And thus, Xia Huyou started contacting the various parties.

From Zhu Family, he contacted Zhu Guangshen, who was Zhu Tiandao's eldest son.

From Qin Family, he contacted Qin Hao, the famous Qin number two.

He also contacted those from Great Tang, Great Han, and oher prefectures.

He hoped that these experts would leave someone behind, someone to keep protecting their homes. Nobody knew the future. The ones to stay behind would be faced with an uncertain future.

But he had no regrets.

It was their duty to remain. They must, for the sake of the people who had followed them for hundreds of years.

***

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

The migrating parties were growing bigger and bigger.

The number of people willing to migrate was far higher than expected. One ought to know that this was already a reduced number after the authorities tried to placate the worried masses.

In the Human Realm, the ones willing to migrate were all gathering at the Starfall Mountain. Those willing to migrate were arriving one after another from the various prefectures under the escort of the military. There, they would be sent out in batches.

Starfall Mountain.

The experts, founders, and prefects of the various prefectures were arriving one after another as well.

Su Yu would be here to take those willing to go with him soon. The Starfall Mountain was filled with people. Everyone was anxious about the uncertain future.

***

Around the same time, Su Yu arrived at the Human Realm.

He looked slightly exhausted. It had been half a month. The people of the Human Realm should have made their choice by now. But the moment he stepped into the Human Realm, he blanked out upon sensing the massive crowd gathered at the Starfall Mountain.

He could sense the presence of between thirty to fifty million people. Why were there so many of them?

Sure, this was still a small percentage of the overall human population in the Human Realm, but this was still a large number considering he was going to the Death Realm, not on a vacation. He had warned that ordinary people shouldn't follow, or those below the Skysoar Realm in specific. He was certain there were no thirty million Skysoars in the human race.

Su Yu frowned. There were too many people. Of course, there was enough space in the Celestial Chasm Realm to fit all these people. In fact, there was enough space to fit even ten times the number. But...they were going to be leaving their homes behind. What were they thinking?

Su Yu couldn't understand. He was left quite speechless. Looking at Great Han King, he asked, "Just how many people have gathered here?"

Great Han King shook his head. He didn't know as well.

To the side, Zhu Tiandao smiled and said, "About fifty million people in total."

"That's too many."

Su Yu was completely speechless.

Zhu Tiandao said, "Everyone believes in you, Emperor Yu. Thus, a large number of people insisted on following. They wouldn't change their mind despite our persuasion. In fact, this is already a lowered number due to our constant persuasion. The number would have been much higher otherwise."

Su Yu frowned in silence. This number was already comparable to the total population in the Upper Realm. He did not say more. Before long, the group landed on the Starfall Mountain. The outer range of the mountain was currently surrounded by the military.

In fact, at least ten million people from the military were also joining the migration. One could say that almost all the elite human armies had joined the migration.

***

"We greet His Majesty, Emperor Yu."

The moment Su Yu revealed himself, the gathered people shouted their greeting, their voices spreading far and wide.

Su Yu had a slight frown, but he did not let it show that he was troubled by what he was seeing. There were too many of them. He didn't want to take so many people out of the Human Realm. Many of them were the old and the young. Why were these people joining him as well?

Sure, he would ensure that the Celestial Chasm Realm would remain free from the erosion of death qi, but nobody could guarantee anything. Could these ordinary people really survive in the new environment?

They were making things difficult for themselves. The gathered crowd was organized according to the prefectures they came from, and he could see that there were people from all thirty-six prefectures among them.

So be it.

Since they were already here, he might as well take them all with him.

Su Yu looked around. Those he expected to follow him were here, but even those he didn't expect to follow him were here as well. How odd. Did they all change their mind?

Since he had a lot more things to handle, he went straight to the point and said, "Maintain order and stay calm. I'll first take everyone into my weapon. You will be released when we're at our destination."

Then, the Mark of Civilization appeared. Numerous pages floated out, and numerous gates appeared before these pages. Over a thousand pages scattered amid the crowd.

Su Yu said, "Enter in an orderly fashion. Do not push. There is enough space for everyone. Since you're willing to come with me, I won't treat anyone unfairly."

Just as he was spouting some empty yet encouraging words, someone called out.

"Emperor Yu!"

Su Yu looked over. It was Great Shang King.

Su Yu frowned slightly. Was he trying to cause trouble? He was free to stay if he was unwilling to leave.

Su Yu did not have a good opinion of Great Shang King. He still remembered his previous conflict with a descendant of the Shang Family.

Great Shang King ignored Su Yu's expression and said, "Your Majesty, I have a question. I hope you can alleviate this doubt of mine."

Su Yu asked, "What is your question?"

"When can we return again?"

Su Yu said, "The future is uncertain."

"No." Great Shang King spoke loudly, "This is not the type of answer I want to hear. I believe this isn't what our citizens want to hear as well. The fifty million people here, and the hundreds of millions of people left behind, all of them are not interested in hearing such a perfunctory answer. We only want to know if you intend to return.

"We want to know your thoughts. Your plan. Have you given up on the human race? Or are you still with us? If you have yet to give up on us, we are willing to follow you regardless of how difficult the path ahead is.

"Hundred Battle King is not a human of this epoch. Nobody knows what he's thinking. We only know that Emperor Yu is a human born in Great Xia, someone whose rise we had witnessed with our own eyes.

"And now, you're migrating to the Death Realm. We are willing to continue following you, but we need a clear answer. Do you intend to return? Do you want to return in the future? To this home of ours? A foreign land can be the most perfect of lands, but home will always be better. We hope that when the end arrives for us, we will be buried here, not in some foreign land.

"I only want to ask if you're planning on coming back. Even if we have to wait for a hundred years or ten thousand years, we are willing to follow you so long as you intend to return. If you don't intend to ever return, allow us to stay and die in our home."

Su Yu spoke heavily, "Hundred Battle is a human as well..."

"No." Great Shang King continued speaking loudly, "He might be a human, but he is not a human we know. He is Hundred Battle King, a human from six thousand years ago. Are you really betting the fate of the ordinary people on someone from six thousand years ago? Do you really believe they're willing to fight in the Eastrift Valley until their last man?

"The moment things start going badly, what will they do? Abandoning humanity as he did six thousand years ago. Would they really bleed for humanity? Answer me! Would they?"

Su Yu said nothing.

Great Shang King continued, "If you're not planning to return and you wish to abandon this burden to free yourself, we shall grant you this freedom. We can pick a new human lord. Or we can follow Hundred Battle King. But he will never win our hearts. We will never truly acknowledge him as the human lord. I am an untalented one. If nobody else is willing to become the new human lord, I shall volunteer as one!"

He recommended himself as the next human lord. He wasn't doing this to snatch power. He only wanted to tell Su Yu that they wouldn't follow if Su Yu didn't plan on returning.

Su Yu said nothing. He merely looked at the countless expectant eyes. He could see the longing in all those eyes. They wanted to return one day.

Suddenly, all the soldiers knelt down. A peak Sunmoon soared into the sky and roared, "Emperor Yu, I am Wu Ji. If you're unwilling to return, we will stay and keep fighting for humanity. We are humans. We have launched a conquest of the Myriad Realms. Would Hundred Battle King continue the campaign upon returning? Or would he choose to lay low?

"There is a deep grudge between us and the myriad races. What would the myriad races do when Hundred Battle King leaves humanity again? Over four hundred years ago, the myriad races invaded. Humanity paid a price of blood to expel them. We don't want to see the same history repeating itself. Your Majesty, would you return?"

"Would you return?"

Numerous people roared.

Would he return?

If he wasn't returning, they wouldn't leave.

This was their homeland.

Su Yu looked around, feeling at a loss. Would he return? He had opted to leave to let go of this burden. He thought that having these people would be enough. He did not lack resources. As long as they followed him, he wouldn't mistreat them. But everyone was asking if he would return.

After a long silence, Su Yu spoke softly, "I am not taking everything straight to the Death Realm. We're going to the Celestial Chasm Realm. A modified Celestial Chasm Realm will be similar to the Human Realm. We won't be living side-by-side with the death spirits."

"Even so, that won't be our home!" Great Shang King said, "Back then, we could have moved to a different realm with our own people as well! But we didn't! We persisted for over four hundred years here, regardless of the danger!

"We were born and raised here! We fight for our homeland! We fight for humanity! For generations, we have been living here. Our roots are here!

"Since time immemorial, no race has ever met a good ending after abandoning their homeland. Without our roots, without our homeland, without a sense of glory and belonging, would we remain humans many years in the future? Would we become the next celestial chasm race?

"That is not what we want. If you believe that I'm causing trouble...no, I am indeed causing trouble! I only want to ask if you have given up on this homeland?"

Su Yu had no way to answer. He wanted to slap this person away for asking him such a difficult question. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. His expression changed repeatedly.

Right at that moment, Xia Huyou soared into the sky.

Looking at Su Yu with a complicated expression, he said, "Xia Huyou of Great Xia will be staying in Great Xia. We will protect the foundation of our emperor. Hundred Battle King might be strong, but he is not our emperor. A human from six thousand years ago can serve as a general, an official, a vanguard, a respected guest, but not a master!"

"We are willing to remain and protect the foundation of humanity!"

Numerous experts soared into the sky and roared. They were willing to remain and protect their foundation. Even if it would be dangerous. Even if there was a risk that they would be purged.

Su Yu sank into silence.

Beside him, Zhu Tiandao's expression changed repeatedly. To the other side, Great Han King had a complicated expression as well. He said, "What nonsense is this? Great Shang King, what are you trying to do?"

"I'm not trying anything!" Great Shang King replied, "We're only asking for an answer. Even...even if Emperor Yu lies to us, we are willing to wait. A thousand years, or ten thousand years, we are willing to wait!

"We don't want to give up just like this! We have fought so hard to protect the human race. Are we supposed to hand over what we have been protecting for over four hundred years just because he's coming back? Where were they four hundred years ago? Where were they when my comrades died in battles all those years ago? And now, he's coming back to take everything. Is a human from six thousand years ago the same as the current human race?

"They have no friends and family here! They are merely visitors! They have nothing to protect and serve! The ninth epoch is too far away from the tenth epoch!

"The previous nine epochs were different. All these epochs were continuations of the previous epoch. A large number of ancient experts were around to maintain the old system in the previous epochs. The previous nine epochs are basically a single entity. They had maintained the same legacy, with only the human lords changing over the nine epochs. Everything else had remained the same!

"But what about us? Are we the same? No! Why lie to yourself, Your Majesty? We are not the same. For them, we're basically an entirely different race. Perhaps Hundred Battle King views all humans as his people. He was known for his love for his fellow humans. But his fellow humans were the ones from six thousand years ago! The ones who had fought alongside him!

"His teachers, his students, his brothers, his lover, his comrades, his family, they were all among them. But what is the current human race for him? He has nobody among the current human race!"

Great Shang King roared with agitation.