Giants...Human Ancestor...Hundred Battle King...physical body dao.

Slowly, Su Yu strung all the information together. Everything seemed connected to each other to a certain extent.

Great Bamboo Marquis couldn't resist adding, "That's only a legend. Even the primordial giants themselves deny that. Humanity has never acknowledged it as the truth either."

Su Yu laughed and said, "That's the natural thing to do. If Human Ancestor was really the ancestor of the primordial giants, their king should rank higher than even the Human Emperor. Strictly speaking, many of the ancient fossils of humanity cultivated the legacy of Human Ancestor. After all, he created the physical body dao. Human Ancestor represents a higher level of legitimacy than Human Emperor, and this is not something anyone can afford to acknowledge lightly."

Great Bamboo Marquis shrugged. He couldn't understand these humans.

Su Yu laughed and said, "Great Bamboo Marquis, there are no outsiders here today. Royal Consort Qi, why don't you take a rest for now?"

Qi Rong was left speechless. He was calling her and sending her away as he wished.

Fine. Fine.

She knew that Su Yu had something else to talk about, so she nodded in agreement. In any case, she needed some space to digest the new information she had received from Su Yu.

Before long, Qi Rong was back in the Mark of Civilization. Looking up at Great Bamboo Marquis, Su Yu said, "Great Bamboo Marquis, only the two of us are here. Since you are from the same generation as March, I won't bother him about this. Let me ask you a question. If I were to suffer a defeat sometime in the future, would the iron devourers be willing to follow me until the very end?"

Great Bamboo Marquis' heart pounded heavily. He stared at Su Yu, his eyes flickering. After a long silence, "What kind of defeat are you referring to, Emperor Yu?"

He added, "We won't change our minds because of a temporary defeat. But if it were the kind of defeat where you die, or the kind of defeat that was final, we would need to think for ourselves as well."

Su Yu said, "The matters of the Lower Realm won't remain secret forever. What will you do about that?"

Great Bamboo Marquis said, "The Lower and Upper Realms are separate. We might all be iron devourers, but that does not mean that we are fully united. There wouldn't have been Pseudo Emperor down there otherwise.

"Take the immortal race as an example. Tiangu represented the immortal race. But the immortals of the Upper Realm, including their Venerables, can not represent the immortals of the Lower Realm. Strictly speaking, the ones in the Lower Realm have the highest level of legitimacy."

Great Bamboo Marquis emphasized, "Yes, that's right. Legitimacy lies on those in the Lower Realm. Old fellows like us are only here as contingencies for our races. Thus, separation is possible when required. Simply put, we are all investing on both sides.

"Up here, we can side with the myriad races. Down there, they can side with the humans. This is an unwritten rule everyone agrees to. There are essentially two branches to each race."

All for the sake of survival.

Su Yu said, "In other words, you can give up on June and the others when necessary?"

After a short silence, Great Bamboo Marquis nodded, "Yes. All for the survival of our race."

Su Yu sighed and asked, "What if I survived my defeat and there was still hope? Would you withdraw your support?"

"No." Great Bamboo Marquis said, "There will be hope so long as you're still around."

"What if I ask you to withdraw from the Upper Realm with me?"

Great Bamboo Marquis frowned.

Su Yu said, "If that's not possible, it's fine. What if I ask you to lay low and wait for my return?"

Great Bamboo Marquis' tone turned heavy as he asked, "Return?"

"Yeah."

Agitation was growing in Great Bamboo Marquis as the conversation progressed. "Emperor Yu, things are going well for us. Not only have we forced the chaos lineage out in the open, but we have also secured cooperation with the myriad races to attack the chaos lineage together. Why...are you saying these things when everything is going well?"

"Anything can happen. Am I wrong?"

Great Bamboo Marquis' expression turned heavy. After a long silence, he nodded. "As long as you're not dead, we won't switch our support lightly, even if Hundred Battle is the one to come calling for our support."

That caught Su Yu's attention.

Great Bamboo Marquis asked, "Did you discover something wrong about Hundred Battle's defeat? Since you're asking about the primordial giants...were they related to his defeat? Regardless, Hundred Battle has never been a good leader for us. He might have been a good leader for humanity, but he will never be a good leader for allied races like us."

Su Yu nodded, "That's good to hear. This is all. I won't say much to March, but be careful over here. Don't worry about the Lower Realm iron devourers. Worry about yourselves up here. You will be my plant amid the myriad races.

"After my departure, just act as though you are on their side. Ignore any other humans. Before my return, act as if you're fully on board with the Myriad Race Assembly."

The mood was heavy.

Great Bamboo Marquis couldn't understand the reason for this sudden change. Prior to this, Su Yu had been filled with confidence. He was planning to do something big in the Upper Realm. But suddenly, he was acting as though he would withdraw to the Lower Realm and take a defensive stance instead. Why?

Was he losing hope after seeing so many Venerables in the Upper Realm? Or was it something else? 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Emperor Yu, I...I'll remember your words." Great Bamboo Marquis said heavily, "Unless I hear about your death, I won't change my mind. I was the one who had proposed that you kill three Daofuses to prove yourself back then. And you gave me a pleasant surprise. You gave me hope. I don't know about the others, but you will have my support until the very end."

"Thank you!" Su Yu smiled and stood up. "I'll be taking my leave. I won't be notifying the others. You guys are the only ones I interact with frequently up here."

"By the way, notify March and Heavenly Fate to come near Chaos Mountain as soon as possible. Get March to find a way to call for Hundred Battle's return from the Chaos Mountain. Try to talk about an alliance with him. Everyone is already sure that the chaos lineage exists, so a little bit of honesty isn't bad. No matter what, Hundred Battle is a super expert. Just promise him that you can help remove the final seal on him if he's willing to help.

"Have March deliver that message, or have Venerable Moon do it. Just promise him a method to remove the final seal on him. Get him to show himself, even if you have to lie. If it fails, so be it."

Would that be a tempting offer for him? If not even such an offer could make him show himself...well, it would explain a lot of things.

"While you're at it, release some information to Hundred Battle as well. Tell him about the many human experts found in the Dao Origin Land, including Riversea Marquis and the others."

Su Yu said, "This is my final task for you before my departure. You're a smart guy. I hope there won't be any complications."

"Don't worry." At this point, Great Bamboo Marquis could already guess what Su Yu was thinking. He solemnly promised, "I'll get all of that done. Hundred Battle will definitely receive the message. It doesn't matter even if we have to reveal that we know more than it seems. As long as we don't expose our direct connection to you, the myriad races won't do anything to us. At worst, I can get March to enter the Chaos Mountain and shout loudly. That's the most straightforward method I can think of."

"Thank you!"

"There is no need for gratitude. I'm only doing what I should do."

With another smile, Su Yu vanished with a flicker.

After Su Yu's departure, Great Bamboo Marquis started pacing around with a heavy expression.

Defeat, disappearance, withdrawal...

Was this a good thing or a bad thing? He had no idea. But he knew that Su Yu was no pushover. And he seemed to have been provoked by something.

"April."

Shortly after, April arrived.

"Go. Contact March and tell him to return as soon as possible."

"But my father is still sweeping through the Upper Realm..."

"Tell him to put that aside for now." Great Bamboo Marquis said, "I'll hand you a letter. Hand it to March personally. Do it promptly. I want to see March return as soon as possible."

"Okay."

Noticing how serious Great Bamboo Marquis was, April did not dare to waste any time and left right after receiving the letter from Great Bamboo Marquis.

***

Inner region of the Chaos Mountain.

After visiting the iron devourers and a few other places to lay down some contingencies, Su Yu returned to the inner region. This time, they might avoid the Buried Soul Mountain and take a different route down to the Lower Realm.

He had to make more preparations for his coming withdrawal. Right after he returned, a deafening roar rang out in the air.

"Hundred Battle!"

"I am March!"

"The Myriad Race Assembly is willing to cooperate with you against our shared enemies! Cease your pursuit of Yue Luo! It might be a trap! Return! The Myriad Race Assembly is willing to help with the removal of your seal! I am willing to swear on my life and my race that we will help with your seal."

"Hundred Battle, let's work together. Humanity and the myriad races can settle scores with each other after dealing with the chaos lineage."

The roars rang out repeatedly, causing the myriad daos to tremble alongside them. In response, the various ancient beasts in the Chaos Mountain started roaring as well. March's voice continued spreading through the Chaos Mountain.

"Hundred Battle! Cease your pursuit! A trap is waiting for you!"

"Join hands with us! It is better than fighting alone!"

"If revenge is what you want, you need to exterminate the chaos lineage first!"

"I believe the Torchbearers are willing to help with your seal as well. If anyone from the Torchbearers is listening to this, do contact us promptly!"

The roars of March and the ancient beasts reverberated throughout the Chaos Mountain.

From how his voice was spreading, Su Yu judged that March had gone rather deep into the Chaos Mountain before shouting all that.

How brazen.

As the myriad daos trembled, the entire Chaos Mountain started rejecting March as a storm of chaos qi converged around him.

***

Inside the cave.

Su Yu listened in silence. March had done as told. Could Hundred Battle King hear that?

Yes.

Su Yu was certain about that. If Hundred Battle King remained hidden after hearing all that...it would signify that something was truly suspicious about his defeat in the ninth epoch. It was likely that instead of fighting Yue Luo, he was enjoying the show somewhere with his lover, Yue Luo.

The others in the cave heard the roars as well, and all of them had odd expressions as they listened.

Stable Army Marquis inhaled deeply and asked, "Joining hands with Hundred Battle King? That is indeed a good idea. But are the myriad races really capable of removing his final seal?"

Su Yu said, "Why not? It's not completely hopeless. Control King's lineage might be very good at sealing, but the myriad races aren't pushovers either. They definitely have their own specialists. But if Hundred Battle doesn't even dare to show himself, well, so be it."

Su Yu laughed and said, "Then again, I reckon the myriad races won't be bothered to kill him, considering his intelligence."

Su Yu sneered and continued, "Just listen to all those rumors about him. He's a fool. He's brainless. If he's really willing to help them with the chaos lineage, it is very likely that they will help with his seal."

Lan Tian smiled and said, "That might not happen. Hundred Battle might be wary of the myriad races and decide to keep acting alone regardless of what they're saying."

Su Yu said, "True. Since he's so brainless, he should not be able to think too much about this. He will merely assume that the myriad races are trying to fool him. How did someone so brainless reach such a high level of cultivation? The heavens must be blind."

Hearing that, Snow Orchid General and the others frowned. She said, "Human Lord Su, I have never experienced Hundred Battle King's era. However, you don't need to belittle him all the time to make yourself look better. No matter what, he is a human lord as well. He is a super expert of the human race."

Su Yu chuckled and said, "Am I doing something like that? Can't I call him stupid if he's really stupid? At this point, his stupidity is already public knowledge. You are free to ask around if you doubt me..."

Su Yu looked at Cloud Water Marquis and said, "Cloud Water Marquis is soft spoken and fair. Cloud Water Marquis, tell them. Is Hundred Battle stupid?"

Cloud Water Marquis had an awkward expression. After a short silence, she said, "Hundred Battle King is slightly rash. It won't be appropriate for me to say more about him."

Su Yu laughed. "Did you hear that?"

Su Yu looked at Shadow Marquis and said, "Shadow, is Hundred Battle stupid?"

Shadow Marquis said, "Uhm...Emperor Yu, it's not appropriate for us to speak of human lords like this."

Su Yu nodded. "True. So be it. But it is now clear that everyone is aware of his stupidity. Snow Orchid General, don't waste your time on him."

Those speaking for Hundred Battle King might not necessarily be an enemy. But Su Yu was unsure if Snow Orchid General knew more than she was letting on. At the same time, those not speaking for Hundred Battle King might not necessarily be a friend. Perhaps they were deliberately saying those words for whatever plan they were scheming.

Su Yu did not harp on the topic. He said, "Alright, let's stop wasting time. Great Ming King, are you done with the formations?"

Prior to this, eighteen of them had ascended to the Upper Realm. Then, September rejoined the group. Including Snow Orchid General and the recently rescued humans, there were twenty-three of them in the group.

Xia Longwu and the others did not count as they were still being kept in the Mark of Civilization. Su Yu did not intend to release Qi Rong either.

Of the twenty-three, eight were heavenly kings, nine were tier-two Daofuses, four were tier-three Daofuses, and two were tier-four Daofuses, which were September and Heavendoom.

Great Ming King answered, "I was only able to forge eight sets of formations with two ancient beast corpses. Coupled with the eight I made previously, we only have sixteen. We need six more."

Su Yu laughed and said, "It's fine. We can loot more from their corpses. Kill seven and we will have seven more. For now, Lan Tian and I won't be needing these formations. We only need to get five more. In any case, these formations will be moot the moment the battle starts. At worst, we will attract some furious ancient beasts. But those from Control King's lineage will be dragged into the same mess. There is nothing for us to fear."

Great Ming King laughed and said, "Since you think it's fine, we're done with this part of our preparations. I have nothing else to make."