason anyway..."

"Write it down now. I need to check..."

Liu Hong sneered, "I'm not stupid. I'll only agree to trade in front of the ancient city. If you disagree, so be it."

Once again, Topsoil Spirit cursed inwardly.

He said, "Fine. Let's pick up the pace. This place is unsafe. Let me carry you. We'll reach faster."

Hearing that, Liu Hong hesitated again, causing Topsoil Spirit to curse inwardly. Why the hesitation? The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion would be here soon!

Liu Hong repeated, "You won't get anything if you kill me. Not even kidnapping me will work."

"Don't worry. That won't happen. You can trust the reputation of the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion."

Finally, Liu Hong nodded, "Fine. I can go with you. Remember, don't try any tricks. If I die, you will die as well. Su Yu will not tolerate the leak of his cultivation method."

Why was this damn guy so talkative? Topsoil Spirit was in a rush to complete the trade. He wasted no time and lifted Liu Hong before rushing toward Grandstar City. As he moved, he took great care to conceal himself from the notice of the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion.

Before long, the ancient city was near.

Right at that moment, his voice transmission talisman shook. A message from Long Wuyou had arrived, "Faster. I sensed the guy from the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. He will be here soon." The source of this content ɪs novel★fire.net

Damn it! This was way too fast!

Finally, the two arrived before Grandstar City. The pedestrians nearby noticed them, but nobody paid them any heed. The sight of someone from the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion here wasn't really that surprising.

Topsoil Spirit said, "Write it down. The payment is in this ring..."

Liu Hong frowned, "I don't trust you. I need to check it. If I were to scam you, you could send your Invincibles after me. But I would be helpless if it were the other way around. I'm taking a much bigger risk here..."

Topsoil Spirit cursed inwardly again. But he had no choice but to hand the ring over, "Here. Check properly."

After checking, Liu Hong exhaled in relief. He glanced at the city, gnashed his teeth, and said, "You have your deal. But don't forget our previous agreement. You're not allowed to publicize the art for a period of ten years ,or that will place me in a lot of trouble."

"Yes, yes, definitely."

Liu Hong started writing the art down on a jade talisman. While writing, he spoke through voice transmission, "You are getting very lucky to get this art at such a cheap price. If I had the courage to hold an auction, I would get a crazy price for it. Sigh. What a pity."

It did not take long for him to finish writing. Then, he tossed the talisman out and said, "I have a seal around it. Wait ten seconds before trying to access it, or the talisman will self-detonate. If you agree, we proceed. If not, so be it."

At that moment, Topsoil Spirit's voice transmission talisman shook again, "He's reaching!"

The real Heavenly Hunt Pavilion member was arriving soon. Not given much time to do anything else, Topsoil Spirit could only agree, trusting in the fact that Liu Hong wouldn't dare to fool the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion was not an organization to be trifled with.

He tossed the storage ring out and kept the talisman as he said, "I hope this is a solid deal or the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion will not spare you."

With the storage ring in hand, Liu Hong indifferently said, "Don't worry about the deal. I'm no idiot. You guys were the ones pushing for this deal, not the other way around. What can I even get from lying to the pavilion?"

Then, he stepped into the ancient city. He said, "I hope this will be our final meeting."

Then, he vanished amid the crowd.

Topsoil Spirit also vanished with a flicker.

Before long, a white face landed. He checked the area before vanishing again. Inside the city, Liu Hong's heart was thumping madly.

"Holy shit! The Allheaven Battlefield is such a nice place! As long as you have the courage, you will be able to earn massive profits from scamming. I finally understand how Su Yu earned so much through scamming. So the myriad races are simply dumb."

They were dumb yet rich, making them perfect targets for scamming. Liu Hong exhaled in relief. Now that he was in the ancient city, he would be temporarily safe. He would need to leave the city soon. The white mask was still waiting for him outside to share the spoils. This hadn't been easy to pull off.

Liu Hong breathed deeply, trying to calm his thumping heart. He decided to stop doing this for a period of time. He had to remain in hiding. The five elemental race was not to be underestimated either.

"Five Elemental Art?"

He rolled his eyes. That was something he had only heard about passingly. He hoped that the fake version he had prepared was enough to keep the five elemental race busy for some time.

With Su Yu's rise, Liu Hong had discovered that scamming was the best way of getting what he needed. Fighting? Taking risks? No, nothing was better than scamming. Just look at those Invincibles. What could they get from all the fighting? Scamming was better.

Sure enough, Su Yu was a smart kid. Liu Hong also understood that he was nowhere as good at scamming as Su Yu. He had to work harder if he wanted to reach Su Yu's height in scamming.

***

Not long after, Liu Hong left the city to share his spoils with the white mask.

Inside the city, Su Yu frowned slightly.

Beside him, Senior Wang said, "Liu Hong seems to have a deal with a white mask. I saw a storage ring in his hand. There are probably quite a lot of treasures in it. Will he sell something he shouldn't to the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion? Do we stop him? I left an imprint on him before he left the city."

Su Yu said, "A deal...what deal is it? Thank you. I'll take a look later. Why is this guy here? What was he thinking?"

Had Liu Hong forgotten about the enmity between them?