Chapter 1154: If There Is No Su Yu (1)
Wan Tiansheng was still in disbelief. Then again, with how much Su Yu was investing in this plan, what was the point in lying about this? Thus, it was likely that Su Yu had indeed never been to a ruin before.
Wan Tiansheng shook his head helplessly.
Whatever.
It did not matter anymore.
He continued working on the fake ruin. But the more he looked at the fake ruin, the more tempted he became to rob it.
Sigh. How rich. Two carrier treasures...no, three, to be precise.
Among the myriad races, numerous Sunmoons had spilled their blood just to obtain even one carrier treasure. With the investment of multiple carrier treasures, this fake ruin would essentially be a real ruin, with the only difference being the lack of ability to hide one's dao affirmation.
But that was not something one would be able to notice before actually attempting to affirm one's dao in the fake ruin.
While Wan Tiansheng was working on the fake ruin, Su Yu was still busy conversing through his mask. At the moment, he was busy cursing as he said, "Enforcer White One, why are you so patient with those dogs? Just tell them to hand order their intelligence network and the list of their spies. We don't need them serving as the intermediary. We want direct control."
"They're refusing..."
"So be it. Who the fuck do they think they are? Enforcer White One, I believe we need to establish our dominance through force in the Human Realm. To speak the truth, we do clash with the cult in some of the services we provide. If they're not tactful enough, we'll simply wipe them out. After all, they also provide information peddling and assassination services. They are practically our competitors. If we can't swallow them up, we should simply eliminate them."
Takeover or destruction. This was the style a transnational company like them should assume. This was how they were supposed to preserve their market dominance. Just look at what the marquis had been doing before this. He had monopolized Great Xia's market, earning massive profits with his Xia Trade Company.
"They are too secretive and they have their own experts as well. It won't be that easy to wipe them out..."
"We only need to kill some of them to establish our dominance. We can't really kill them all. The rest can remain as our employees. If those people remain stubborn, we will kill until they concede."
Su Yu was getting impatient. White One was a fool. He didn't even feel like talking to White One anymore. Did he need to teach White One something so simple? He was no expert businessman, but he had learned a lot from example. During his time in Great Xia, he had learned nothing except haggling, scamming, and forgetting his sense of shame.
If they could afford to provoke the opponent, they should definitely provoke that opponent. If they couldn't afford to provoke the opponent, they should avoid doing so. In short, they should bully the weak and fear the strong. How did White One grow to such a level without understanding something so basic?
Left with no choice, White One could only say, "Profound Nine, let's do it this way. I'll connect you with the eighth elder. You can liaise with him directly."
A promotion!
Yes, he still wasn't an elder. But his status had risen yet again! In the past, he had to communicate with the eighth elder through White One. Now, he could do it directly. An enforcer elder could be considered a big shot in the pavilion. Someone standing at the top of the organization.
As a Pseudo Invincible, he was as strong as some of the stronger prefects. Su Yu's status in the pavilion had increased rapidly. In the pavilion, only the department heads ranked above the enforcer elder.
Su Yu even started getting nervous, but soon, he calmed down. This was no big deal. He was no country bumpkin. He had met plenty of big shots, including actual Invincibles. Pseudo Invincible? The old man beside him was also a Pseudo Invincible capable of killing Invincibles. If he didn't fear even Old Wan, was there a need to fear the enforcer elder who wasn't even by his side?
Meanwhile, Wan Tiansheng glanced at Su Yu. He suddenly had a feeling the kid was badmouthing him. Whatever. He decided to be generous and let the kid off this time. Perhaps the kid had suddenly remembered that he had yet to stamp his seal on the kid's receipt.
When Su Yu demanded his stamp earlier, he had distracted the kid by crushing the carrier treasure. This massive debt was better left for Great Xia. He was too poor for this. He reckoned he wouldn't be able to afford this debt even if he sold his own life.
***
Su Yu was naturally not thinking about that. Before long, he found himself connected to a new frequency.
"Profound Nine, a white mask of the Profound Department, greets the enforcer elder."
Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. Human Realm's branch.
The eighth elder replied, "There is no need for any pleasantries. Profound Nine, according to White One, you wish to eliminate the Myriad Race Cult? You need to understand that the cult was established by the myriad races. When you hit a pet, you have to take the master into consideration as well."
Su Yu gave a simple reply, "We can hit the master as well. Elder, what is the motto of our pavilion? Do we need to fear the myriad races? Have we never killed any of them before? As long as we're paid, we will accept any mission. All sorts of services are available. Do the myriad races not hate us? Of course they do. If possible, they won't hesitate to eliminate all of us.
"But why are we still around? Not because we fear them. Not because we're their dogs. Rather, we're still around because they need us. Not long ago, when our headquarters was exposed due to Su Yu, what did the myriad races do? Elder, do you really believe that they will show mercy if they find our headquarters? We don't fear anyone because we're too hard to detect. We're fearless. We run the biggest intelligence network among the myriad races. That's not because we're the strongest. We're not around because we have been polite toward them. We're not around because they have decided to spare us.
"How many of our white masks and even elders have perished in their hands due to their traps? They will never hesitate when an opportunity arises to kill us. Eighth Elder, allow me to be frank. Your indecision is quite suspicious. If not for your high status, I might even suspect that you have long been corrupted by the myriad races. We are still around not because we fear there. We are around because of what we can do. Because they still need our services!"
Su Yu even took the chance to berate the elder slightly.
Naturally, the elder was slightly displeased. But upon thinking about it, he decided to let it go. This up-and-coming youngster was right. There was a limit to their patience.
"Are you interested to leave the Profound Department and join the Enforcement Unit?"
"No. The Enforcement Unit is too unrealistic. Due to a lack of contact with the myriad races, its members are too stiff in the way they operate. I'm sick of White One's rigidity when doing things. He has to report everything before making a decision. Things can change at any time out in the field. It is impractical to wait for further orders before doing anything."
The eighth elder thought about it and nodded in agreement. Perhaps it was true that this was not the type of task suitable for the Enforcement Unit. Their people were more suited for internal affairs or even assassination missions, but not something that required flexibility.
"There is some sense to your words. I'll assign more authority to you. In Great Xia, you can contact all white masks directly. They will all act under your command. Profound Nine, the pavilion only has some simple requirements. Control over the flow of information, chaos, and profit."
The elder asked, "Can you do this? The Great Xia branch has suffered massive losses so far. Your branch has accepted a lot of missions recently, but those missions are not enough to compensate for our previous losses there."
Su Yu smiled and said, "You need to first invest before making a profit. If you're unwilling to invest, how can you make a truly large profit?"
"Sure. From now on, you will be the chief commander for all our operations in Great Xia. Everyone, including White One, will be put under your command. Maximize the profit we can gain from the Human Realm."
"No problem." Su Yu agreed easily. He said, "I'm in the middle of verifying the authenticity of the ruin. This information alone is enough to make us a huge profit."
"Are you in Nanyuan?"
"Yes."
Su Yu answered with zero hesitation. They could claim that they couldn't see him in Nanyuan, but he could also claim that they were simply too incapable. That was why they couldn't even detect him. It was up to them to believe him or not.
After a slight hesitation, the eighth elder contacted First Profound and asked, "First Profound, stop what you're doing. Head to Great Xia and assist Profound Nine in secret. Keep me updated at all times."
"Sure."
First Profound agreed easily. Him? Helping Profound Nine? Was that even necessary? The kid was already doing well enough. If they helped him more, he might even find the chance to sell them all off.
Chapter 1155: If There Is No Su Yu (2)
Heart Cultivating Pavilion.
After ending the conversation, Su Yu stood up and asked, "Principal, are you done? I need to go. I'm now the shot-caller of the pavilion in Great Xia. I'm very busy, you know."
The damn brat was showing off. Wan Tiansheng was rendered speechless. He couldn't help but wonder if the pavilion was filled with idiots. How did the kid get promoted into a shot-caller?
"Weren't you already a shot-caller? Did you get promoted again?"
"Yes. From now on, I can directly order all the white masks within Great Xia around."
Fine. He had indeed grown into a little overlord. Sure enough, this kid would do well wherever he went.
"The ruin will be ready soon. Are you going to Nanyuan now? I'll be there later to stuff this fake ruin into a spatial crack in Nanyuan. If you're going as well, I can give you a lift."
Su Yu offered his praise, "Sure. Principal, you sure are amazing. You're actually able to rip space apart and stuff something inside the crack."
Wan Tiansheng did not respond to that. He thought for a bit and looked at the fake ruin before saying, "Let's give it a name. Normally, each ruin comes with a name as well. The Luminous Domain Mansion is one such example."
After some hesitation, Su Yu said, "The pavilion is in possession of some ancient records. Assigning it a name might expose it easily. This is troublesome."
After giving it more thought, "Why is the Luminous Domain Mansion called Luminous Domain? Where did that name come from?"
"According to the rumors, that was the name of the ancient Human Emperor. Emperor Xing Yu(Luminous Domain)."
Wan Tiansheng replied, "But that's only a rumor. We don't know for sure. The name of an Emperor is not something you can mention casually. And with the abrupt destruction of the ancient era, nobody can verify that information."
Su Yu nodded. What a pity. Wouldn't it be nice if he named this fake ruin Su Yu Mansion just like how the Human Emperor's mansion was named after him? How domineering would that be?
"Forget about that. Let's place the Character Technique Stele inside first..."
Su Yu was in no rush. He said, "Principal, this stele is also an ancient inheritance. I'll try to drag some of the character techniques inside out and disguise it as an ancient multiple character treasure."
"There is no need for that."
Looking at the Character Technique Stele, he said, "This thing is already an ancient treasure. It can actually change its form as it wishes. This thing...sigh. If we can retrieve it after this, be sure to take good care of it. This is the true root of the multiple character faction. With this thing around, the multiple character faction will never stop existing."
He shook his head and said, "The myriad races have always wanted to destroy this stele. But they did not have the courage to actually charge into Great Xia to do it. This stele was also one of the reasons they had been so aggressive against you. As long as they could destroy this stele, they would destroy the multiple character faction."
Su Yu nodded. He knew that very well. There were countless character techniques inside the stele, waiting to be inherited. To speak the truth, this stele combined with the disassembly method would allow almost everyone to become a multiple character cultivator. As long as this stele stood, the multiple character faction would continue existing.
Wan Tiansheng was not supportive of placing this stele in the fake ruin. But after thinking about it, he decided to let it be. When one died, everything would be over. If all of them ended up dead, this would no longer matter.
Before long, the stele was placed inside the fake ruin. After thinking for a bit, Wan Tiansheng threw a punch at the stele. Next, a River of Time appeared and washed over the stele as well. After a while, the stele started shining. Several characters with the same style as the characters above the main gate of each ancient city appeared on its surface.
"Culture Tomb."
Wan Tiansheng was not surprised to see those characters. As for Su Yu, he was completely stunned. The stele had actually changed! It was no longer a pitch-black stele. It had turned white, with some decorative symbols on it and two massive characters.
Culture Tomb.
Su Yu looked at Wan Tiansheng in shock. With a calm expression, Wan Tiansheng explained, "This is its real name. Culture Tomb. Perhaps it is the tomb of cultural researchers. Or perhaps it is the tomb of culture. Principal Xia Chen was the one who had found this stele back then. He found the name inauspicious so he altered its appearance. Very few people still remember its name. Everyone calls it the Character Technique Stele."
"Maybe this tomb is a remembrance of the ancient cultural researchers who had left their legacy behind."
Wan Tiansheng sighed, "Culture Tomb...This thing is far more valuable than these carrier treasures. I did not expect Chen Yong to actually hand it to you."
Su Yu stared at the stele for a long while before speaking with hesitation, "If I lost this...my martial uncle will probably die from sheer anger, right?"
"It's fine. That will probably only happen when all of us are dead. And our deaths might actually allow the multiple character faction to continue existing in peace. Who knows?"
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Since the Culture Tomb is here, let's call this ruin the Culture Mansion." Thıs content belongs to novel(ꜰ)ire.net
"Hmm?"
Su Yu blinked. Listening to that name, he thought of a bizarre possibility. Was the golden book in his sea of willpower a character? If that was the case, did the book come out of an ancient ruin as well?
After all, it was perfectly logical for a character to appear from the residence of an ancient cultural researcher, right?
In a somewhat absent-minded manner, he nodded and said, "Sure. Let's call it that. The mansion of culture. The burial ground of culture. The legacy of culture. This shall be the purpose of this ruin."
With the addition of that stele, that was indeed a fitting name for this ruin.
"Principal, did the first principal discover this stele in an ancient ruin as well?"
"Yes." Wan Tiansheng answered, "That was an Invincible ruin as well. But apart from this stele, there was nothing in it. That was why Xia Chen wasn't able to affirm his dao. But every single parameter of that ruin fit the parameters of an Invincible ruin. Su Yu, it would be in your best interest to not lose this ruin. It might be able to serve as your carrier treasure in the future."
"Huh?"
"You're very strong. When you're a ninth-stage Sunmoon, your strength might reach a terrifying level. At that time, your tri-life bodies will be incredibly strong as well. Not any treasure will be durable enough for your tri-life bodies. This Culture Tomb should be strong enough for that. In fact, I don't even know if I can actually damage it. Just look at its state even after being submerged in the River of Time.
"You can also take this chance to test the pavilion and ask them if they know about something called Culture Tomb. It won't be too convenient for us to ask that question. We also can't ask that question. It is too dangerous. Thus, we've never been able to investigate more about the history behind this stele. But that won't be an issue for Profound Nine."
Su Yu nodded solemnly, "I understand."
This thing seemed to be very important and valuable. According to Wan Tiansheng, it could even be used as a carrier treasure. Once again, Su Yu thought of the golden book. If this stele could serve as a carrier treasure, what about the golden book?
If it could, would using such absolute treasures as his carrier treasures grant him a massive boost of strength? When everything was done, Wan Tiansheng stood outside the entrance of the ruin and carved a character there: Culture.
The character shone brightly. Then, Wan Tiansheng proceeded to wash the character over with the River of Time to give it an aged appearance.
Meanwhile, Su Yu stared at the character in a daze. Inside his sea of willpower, a new character slowly took form.
Culture.
Culture for cultural researcher.
Culture for Culture Tomb.
It was not a human character. Rather, it came in the same language as the characters used in ancient cities. To be precise, it was an ancient character. He had finally formed a character of that language.
Su Yu's jaw dropped. Why did it work this time?
Beside him, Wan Tiansheng resisted the urge to have his jaw drop as well. Inwardly, he was cursing madly. Holy shit! Just by staring at a random character he wrote, the kid was able to form a character? What was wrong with this kid?
Su Yu blinked as he thought of the number of characters he had formed thus far. This was his twenty-seventh character after excluding the one he had crushed previously.
"Culture?"
Su Yu felt quite doubtful. What could this character do? This was a character he had formed after reading Wan Tiansheng's writing. For some reason, this character felt a lot more unique than the characters he had formed after reading the writings of the human Invincibles.
Perhaps those Invincibles had written those notes in a casual manner while Wan Tiansheng had been very serious when writing this character. The character finished its formation as a peak second-tier character. Su Yu even had a feeling that it only needed a tiny push to become a third-tier character.
"Culture..."
This was his first non-human character. He couldn't resist asking, "Principal, what language is this?"
"Willpower."
"I know it's a willpower text. I'm asking about the language used."
Wan Tiansheng replied, "Willpower. That is the language. The language of cultural researchers. Regardless of race, the characters of each language are written for communication and learning. Not everyone can become a cultural researcher. As for these characters, they were the characters of the common writing system used by the ancient experts. The willpower script. You will be able to read them as long as you have some mastery over your willpower. This is the truest form of willpower texts. The willpower texts used nowadays are split into so many languages, but they are merely the continuation of the original willpower texts. Do you understand now?"
Understanding dawned on Su Yu. He felt like his horizons had been broadened yet again.
"Is this script used by all the ancient experts? In that case, why do human characters and the other characters reject each other?"
Wan Tiansheng explained, "The characters used by the various races today are the continuation of the original script, molded in a way that is more suitable for each individual race. To simplify this further, these ancient characters can be considered the ancient common language. Don't you know a breathing technique? You can consider this something similar. It is usable by all races."
Further understanding dawned on Su Yu.
Understood! Each of the writing systems used nowadays was only suitable for one race. For example, Su Yu himself felt that human characters were powerful. But that might not be the case for someone who was not a human.
In short, the ancient script was basically a neutral script. It could fit anyone well regardless of race.
As Su Yu started diving deeper into his newly formed character, he frowned slightly. The character looked impressive, but it felt so ordinary.
He manifested it directly and asked doubtfully, "Principal, why is it not showing any special ability whatsoever? This character feels like a piece of trash."
Wan Tiansheng glanced at the character and sighed, "It is slightly similar to an ability of mine. Who are you calling a piece of trash?"
"Your ability?"
Realization dawned on Su Yu. Right, a character formed through a willpower text would also be influenced by the origin of the willpower text. So what was the principal good at?
Su Yu couldn't think of anything special about the principal. Right, the principal could casually open the River of Time at any time. Was that considered a special ability? Why did he feel like Great Zhou King's characters were a lot more practical?
For example, the calm character was incredibly useful. It was one of Su Yu's favorite characters. It had already reached the fourth tier. Perhaps it might even grow into his first Sunmoon character. But it was still too early to worry about that.
Chapter 1156: If There Is No Su Yu (3)
After taking another look at the character, Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Yes, it shares a small part of an ability I have. Don't you have a fire of inheritance? Try to force the two characters to fuse before activating them again."
Su Yu blanked out. Forcefully fusing them? He had actually tried something like that before, but he had eventually stopped as that could easily destroy the characters involved. He considered it slightly and fused the character with his fire character.
Abruptly, there was an explosion of light. At that moment, Su Yu felt like his mind had become incomparably clear. It was as though no problem was too difficult for him to solve anymore.
At any given moment, his mind was giving birth to numerous thoughts. Those thoughts would remain for an instant before disappearing, replaced by more thoughts. In his unique state, Su Yu's comprehension of willpower deepened. Every single one of his characters also became much purer than before.
The seal character he had formed not long ago suddenly increased in tier as Su Yu seemed to have grasped the truth behind the concept of sealing. But this state did not last for long. Soon, he woke up from his reverie.
But he was still confused.
He looked at Wan Tiansheng questioningly. So what...could he do with this character?c
Enhancement?
Wan Tiansheng provided a clue, "It is a culture character. Culture and cultural researcher. It is related to intelligence."
Su Yu blinked and asked again, "So it can make me smarter?"
"No." Wan Tiansheng further explained, "Nothing is capable of making someone smarter. That can only be achieved by learning and experiencing more."
In that case, what even was the point of his previous explanation?
Finally, Wan Tiansheng gave an answer, "As you said, it can strengthen your characters. When comparing two individuals of similar strength to each other, the person with a higher level of intelligence will naturally be better at utilizing that level of strength. That is the power of intelligence."
Su Yu was left completely speechless. So that was how it was related to intelligence?
"So basically it's a character booster?"
"Yes."
Understood!
Su Yu had a new idea as two different characters fused before vanishing.
Wan Tiansheng reached out and plucked the hidden character from thin air and smiled, "You're still too lacking to test me. But this is already a very high level of concealment."
Su Yu had used the deceit and culture characters this time. For some reason, that culture character seemed to be capable of fusing with any character without much trouble. And it was also true that the deceit character felt even more deceitful after fusing with the culture character.
Su Yu did not mind that his attempt was caught. He withdrew his characters, thought for a bit, and fused the culture and lightning characters instead.
Rumble!
The prowess of the lightning character surged. It was already a fourth-tier character. In truth, Su Yu's sea of willpower had actually reached the standards of a Mountainsea.
He could feel a considerable level of growth in his lightning power. Or to be precise, the character had increased by about twenty percent, nearly reaching the level of a middle-stage Mountainsea. One ought to remember that the culture character was only a peak second-tier character.
Su Yu was completely stunned. He looked at Wan Tiansheng blankly. Old Wan claimed that this was similar to an ability of his. What did that mean?
Old Wan was...capable of enhancing himself? Was that his special ability? Was that why back then, his tri-life body was capable of fighting and killing an Invincible? Was that the case?
Wan Tiansheng said, "What are you looking at? How am I supposed to expect that you can form a character out of something I wrote casually? How odd. I have written a lot of willpower texts over the years, but barely anyone has been able to comprehend any character out of them."
Su Yu swallowed and said, "Principal, can you strengthen your characters by an entire level?"
Or to be precise, the level mentioned here was more like an entire tier. Could Old Wan use his Sunmoon characters like they were Invincible characters? Wouldn't that be absolutely terrifying?
Comparatively, his culture character was still too weak since it was so new. But what would happen when it reached the fourth tier? How much of a boost could it give his characters?
Wan Tiansheng answered nonchalantly, "You'll know when you reach my level. Of course, our characters are still different. The character you form is not the exact same as my character. You can only say that it is similar to my character."
Su Yu nodded, "I understand that. For example, Great Zhou King's characters are probably different from mine. But they are also quite similar in abilities. His characters are probably a lot more deceitful and devious, to the point everyone will feel safe in their presence. But someone like him is the exact type of person who is the most dangerous to be around. They can stab you at any time and you won't even know it's happening. Am I right, Principal?"
"Yes." Wan Tiansheng nodded and smiled, "Great Zhou King...uhm...yes. He's very devious."
Inwardly, Old Wan added that Great Zhou King was exactly the same as this kid. Devious. And deceitful.
Meanwhile, Su Yu was thinking inwardly that both Old Wan and Great Zhou King were extremely good at hiding their strength. Great Zhou King...the number one human cultural researcher had maintained such a low profile that it was almost scary to imagine. If it wasn't for the fact that he held the prestigious title of the number one human cultural researcher, nobody would realize just how powerful he actually was.
"Principal, is it possible that he's the traitor? After all, he's so deceitful and devious. He can act without triggering one's sense of danger. Both you and the fifth principal were so strong back then. I believe the ambusher needs to be someone like Great Zhou King. What do you think?"
That was the main source of Su Yu's suspicion. Someone capable of ambushing Ye Batian and Old Wan was most definitely someone extremely good at concealment. And Great Zhou King seemed to specialize in this aspect.
Wan Tiansheng thought about it and said, "It's hard to say. Anything is possible. If I'm being perfectly honest, it is possible for even Great Xia King to be the traitor."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean by huh?" Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Before you know the truth, be ready to accept any possibility. After all, Ye Batian might be able to take over Great Xia upon a successful dao affirmation. Wouldn't that threaten Great Xia? Who knows? Also, nobody knows me and Ye Batian better than Great Xia King. Thus, he was in a great position to betray the two of us."
"That won't be possible." Su Yu argued, "How could it be Great Xia King? If it was him, he would have killed you long ago."
"Perhaps." Wan Tiansheng smiled, "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't trust anyone fully. And what you saw through me was what I showed you. What you saw might not be the truth. I showed you the death of Ye Batian through an ambush. But...why couldn't the ambusher be me? Think about it."
"..."
Su Yu blanked out. After a while, he mumbled, "Is there a need to be so paranoid?"
Wan Tiansheng repeated himself, "Anything is possible. You need to know that any expert who has fused with a tri-life body might experience a fundamental shift in personality. After fusing with a tri-life body, you will no longer be you. Or to be exact, you will no longer be your present self. The future you might take the dominant role in your personality. Or the dominant role might fall into the hands of the past you. If you were timid in the past and brave in the present, you might change into a timid person again. If you are reasonable now and overbearing in the future, you might instantly change into an overbearing person after fusion.
"The tri-life bodies do not come with any memory. But they might come with a different personality and influence you in an imperceptible manner. This is an issue many Invincibles need to take seriously. When you are no longer the present you, you might do something that you will come to regret or something that is completely inconsistent with who you are as a person.
"The traitor might be an Invincible you know well. In your mind, he is a loving and genial person. He is someone who has fought relentlessly for humanity. But parts of his personality have been altered by a tri-life body, resulting in him doing something you can't imagine him doing." Thɪs chapter is updated by novel⁂fire.net
Su Yu's expression turned solemn. But soon, his expression eased up again as he said, "I understand! Don't worry, Principal!"
What did the kid understand this time? Wan Tiansheng really wanted to ask this question. He had discovered that this kid could always comprehend something in an extremely unique way. At times, he would understand what you were trying to say in a completely different manner.
What did the kid understand this time?
Well, Su Yu had indeed comprehended something from this conversation. He had been enlightened about something.
In short, he only needed to keep one personality trait consistent. He had always been petty. Anyone provoking him would be beaten to death. He only needed to keep that up. With that, it would no longer matter whether his past, present, and future had the dominant role. He would remain the same. His pettiness would remain for eternity. Past, present, or future? They would all be petty.
The journey might change, but the destination would remain.
Su Yu thought that Old Wan was overthinking this. There was no need for this. His heart shall remain the same for eternity. To leave him alone was to be left alone. To provoke him was to be beaten to death. That was how it shall be.
If he remained true to himself, his past and future would not change him.
Su Yu started praising himself inwardly. Wow. He had actually grasped parts of the truth behind the path of cultivation. How amazing.
To remain true to oneself.
There shall only be one truth, just as there shall only be one self.
The moment he reached that conclusion, his willpower roiled. His willpower, that had been suppressed at the eighth stage of the Cloudbreach Realm, started surging. In the blink of an eye, it broke through into the ninth stage.
Su Yu hurriedly hammered it to keep it stable.
Inwardly, he praised himself even more. Sure enough, he had comprehended the truth. After grasping the essence of self, his willpower cultivation had even advanced as a nod to his new comprehension. This was the sign that he was right. He hurriedly compressed his willpower again, grumbling about how he kept on comprehending new truths nowadays.
How troublesome. He really couldn't help it. Just by breathing, he would comprehend new characters and advance his willpower through comprehension.
***
Beside him, Wan Tiansheng was completely dumbstruck.
Just what the fuck did the kid understand this time? What understanding did the kid reach that his willpower actually advanced? Was willpower advancement really so simple? Also, if the kid was so good at advancing, fine. But why was the kid madly compressing his willpower? Was the kid sure he could actually enter the Mountainsea Realm after this?
Was the kid trying to stay in the Cloudbreach Realm forever? Previously, when the kid proclaimed himself a super genius, Wan Tiansheng had thought that it was merely a joke. But...even Wan Tiansheng didn't know what to think anymore.
From a random word he said, the kid claimed to have comprehended something. And then...the kid had proven his comprehension by going through an advancement then and there. What...what the fuck was this? Had this kid really grown through sheer talent? Was there really no ruin involved?
But that was starting to seem more and more reasonable. Just look at how the kid had casually formed a new character and comprehended something related to cultivation. There were ancient records speaking of such supergeniuses during the ancient times. But...the extent of Su Yu's genius seemed even crazier than what the ancient records mentioned.
Wan Tiansheng was losing his mind. He finally understood Bai Feng's feelings. This was incomprehensible. He had the urge to slice Su Yu's head apart to study the kid's brain.
So shocked was Wan Tiansheng that he even felt like his dao heart could no longer stay stable. He said, "Time to leave. Stop compressing your willpower. Do you still want to enter the Mountainsea Realm or not?"
"It's fine. If I can't advance, so be it. I'll continue strengthening my acupoints until I can punch Invincibles down."
Su Yu was completely indifferent. Was that even something to worry about?
Wow. That sounded so simple.
Wan Tiansheng cursed inwardly. Even a super genius like him felt pressured beside this kid. What the fuck was this? He, Wan Tiansheng, was someone whose genius was worshipped by even Ye Batian!
Chapter 1157: The Dependable Profound Nine (1)
Not wanting to look at Su Yu's smug face any longer, Wan Tiansheng grabbed him and vanished. They were heading to Nanyuan.
Meanwhile, Su Yu was once again experiencing a super efficient free ride. They were moving at an incredibly fast speed. As they moved through the void, everything below them turned blurry. Nobody could notice or see them.
Su Yu was starting to suspect that Wan Tiansheng had not been staying in the Heart Cultivating Pavilion, after all. Rather, Old Wan must have left on frequent trips. In any case, nobody had the courage to enter the Heart Cultivating Pavilion without permission. Nobody would know if he was absent.
Even when they were moving at such an incredible speed, Wan Tiansheng did not look tired. Moving at such a speed was as easy as breathing for him.
Once again, Su Yu was reminded of how strong Wan Tiansheng was. In truth, Su Yu's body was already reaching the standards of a Sunmoon in many aspects. This did not refer to only his offensive strength or the strength he could unleash through consuming blood essence.
The act of forging one's body was the act of improving one's body in all aspects. Thus, speed was something Su Yu did not lack as well. But even when trying his best, he would still need an hour or two to reach Nanyuan from the capital.
Of course, this was still a massive improvement compared to his past self. Back when he first traveled to the capital with the convoy, it had taken him two days. Even the journey itself was dangerous. But the so-called danger he had encountered back then was nothing to the current Su Yu. When he moved, the demonic beasts in the wilderness might not even be able to notice his presence.
However, Wan Tiansheng's speed was at an entirely different level. He didn't even look like he was trying. After roughly ten minutes, they suddenly stopped. When Su Yu looked down, his expression changed. They had arrived. How fast.
This level of speed was beyond Su Yu's expectations. In that case, wasn't it clear that Wan Tiansheng had always been able to interfere in the Starfall Mountain incident back then? But he had remained completely silent, playing his role as a mere peak Mountainsea. How patient.
After taking a casual glance at the city below them, Wan Tiansheng said, "Thirty-two Sunmoons."
Su Yu was impressed, but that wouldn't be the final number. The dao protectors of the myriad race geniuses were probably still on their way. The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion and Myriad Race Cult experts were probably not here yet as well.
If there were already so many Sunmoons here now, wouldn't there be more than a hundred of them in the end? How many years had it been since so many Sunmoons had gathered in one place?
With a smile, Wan Tiansheng said, "This is a decent number. But it's not enough. Try to do something with the fake ruin and lure even more people here."
"Principal, will there be too many people for you to..."
"Don't worry about it."
Wan Tiansheng gave a simple reply, and he appeared completely unworried about it. With Su Yu in tow, Wan Tiansheng strolled straight into Su Yu's house. Nobody could detect them, not the guards outside, and not the Sunmoons in the city.
With a casual swing of his hand, space was ripped apart. The fake ruin produced by Xia Family showed itself beyond the tear in space. There were a decent number of ancient buildings inside with some heavenly source qi. But there was nothing else in it.
Wan Tiansheng said nothing and reached forward. At the next moment, he plucked a character out of the tear in space. The fake ruin produced by Xia Family was made of a character.
Wan Tiansheng tossed it to Su Yu and said, "This is a decent character as well. It's a Sunmoon character beyond the level of a basic Sunmoon character. It belonged to an eighth-stage Sunmoon divine killed by Xia Longwu in the past."
Su Yu did not hesitate to catch the character that had been changed into a grotto. Something like this was actually extremely valuable. After all, a grotto represented accumulation and power.
For example, the Source Qi Secret Grotto and Willpower Grotto were both considered the representatives of Great Xia's accumulation and power. And now, Su Yu had obtained his very first personal grotto.
"But relocation of grottos isn't supposed to be possible, right?"
"It is possible." Wan Tiansheng said, "This is not a grotto created by cutting off a chunk of space. Instead, it has been created by stuffing some items inside the character. It does not have that strong of a connection with the space around it. You can move it around easily. In truth, it isn't a particularly useful grotto. It is only spacious. You can treat it as a bigger storage ring that can also be crushed in an emergency to replenish your willpower."
Wan Tiansheng might be downplaying the value of this grotto, but any grotto in existence was exceptionally valuable. And Wan Tiansheng knew that very well. A grotto was even more valuable than an unmodified character. Furthermore, this grotto was made from an eighth-stage Sunmoon character, further adding to its value.
However, Wan Tiansheng had forgotten that he was talking to Su Yu. With a nod, Su Yu spoke matter-of-factly, "As an eighth-stage Sunmoon character, it can definitely provide a lot of willpower. Yes, it will do in helping some of my characters advance."
Wan Tiansheng started cursing inwardly. He was merely putting up an act to look impressive. The grotto was actually very valuable. Why the fuck was the kid taking his words at face value?
Screw this damn kid! Was the kid actually thinking of crushing it for cultivation? That would be too wasteful!
Not wanting to talk about this topic any longer, he asked, "Where do you think the ruin entrance should be?"
"Inside the toilet bowl."
"..."
Wan Tiansheng resisted the urge to curse again.
But soon, he laughed, "Yes. The toilet bowl will serve as the entrance. To enter the ruin, one needs to go down the toilet bowl."
Fine, fine. Wan Tiansheng did not mind this. It wasn't like he was planning to enter the ruin himself. He strode into the bathroom and tore space apart again. The tearing of space generated some weak spatial undulations, but he was able to fully suppress them from spreading further.
As he unfurled his palm, an entire world appeared above it. Then, he stuffed the fake ruin into the tear in space. After a while, a seal was placed over the tear in space.
"I'll only leave a small opening right in the toilet bowl. The spatial undulations will be extremely weak, to the point only Pseudo Invincibles can detect them."
Wan Tiansheng explained while pointing at a certain spot in the toilet bowl.
Su Yu nodded and said, "Will this opening widen as time passes?"
"Yes."
Good.
When Su Yu focused, he could sense faint traces of heavenly source qi coming out of the toilet bowl. The heavenly source qi leaking out was so thin that it would fully dissipate before it fully left the toilet bowl. Unless one was extremely focused while searching, it would be too easy to entirely miss it.
One ought to know that someone like Su Yu was extremely sensitive to heavenly source qi. If even he could barely notice this, it would be much harder for others to notice as well.
"What else do we need to do?" Wan Tiansheng asked, "If this is all, I'll be taking my leave now."
"Sure. I can handle the rest of the job myself."
Suddenly, he thought of something. With some hesitation, he said, "Uhm, Principal...is the Xia Family aware of what we're doing?"
The two looked at each other and said nothing. The Xia Family...did not seem to know about this.
Su Yu wondered if the Xia Family would think that an actual ruin was actually here when they finally noticed it. He might have complained about their fake ruin to them, but they were probably unaware that he actually had several carrier treasures on him.
Thus, when this ruin started making its appearance, the Xia Family might really believe that it was a real ruin.
Wan Tiansheng thought about it and laughed, "There is no need to tell them about this. That way, their reaction to this will be a lot more natural and believable."
Su Yu had the urge to roll his eyes. Inwardly, he was thinking that this was Old Wan's idea, not his. The Xia Family better not blame him for toying with their feelings. With nothing else to say, Wan Tiansheng vanished with a flicker.
At that moment, Su Yu finally recalled something. He was quite speechless. Why did the principal leave alone? Why did the principal leave him in the city? Was the principal not aware of how dangerous this place was? There were over thirty Sunmoons in the city! Google seaʀᴄh novel_fіre.net
Oh well...no big deal. The deceit and culture characters fused. Instantly, Su Yu's presence vanished. Coupled with his white mask, he became even harder to detect than before. Then, the calm character activated, keeping everyone nearby calm.
Finally, he turned into mist before sneaking out of the building. There were some Martial Dragon Guard soldiers stationed outside, but nobody noticed anything.
In an unhurried manner, Su Yu sank into the ground and started searching the city, investigating the locations and strength of the experts in the city. With the Perception Jade, nobody within a kilometer could hide from him.
In fact, there were also some experts hidden underground. Some were searching for the ruin while some were spies like Su Yu. Naturally, they were no match to Su Yu in terms of concealment. After a while, Su Yu reached a decision.
"Enforcer White One, take a few white masks with you and wait for me near the northern gate. Be ready to provide support. I'll be leaving the city."
He sent a short message.
White One blanked out slightly before replying, "Are you fine?"
"I'm fine, but the risk of being discovered is higher when leaving the city. I also need to announce something to the people in the city."
"What are you planning?"
"Don't ask. Just be on standby. I'll be leaving soon."
"Sure."
White One did not ask more questions. He was quite surprised. Profound Nine was actually able to sneak into the city undetected. He wondered if there was any new discovery. That fellow was getting more and more brazen.
After about half an hour, Su Yu received a message from White One. He had arrived with a few other individuals. They were waiting around a kilometer from the northern gate. They did not dare to approach the city too much.
Chapter 1158: The Dependable Profound Nine (2)
Things had been relatively calm in Nanyuan City as of late.
The ruin had yet to be discovered. In fact, there hadn't been any progress with the search. But the people there were in no rush. They could take their time and slowly search.
At this time.
Northern gate.
A rumble rang out. Thɪs chapter is updated by noveⅼfire.net
Above the city wall stood a Sunmoon from the Martial Dragon Guard. A fist suddenly appeared behind him and punched him, sending him flying. While coughing blood, the Sunmoon crashed onto the ground.
Instantly, multiple auras surged in the city. Above the city wall, Su Yu floated with his white mask and white robe, looking confident and at ease. He also looked incomparably arrogant.
Looking at the multiple approaching figures, he laughed and said, "Heavenly Hunt Pavilion's Profound Nine greets everyone."
Then, numerous white beams of light shot everywhere.
"These are index copies. Please accept them. After investigating Nanyuan for three days, I've discovered something new. If you're interested, feel free to contact me. The accuracy of my information is guaranteed. The price is cheap, and your satisfaction is guaranteed."
"Profound Nine!"
Several Martial Dragon Guard experts roared in fury.
With a carefree laugh, Su Yu started walking away in the air. While walking, he said, "That punch was merely a tiny punishment. If the Martial Dragon Guard dares to provoke me again, a serious injury is not the extent of what you will receive. The Xia Family killed my colleagues and spoiled my mission. I will remember this."
Meanwhile, numerous index copies were flying toward the Sunmoons in the city. All of them, including the non-Sunmoons who were Invincible descendants, were faced with floating index copies right in front of them.
Even the concealed experts, the ones hiding underground, and the hidden Martial Dragon Guard experts were offered an index copy each.
Clearly, Profound Nine had investigated the entire city beforehand. And clearly, his investigation was extremely detailed. Over a hundred index copies had been disseminated in the city.
He was establishing his dominance in Great Xia. Yes, he had only injured a Martial Dragon Guard expert. But what he did today was sufficient to establish a certain degree of dominance. He was telling them that he knew everything that was going on in the city.
Nobody knew how long he had been in the city. He knew the whereabouts of every single expert and Invincible descendant in the city. Only then would he be able to so accurately deliver the index copies to them.
Naturally, the index copies had also been sent to several seemingly normal spots that nobody had paid any attention to before this. Some of the hidden experts cursed while some were greatly shaken.
From those seemingly normal spots, experts started appearing out of nowhere. Some were Sunmoons, some were Mountainseas, and some were experts previously disguised as a regular civilian.
They felt incomparably helpless. They had been discovered. Profound Nine might have been right beside them at one point yet none of them had noticed anything. That was a terrifying thought.
"Heavenly Hunt Pavilion."
"Profound Nine!"
Their impression of Profound Nine and the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion was refreshed yet again. What a terrifying organization. And what a terrifying individual.
Just as the Martial Dragon Guard experts were about to give chase outside the city, three white masks appeared around Profound Nine. Including Profound Nine himself, this was a group of four Sunmoons, with one of them being a sixth-stage Sunmoon.
Not only had Su Yu shocked the entire city through his actions, but even White One and the white masks were greatly shocked.
Profound Nine had only disappeared for a few days, but he had actually investigated the entirety of Nanyuan during that time. No wonder he needed their support. He could leave by himself as well. He could even leave undetected by anyone. But he did not opt to do so.
Rather, he opted to do something to greatly strengthen the shroud of mystery around the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. At the same time, he had disseminated their index copies to every single individual of note in the city.
Still floating in the air, Su Yu laughed and said, "Martial Dragon Guard, there is no need for you to throw your lives away here. It's not easy to reach the Sunmoon Realm. Don't forget. I've discovered something new about the Nanyuan ruin. Feel free to contact us if you wish to learn more.
"The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion loves peace. Peace is the greatest driver of profit. I have no quarrel with any of you. My quarrel with Xia Family has been resolved with Xia Xinyi's death. There is no need for you to keep harping on this issue."
"Profound Nine, you must die!"
The Martial Dragon Guard experts were furious. This was a blatant provocation! This was a situation where they had to fight even if they weren't a match for these enemies. And thus, they charged toward the group of white masks.
With a smile, Su Yu said, "Let's not waste time with them. A fight might attract some stronger fellows."
White One and the others didn't know what to say anymore. They all retreated with Su Yu. After swinging a sword to stop the Martial Dragon Guard experts temporarily, White One vanished. At that point, the other white masks were already gone as well.
Mysterious and strong.
Every single person with an index copy in the city was greatly shocked.
Profound Nine...was a tad bit too terrifying.
He had roamed the city for several days yet not a single person had noticed him.
At this time, some people looked at the exposed experts and sneered, "So you guys are here as well. You sure are good at hiding. What a pity you still failed to hide from Profound Nine."
The exposed experts remained silent. Since they had been discovered, what else was there to say?
A different person said, "Did Profound Nine really discover something new?"
In the past, they were skeptical of Profound Nine. They all had their ego. They all believed they would be better at searching the city. But after the previous display of power by Profound Nine, their impression of the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion had changed completely.
Nobody had an answer to that. Some silently put their newly acquired index copies away. Some hesitated whether they should keep the index copies.
As for the Martial Dragon Guard experts, they returned gloomily with the injured Sunmoon. They ignored the index copies spread in the city. It was not realistic for them to stop the dissemination since these index copies were already in the hands of Sunmoons. Were they supposed to confiscate the index copies from those Sunmoons?
In fact, even the Martial Dragon Guard experts themselves had also received the index copies.
***
That day, everyone heard Profound Nine's name yet again.
He was mysterious, strong, and arrogant.
Inside a small hamlet not far from Nanyuan, Su Yu's group landed and stepped inside one of the buildings there.
White One sighed, "You were too brazen. There were so many Sunmoons in the city yet you had still entered the city. And you even left in such a high-profile manner."
Su Yu smiled, "It's fine. How are we supposed to further grow our operations without more promotion? Now that those people have been given a way to directly contact us, it won't be long before we become their first pick when they wish to buy and sell something.
"The Myriad Race Cult is merely a minor power. Meanwhile, our pavilion is backed by Invincibles. In that case, we need to remain proud and fearless. How can we sneak around like rats? Even when we do business, we need to do it openly."
White One and the others nodded. Those were the exact type of words they enjoyed hearing.
White One said, "Profound Nine, did you really find out more about the ruin?"
At that, the other white masks also focused on Su Yu. In fact, when Su Yu checked his directory, he also noted that a lot of people were asking him the same question.
He laughed and said, "Let's gather all these people in the same channel. But before that, tell them the entrance fee is one drop of Sunmoon blood essence or a different treasure of similar value. They will get the answer, but I won't tell any of them individually. That way, nobody can obtain the information in advance and leak it before we can sell it."
"A drop of Sunmoon blood essence..."
In the Allheaven Battlefield, that would be considered a cheap price. But that was not the case in the Human Realm.
Su Yu did not seem concerned about that as he said, "These are all members of major powers. This fee is nothing for them. Furthermore, this is something I learned after staying in Nanyuan for three days. I risked my life to obtain this information..."
White One nodded. He said, "How about the eighth elder?"
"I'll liaise with the elder."
"Sure. We'll start communicating with our new customers. By the way, are we supposed to head to Nanyuan again if we want to collect the payment?"
Su Yu gave it some thought and said, "Well, that is the chance for everyone to demonstrate some courage and strength. Tell everyone that the pavilion has the ability to go and collect the payment. I'll talk to the elder about this. For our first big business in the Human Realm, we need an elder to make an appearance. That way, even the Xia Family will grow wary toward us. They will have to think twice before doing anything."
White One did not protest. He knew full well that Profound Nine was no longer under his command.
***
A short while later, the new customers were informed of the price and how the transaction would be completed. As for Su Yu, he entered a call with the enforcer elder.
"Profound Nine, did you really find out more about the ruin?"
"Yes. But I did not dare to investigate further as I was afraid of generating so much noise that the others in the city noticed. I could only pry on the ruin through some special methods."
"You actually found the ruin?"
The eighth elder was greatly shocked.
"Yes."
"Really?" The eighth elder asked in excitement, "Where is it? Is there really a ruin in Nanyuan? Is it a real ruin? Or is this a trap by the Xia Family?"
"It is highly likely that the ruin is authentic, but I need further clarification. Can you check our records for further verification? I only caught a brief glimpse at the ruin, but I did manage to see something quite crucial..."
"Yes. What did you see?"
Su Yu hesitated slightly and said, "Eighth Elder, it's not that I don't trust you. But I'm worried that something might go wrong. Perhaps it will be a good idea to pull one more elder or other pavilion expert into the channel? I need to ensure that the headquarters will receive my report in full detail."
The eighth elder was left quite speechless. Soon, he replied, "Your worry makes sense. You're afraid that I might silence all of you and monopolize this information for myself. It is good to be cautious, but there is no need for excessive paranoia."
He agreed with Profound Nine's prudence, but he was also displeased that he was not trusted.
Su Yu insisted, "Eighth Elder, the information I have is very important."
"Fine. The third elder of the Enforcement Unit has entered the Human Realm as well. Is that fine with you? You won't suspect the entire Enforcement Unit to be filled with traitors, right?"
"I wouldn't dare."
Su Yu was quite surprised to hear that another enforcer elder had arrived. The pavilion was indeed investing quite heavily in this endeavor. After all, there were only nine enforcer elders in total.
Before long, all three of them entered a new channel. The frequency of the third elder trembled as his message arrived, "Profound Nine, speak. What did you discover?"
"This subordinate greets the third elder."
"There is no need for pleasantries."
Su Yu proceeded with his explanation, "Through my death qi, I discovered some extremely weak heavenly source qi undulations. Through that, I found a spatial crack. It was so small that it might as well not be there. And a very small amount of heavenly source qi was leaking out of that crack. I did not further investigate the spatial crack, but through a strand of my own source qi, I was able to catch a tiny glimpse beyond the spatial crack."
"What?"
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Chapter 1159: The Dependable Profound Nine (3)
The suspense was rising. The two elders grew increasingly curious.
Spatial crack?
What did he find beyond the spatial crack?
"I have never seen a ruin before, so I can't be sure of what I saw. But there is an independent space inside. I saw a lot of buildings, and I also saw some ancient characters. And one character, in particular, was very prominent. Culture."
"Culture?"
The two elders were greatly shocked. Was that the name of the ruin? The Culture Ruin?
"Yes. Culture. I couldn't see the other things clearly, and I didn't dare to push further since I didn't want to provoke a reaction. But I did see a floating white jade stele in the air."
"White jade stele?"
"Yes."
"Any special characteristics?"
"That's...not easy to describe. But the most obvious trait are the two characters on it: Culture Tomb."
"What?"
Before the eighth elder could react, the third elder exclaimed in shock, as though he had recalled something. He hurriedly said, "What did you see?"
"A white jade stele with Culture Tomb written on it. But I'm not sure if that's a tombstone..."
"Culture Tomb?"
The third elder's voice turned excited. Su Yu couldn't see the third elder, but from the reaction, he could sense the elder's excitement.
"Profound Nine, are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Where's the entrance?"
"Calm down, Third Elder. This is the Human Realm. We're in Great Xia, a city where countless Sunmoons have gathered. Are you thinking of monopolizing the ruin? Is the pavilion ready to fight the human race or even the myriad races as a whole?"
Su Yu interrupted the elder to calm him down. Why was the elder so excited? Was the elder thinking of monopolizing it? Stop messing around. This was his turf. Even the information was provided by him. The elder should stop dreaming.
"My apologies. I was too excited."
Soon, the third elder calmed down. But he still sounded impatient as he said, "Profound Nine, are you sure about that? Are those actual ancient characters that were similar to willpower text?"
"Are you referring to the characters we see in the ancient cities?"
"Yes. Are those the characters you saw?"
"Yes."
"Did...you see anything else on the stele?"
Su Yu paused slightly and said, "I wasn't able to get a good look. But I could see some floating figures."
"Yes! That's it!"
The third elder grew excited again. Meanwhile, the eighth elder remained silent. He had no idea what that was, but he could see that this was big.
"Anything else?"
After another pause, Su Yu said, "I only pried inside through a tiny strand of source qi. I couldn't see anything else clearly. But I did manage to sense the presence of some sunmoon profound yellow liquid inside. There is probably a large amount of heavenly source qi inside as well. It felt like the entire ruin was filled with it."
"That's normal." The third elder did not seem to care about that. He asked again, "Anything else?"
"Anything else?"
Su Yu knew what the elder was asking about, but as a normal person, he wasn't supposed to know about carrier treasures.
"It was unclear, but I also caught a glimpse of a lump of metal fighting a piece of jade inside..."
"Fighting?"
This time, both elders exclaimed at the same time. Both seemed to have reached the same conclusion. It was very normal for something at the level of a carrier treasure to form a certain level of sentience.
Su Yu said, "I suspect I saw wrongly. It was too deep inside that space so I wasn't able to get a good look. I couldn't push further since I wanted to avoid any detection."
"Very good."
"Well done, Profound Nine. Don't be in a rush to release this information. Let us check the ancient records and see what we can find. Even if we do decide to release this information, don't release everything. Don't worry. You will receive a fair compensation for this."
"Remember, don't leak any information..."
Su Yu stopped them, "Yes, I understand. I'll leave a copy of the information on someone I trust. If I were to die, that person would release everything. Elders, I'm by no means distrusting the two of you. I'm only doing this to ensure this information won't be lost with my death."
Holy shit! What could this be if not distrust? The two elders were furious. Wasn't he clearly distrusting them? Fine, fine. He was actually doing the right thing. After all, a fleeting thought of actually silencing Su Yu and splitting the ruin between the two of them did cross their minds. But upon further thought, that would be unwise. This was too dangerous a choice to make.
The moment there was a leak of information, the pavilion would not let them off. Furthermore, this wasn't worth risking the status they had built over many years of hard work in the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion.
Soon, the conversation ended and a secret meeting was held between the two.
"Old Eighth, you heard what Profound Nine said. There must be a carrier treasure in there."
"Yes. I believe there are at least two of them in there."
The eighth elder replied, "Third Elder, just what is that Culture Tomb he mentioned?"
He could feel how excited the third elder was at one point.
"We'll talk more after we actually meet up. For now, we need to notify the headquarters immediately. Perhaps even our Invincibles will enter the Human Realm personally."
"Invincibles?" The eighth elder was shocked, "That's too risky."
"They don't need to come with their main bodies. They can send their tri-life bodies or character clones. At the very least, there will be an Invincible taking over the operations here. Old Eighth, you don't understand. The Culture Tomb is a very big deal. Back then, those in the headquarters speculated that the character stele in Su Yu or Chen Yong's hands was the Culture Tomb. But that is clearly not the case. Perhaps the character stele is merely a regular inheritance stele. It might also be valuable, but it is not comparable to the Culture Tomb."
The eighth elder was greatly shocked. The Invincibles would get involved personally. All that because of what Profound Nine discovered.
"Profound Nine is preparing to sell this information. What now, Third Elder?"
"I don't know. We'll wait for a reply from the Invincibles."
"Fine."
"..."
The two wasted no time and started moving toward each other while notifying the headquarters. It was quite difficult to transmit messages across realms, but this wasn't that much of an issue for the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. The various index copies spread in the Human Realm could actually be used to directly contact the headquarters.
Before long, the latest report was sent.
*** Fresh chapters posted on NoveI~Fire.net
At the exact moment.
Amid the boundless void.
Several gold masks appeared inside the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion.
"Culture Tomb. Has everyone seen the latest update?"
"Yes."
"Culture Ruin...Culture Tomb...and carrier treasures. It is likely that this ruin used to be the residence of a multiple character Eternal."
"Is there any mention of this residence in the ancient records?"
"We're still in the middle of investigation. We don't know everything in the ancient records."
"..."
The gold masks started going through the ancient records. Since they had a large accumulation of ancient records, not even these gold masks could actually go through all of them.
After some time, one of them said, "There is a mention, but it's unclear. During the ancient times, an expert residing within a Culture Manor invited numerous individuals to talk about the dao in the manor..."
"Is there any mention of the Culture Tomb?"
"There are only some sparse mentions of the Culture Tomb. You all know this. The start of culture, the inheritance of culture, and the true secrets behind culture might still be hidden behind the Culture Tomb. This also includes some potential ancient cultural researcher treasures. Apart from that, all the other mentions are too vague or brief. But there is no doubt that Culture Tomb is extremely important."
"Is it possible to pinpoint the master of that ruin by linking the manor and the Culture Tomb together?"
"That won't be easy. We only know that the master of that manor was an ancient cultural researcher. Or perhaps that cultural researcher was only one of the leaders there. Otherwise, the Culture Tomb won't be present there. Perhaps we should awaken the East Chamber master and the Heaven Department head. The two of them are the most long-lived among us. Perhaps they know more."
"There is no need for that. We shouldn't disturb their slumber for something like this."
"For now, we only know that this ruin is very important. Everyone, do we sell the information or get the ruin for ourselves?"
"That won't be possible. The ruin is inside the Human Realm. There are only six of us. But even if we can get ten more experts of the same level to act with us, we might still all perish during the attempt. Furthermore, that attempt will also inform the myriad races just how important that ruin is."
"Are we supposed to just give up on it?"
"If we can't get it, we might as well sell the information for an exorbitant price. Our motto is reaping chaos amid chaos. The moment this information is released, the myriad races will be shaken. The resulting chaos might also give us an opportunity to fish in troubled water."
"Is the information accurate?"
"The source is quite solid. It was discovered by Profound Nine, the same person who had caused multiple massive issues previously. He detected the ruin through his death qi. But he didn't dare to investigate further. I believe this information is highly reliable. The term Culture Tomb isn't even known to that many people. And Profound Nine is not one of those people."
"..."
After a while, they reached a decision. The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion alone might not be enough to monopolize the ruin. In that case, they shall fish in troubled water.
"Have the Human Realm branch sell the information. Set the price at ten drops of Sunmoon blood essence. Additionally, let them know that an Invincible will enter the Human Realm personally soon."
As for whether that Invincible would be a main body or a tri-life body, that was not information those in the Human Realm needed to know. In any case, they had concluded that the enforcer elders were no longer sufficient to lead their Human Realm operations.
"Profound Nine...will be assigned a big merit for this contribution. He will be rewarded heavily. After he returns from the Human Realm, the pavilion will help him reach the late-stage Sunmoon Realm. He will also be promoted to an elder of the Profound Department. We will also assist him with the removal of his identity as an ancient city resident."
The Invincibles all reached a resolution to reward Profound Nine heavily. That fellow was a very capable member. It almost felt like he was the only pavilion member doing his job in the Human Realm. If it wasn't for his lack of strength, they would have instantly promoted him to the overall commander of their Human Realm operations. Not even the elders were as capable of Profound Nine.
"All the elders are to gather in Great Xia and await further instruction. Stop all they are doing at the moment. We will focus on Great Xia."
"Agreed."
And thus, the Invincibles started issuing their orders. Great Xia should be their main focus for now.
Chapter 1160: Culture Tomb (1)
Su Yu was still unaware of the result reached by the higher-ups of the pavilion. But it did not take him long to receive the latest update.
Learning about the high price he was told to charge, he realized something. His original suggestion, one drop of Sunmoon blood essence, was not enough. He had been looking down on the pavilion too much. What was the pavilion known for? Their greed. He himself had scolded them many times for their greed.
How could he sell such an important piece of information for such a cheap price? As for the idea of creating a group before charging anyone wishing to join the group, that wasn't even an original idea. That was actually a tradition of the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion.
In fact, this same practice had once infuriated him so much previously that he refused to participate, forcing the pavilion to pay Niu Baidao two hundred strands of heavenearth profound light.
Just by providing a venue for Su Yu to negotiate with the myriad races, the pavilion had charged each participant one drop of Sunmoon blood essence. And this time, the information they were selling was much more valuable than a simple venue of negotiation.
Su Yu easily agreed to carry out the order faithfully.
Everyone with an index copy received a new update. The information about the ruin would be released in a small group. To join the group, one needed to pay ten drops of Sunmoon blood essence. Of course, if one didn't mind being late to the party, one could always wait to learn from others instead.
Of course, that would require a high level of trust in the words of others. Nothing was more reliable than first-hand information. Would anyone dare to trust what others told them for something this important?
Trust? There was no such thing. With the abundance of lies, schemes, and traps in the Allheaven Battlefield, anyone experienced with the world would not dare to easily put their trust on others.
Meanwhile, there was a degree of credibility to the information sold by the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. For the most part, the information they sold would be accurate so long as the price was paid.
***
"Ten drops?" For origınal chapters go to novel-fire.net
People were cursing all over Nanyuan.
Inside a certain building, someone looked at Yuan Qingdong and asked, "Is this the information discovered by that Profound Nine guy? Why did you spare him the last time you encountered him?"
Yuan Qingdong was left quite speechless. Piss off. He was the one who had nearly died during that encounter. How was he supposed to kill Profound Nine?
Naturally, he didn't dare to tell them about that. According to his story, he had suffered the sneak attack of Rainbow One, a middle-staged Sunmoon. That was why he had been injured so heavily. He was too embarrassed to admit that he had nearly died in Profound Nine's hands.
Yuan Qingdong had just arrived not long ago. After thinking about it, he said, "The more expensive the price, the more important and accurate this information is."
That made sense. They believed that the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion would not ask for such a high price for no reason.
"In that case, we only need to pay for one person. It's too expensive for all of us to join the group."
Yes. This was a price that even these Invincible descendants found expensive. Even when one killed a Sunmoon, one would only be able to get ten drops of blood essence from the corpse. This was incredibly expensive, considering this was a price for merely some information.
They finally understood how Su Yu felt previously. After working his ass off to scam the myriad races, he had most likely earned less than the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. Information had always been the most valuable product to peddle.
Yuan Qingdong agreed with that suggestion. They had quite a lot of people in their group, and all of them were Sunmoons. They only needed to pay around one drop per person to gather the required fee. Shared among them, the price no longer felt as expensive.
"I don't have any issue with this suggestion."
Yuan Qingdong nodded and said, "But even after buying the information, I suggest we keep a low profile. Don't charge at the very front. Too many experts have arrived recently. Things aren't as peaceful anymore."
"What is there for us to fear?" One of them laughed, "Qingdong, did you become cowardly after staying in Great Xia? Yes, you were injured not long ago, but you're still fine. And you have been doing quite decently in Great Xia Cultural Research Academy as well. Even the Xia Family will need to show you some respect."
Yuan Qingdong wanted to tell them that they were too naive. What the fuck were they even thinking? But his bragging had also played a part in that, so he couldn't really blame them. He did not have the courage, or to be precise, he was too ashamed to admit that he wasn't actually doing that well in Great Xia. Here, everyone could run their mouth against him if they felt like it.
All his reports to the Knowledge Seeking Realm had been slightly altered to not fully reflect reality, giving everyone the impression that he was doing very well here. But he had recently realized that he was actually still quite respectable in Great Xia. Ji Hong and Hu Dehao wouldn't have been sent to save him during the previous incident otherwise. He had misjudged!
Yuan Qingdong naturally wouldn't explain to his friends that he had only lured them over to serve as a protective net around him. If he told them that, they would probably be the first to get rid of him.
Apart from Yuan Qingdong, there actually was a second Sunmoon deployed by the Knowledge Seeking Realm. That person was from Knowledge Seeking Realm's Zheng Family.
After Jin Yuhui's death, the Nine Heavens Cultural Research Academy was left without a principal. Thus, Zheng Yunhe was sent by the Knowledge Seeking Realm to serve as the new principal.
At around the same time, the Knowledge Seeking Realm had also deployed a different person to Great Ming Cultural Research Academy, but that person was forced to return after a series of unfortunate incidents without being able to assume his post in Great Ming Cultural Research Academy.
Zheng Yunhe was also in the group. He merely shot Yuan Qingdong a glance without saying anything. Was this guy really doing well? Nonsense!
Zheng Yunhe was certain that he was doing very badly in Great Xia. And Yuan Qingdong was in a similar situation. Or perhaps things were even worse for Yuan Qingdong. But reputation was very important to them.
No matter how miserable they were, they had to uphold their reputation. Thus, neither of the two exposed the other. These friends of theirs had not experienced the cruelty of society. They knew nothing. In Great Xia, one could lose one's life at any moment. This place was extremely dangerous. These people had no idea.
With so many of their friends around them, the two of them felt a lot safer than before.
"Let's pay and wait."
Before long, they reached a decision. They would pay.
At this time, those who could afford it started paying while the less wealthy ones started pooling their money with their acquaintances. They were all trying their best to hear directly from the pavilion. It simply was too unsafe to purchase the information from someone else as this information could be easily turned into a deathly trap.
This was happening all over Great Xia.
Additionally, the pavilion had also assigned Su Yu a higher level of authority, enabling him to sell to the entire Human Realm.
***
Not far from Nanyuan.
While strolling through the wilderness, Mo Duona smiled and looked somewhere behind him, "Huang Teng, why are you following me?"
Further away from Mo Duona, Huang Teng was standing proudly with a blade in hand. Naturally, he was maintaining a considerable distance from Mo Duona.
When he heard the question, he smiled, "I'm escorting you since I'm worried you won't know your way around."
Mo Duona ignored Huang Teng and continued his stroll. He wasn't moving too quickly. This was his first time here so he wished to take in more sights. Compared to the Devil Realm, the Human Realm was far more peaceful. However, Great Xia was also a place with a stern and militaristic atmosphere.
Suddenly, Mo Duona asked, "Do you know someone called Profound Nine from the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion well?"
"Hmm?"
Huang Teng was surprised that Mo Duona was speaking to him again. He replied, "How am I supposed to know him well? Great Xia will not spare that person. Mo Duona, I reckon you won't be able to leave the Human Realm alive either."
"Is that so?" Mo Duona chuckled and said, "By the way, I'm quite interested in Profound Nine. I have learned of what he did in the Human Realm. Do you think he's from the younger generation or the older generation?"
"If he's someone from the younger generation, he would have entered the Heavenly Hunt Index long ago. But he also doesn't feel old. Those from the older generation are a lot calmer."
This was Mo Duona's conclusion. He believed Profound Nine wasn't too old. That was someone filled with youthful vigor. There simply wasn't a need to strike back against the Xia Family due to a failed mission. Someone from the older generation would be a lot calmer since they had experienced more.
That was especially true if this was a white mask of the pavilion. Someone like that would have experienced a lot in the Allheaven Battlefield if that was someone from the older generation. The way Profound Nine did things felt too vigorous and young.
Huang Teng was not interested in that topic. He was only here to keep an eye on Mo Duona. His mission wasn't to kill, nor was he able to kill Mo Duona. But he knew very well that Mo Duona might look calm, but this was actually an extremely arrogant person.
Anyone else put on this task would probably be slapped into mincemeat by Mo Duona. Meanwhile, a fellow index genius would at least be qualified to serve as a conversation partner.
In truth, this was how most geniuses would act. They would look down on anyone less talented, including those who were stronger simply because they had lived longer.
Thus, very few people could take on the task of monitoring Mo Duona. Qin Fang had been sent to monitor Zhan Wushuang. As for the other human index geniuses, they all had their targets as well. For example, Wu Qi was assigned to monitor Ming Yue.
The human still had some index geniuses, but since there weren't that many of them, even people like Shan Xiong had been put to use. Normally, these human geniuses would have some conflicts with each other. But now, they were all deployed against the myriad race geniuses.
Mo Duona suddenly said, "Are you interested in what Profound Nine discovered in Nanyuan?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do you think about listening to what he has to say?"
"No money."
Huang Teng gave a simple answer. He couldn't afford it. That was all.
Mo Duona laughed, "Don't worry. I'll join and let you know. Maybe...it will be very interesting. It is very rare for the pavilion to ask for such a high price for some information. Ten drops of Sunmoon blood essence...I believe this information must be very valuable."
"Mo Duona, you talk too much."
"I can't help being talkative when I'm in a new environment." Mo Duona said, "I'm not familiar with the Human Realm and I don't have too many people I can talk to here. In a way, we're still quite familiar with each other so I can't help being kore talkative. After all, I'm nervous since I'm in an unfamiliar environment."
Huang Teng was surprised. He laughed, "You? Nervous?"
"Why not?" Mo Duona said, "No matter how strong and how talented one is, it is perfectly normal to feel nervous in an unfamiliar environment unreachable to one's Invincible backers, right?"
"True." Huang Teng asked, "I have always been curious about one thing. How many times have you forged your body?"
"What do you think?"
"At least forty times." Huang Teng asked, "Am I right?"
Mo Duona merely smiled without answering.
"How did you do that?" Huang Teng asked curiously, "At the thirty-sixth forging, it is too hard to complete further forgings. Firstly, most cultivation methods are incapable of that. Secondly, it is also too stressful on the body. Thirdly, it is also too expensive. You don't seem like someone who has stopped at the thirty-seventh or thirty-eighth forging."
"I think you should ask your fellow human, Su Yu, this question instead." Mo Duona replied, "He seemed to have killed the red toad Sunmoon relying on only his physical strength. Even if he did consume a drop of blood essence toward the end, he was able to fight that red toad evenly in the beginning. Su Yu...is probably not weaker than me. Maybe he's even stronger."
Huang Teng nodded, "True. But...I don't know him too well. Furthermore, he used to be a citizen of Great Xia. He also has some resentment toward Great Xia. Even if I do ask him, he might not necessarily tell me the truth."