Chapter 2308: Dark Clouds (3)
Chapter 2308: Dark Clouds (3)
At the same time.
Human Emperor, Battle King, and Radiant King were moving together when Human Emperor laughed, "Old Zhu, what do you think about Su Yu?"
Radiant King considered the question seriously and answered, "I did not interact much with him, so I couldn't observe much. But from how much reverence those powerful subordinates of his showed toward him, it is clear Su Yu is no simple person.
"Keeping all those people in line at his age is not something anyone is capable of. I even spoke to Martial Emperor. Whenever I brought up Su Yu, he would stiffen slightly. He would also exhibit some displeasure, but he did not display much resentment. It felt as though he was suppressed. He was unhappy, but he could do nothing but accept his fate."
Radiant King was incredibly shrewd. He was able to gather a lot of information from a simple conversation.
He continued, "As for people like Giant Axe and Extreme Martial, I knew them from before. When I spoke to them, Extreme Martial mentioned that he used to follow Hundred Battle, the ninth human lord. Eventually, he joined Su Yu. It hasn't even been that long, but he both feared and revered Su Yu. As for Giant Axe, he viewed Su Yu with admiration and even worship.
"It isn't easy to earn the admiration of a brute. Furthermore, Giant Axe is no child. Rather, he is a powerful marquis from our era. And even someone like that has been won over by Su Yu."
Human Emperor nodded, "I noticed that among his subordinates, there were iron devourers, hous, fates...the fate race is usually quite proud and aloof. Even so, they were incredibly obedient under him.
"I saw the marquises from our era among them. I also saw some new-age powerhouses. Su Yu is indeed not simple from how he gathered all these people of various backgrounds under him."
At times, a simple observation was enough for one to learn a lot. Human Emperor was no fool. He was not crazy enough to bet the future of humanity on Su Yu just from a simple promise from Su Yu.
Instead, he relied on his own observations. Through what he saw, he managed to get a simple understanding of Su Yu's character, ability, style, and intelligence. Human Emperor was quite good at judging people, even though those closest to him had messed up too many of his plans..
After a short silence, Human Emperor continued, "These years, my injuries have worsened instead of improving."
Before Battle King could say anything, Radiant King sighed, "Your Majesty...Big Brother Xing...are you really taking this bet? Su Yu is still too weak."
He smiled bitterly and said, "If you really want to take a bet, won't you feel better handing things to me instead of him? At present, he's weaker than me."
He wasn't actually trying to snatch power. He did not have such ambitions. Rather, he was worried. He was very worried. That was too risky a gamble. At the very least, he would be able to somewhat consolidate the forces left behind by Human Emperor.
Human Emperor smiled and said, "You have enough strength, and you're smart enough. But...you are no leader. Old Zhu, we have been brothers for so many years. Allow me to be blunt. You can be the one to preserve the accomplishments of your predecessors, but you are not the type to overcome a crisis. You might be able to escape safely with everyone, but you can't make a comeback from hopelessness."
Human Emperor sighed, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have placed my hope on a new kid instead of an old brother of mine. I am not the type to place my hope on others. I have always relied on myself alone. I alone can sweep through everything. Alas..."
Human Emperor laughed again. This was a bleak laughter. "And now, I am left with no choice but to prepare for my passing. Now that I still have a tiny bit of strength remaining, I wish to test the next generation...I fear that if I wait any longer, I won't even have the chance to do this anymore."
Finally, Battle King spoke, "Big Brother, are your injuries...really that bad?"
Human Emperor smiled indifferently, "Injuries to my dao and my physical body. If we were at peace, I could try to recover from this. For example, I could sever my dao, recover, before reconnecting to my dao. But I can't. That will create too many fluctuations. Everyone will be able to sense it."
He couldn't. Severing his dao would push their crisis to the highest level. Battle King and Radiant King had unsightly expressions.
Radiant King said, "Big Brother, do you mean that you're testing Su Yu to see if he has the ability to carry humanity forward? And both Old Xia and I are expected to lend him a hand?"
Human Emperor nodded, "His ability to come back from impossible situations is what caught my eye. I know a little of his accomplishments in the Myriad Realms. From an absolutely inferior position, he rose from crisis after crisis and rocked the entire Myriad Realms.
"After pacifying the Myriad Realms, he came upstream with over thirty Masters of Laws. More importantly, he has immense potential. Old Zhu, you're already a tier-one. But do you think you can go beyond this level? Almost impossible. It's too hard. But he can. He is a Creator. He is a Creator who has grown at an unprecedented speed."
Radiant King sank into silence.
Human Emperor continued, "Don't worry, I won't die so easily. I won't bet everything on him after a single meeting and one fight together. But if he manages to fulfill his promise, that will show that he has the ability to take over after I'm gone, including our old brothers. No matter how proud and how ferocious one is, respect will be shown toward someone like that."
Age was not a tool to be used to throw one's weight around. When someone capable of reversing the entire situation appeared, such a person would naturally deserve admiration and respect.
Human Emperor added, "If they are too stupid to even understand that...they would have followed me so many years for nothing. A true brute knows to respect and admire the strong. They know when to listen. As for the smart ones, they are capable of seeing through things. Only someone with an ulterior motive will cause trouble even after seeing through the truth. Whatever happens to them, do not involve yourselves."
These old brothers had followed him for many years. He believed that those capable of surviving until now would be wise enough to do the right thing. As for those deliberately stirring trouble, those people could be ignored. They were either absolute fools or people with problematic goals.
He wouldn't care about the removal of such people. In any case, he might no longer be around to see the removal of these old brothers.
"Big Brother!"
Battle King said, "You sound too pessimistic! You make things seem too hopeless. We have followed you for so many years. Are you going to leave your brothers behind after so long? Are you going to leave without us?"
Human Emperor chuckled, "Well, even Old Wen ran off. That dumbass Tai Shan followed him, leaving a terrible mess behind. I wish I could hold down the fort, but...sigh."
He shook his head and laughed again, "There is no need to feel so pessimistic. I am used to being the big bro, not the little bro. But when the situation calls for it, I won't say much about you, Old Xia. Old Zhu, you understand that we can be patient when required. We can even bow and scrape when required.
"I don't enjoy being the little bro. But Su Yu is probably not the type to become the little bro as well. He's young and vigorous. You're old. Thus, have more patience. When the three gates open, what's the big deal about bowing for a bit for survival?"
Radiant King forced himself to smile. Instead of answering, he asked, "What did you say during your meeting with Su Yu?"
"I suggested a battle to test what he's capable of." Human Emperor said, "I asked him to handle thirty Masters of Laws with at least one tier-one among them. I want to see the way he fights. I want to see the survival rate of his people.
"I'll do my best to ensure that this is the number of enemies his group will face. He has thirty-six Masters of Laws, right? I'll make sure he faces a force of almost equivalent strength. If he loses, or if he wins a pyrrhic victory, I might need to reconsider things."
He needed a capable overlord to replace him, not a brainless brute. How was humanity supposed to survive the future after losing all its top powerhouses here? Battle King and Radiant King gasped. Thirty, with at least one tier-one.
That...wouldn't be easy. Could they even do it? Had they fought Masters of Laws properly before? Were they familiar with how Masters of Laws fought? Could they handle a large-scale battle involving Masters of Laws?
This was the type of experience they lacked. And Su Yu was far too young. The more they thought about it, the more solemn they became. "Big brother, if the myriad races refuse to withdraw after the fight, things might get very dangerous for them."
"No worries." Human Emperor smiled, "I won't let them lose everything. That won't benefit us either. At worst, we'll continue the deadlock. Even if the myriad races learn of our reinforcements, as long as I can keep up the act, they won't dare to try anything so long as I'm not dead."
He was a form of deterrence just by being alive. He had absolute confidence in that. This was the confidence of the number one in the Myriad Realms. Back when he dominated the world, none of those fellows dared to even raise their voice at him.
Even a weakened tiger would still be feared. So long as he, Xing Yue, remained alive, things would remain calm.
As of that moment, Human Emperor revealed the bearing of one who had dominated the world as he declared, "Even if I must die, I will make sure they suffer so badly that they can no longer move against humanity even after my death."
Looking at the current Human Emperor, Battle King and Radiant King felt as though they had returned to the past. When they warred against everything. When they were sweeping through the world. With Human Emperor around, they were unrivalled.
Unable to hold back, Radiant King's aura stirred again. And once again, he roared, "Your Majesty, I can't hold back anymore! Let's mess those fuckers up!"
"..."
Opposite them, the myriad races were rendered speechless. It was understandable for Battle King to be the rash one. But what was wrong with Radiant King today? This wasn't the first time today! Was he trying to scare them or something?
Or did something really happen to the humans? They could sense the appearance of several new Masters of Laws among the myriad races back home. Had humanity really been defeated?
In that case...hehe. Radiant King's sudden impatience would be understandable.
With humanity gone, it would be pointless for them to keep dragging things out. Suddenly, a voice rang out, "Be on high alert. If humanity has really been defeated, the fellows opposite us might do something crazy. Watch out for their madness."
They had to be wary. With humanity gone, Human Emperor and his people would lose all hope. In that case, there would be nothing holding them back anymore. A bitter battle would follow. They were unsure if humanity had really been defeated. They could only sense that a major battle had erupted back home and many had died.
The dragons, phoenixes, and nethers had sustained heavy losses. Meanwhile, the divines, immortals, and devils had produced new Masters of Laws. Furthermore, most of them had survived the battle.
As a whole, this was favorable for them. They didn't know the exact situation in the Myriad Realms, but they knew that if humanity held the advantage, their Masters of Laws might die. And that was something they could sense even all the way out here.
They were too far to get a clear sense, but they could sense enough to know that these Masters of Laws were still alive. And thus, the myriad race powerhouses entered a state of high alert.
They had to be careful. The humans opposite them might go mad soon.
They even started praying that humanity had not been fully wiped out in the Myriad Realms. Otherwise, the ones opposite them would throw caution to the wind and go completely crazy. Even if the myriad races could win such a battle, it would be a victory with heavy losses.
***
Human camp.
Human Emperor's voice rang out, "Radiant King, don't stir trouble."
At that, Radiant King withdrew his aura. But next, Battle King released his aura and roared, "Just fuck them up! I'm tired of this!"
"Battle King!" Once again, Human Emperor's voice rang out, "Patience."
"I...fine."
The sullen Battle King withdrew his aura as well. But this only caused the myriad races to grow even more alert. Battle King and Radiant King had lost control one after another. And the "patience" Human Emperor said at the end was also worth contemplating.
Was...a major battle imminent? Meanwhile, those in the human camp were all looking solemn as well. Did something really happen back home? But according to Xing Yue, humanity held the upper hand.
Things should be fine, right? With that, a storm started brewing between the two camps. A massive battle was imminent. The myriad races weren't too keen on fighting a decisive battle. But they were unsure if the humans would push for one.
They were certain the humans would only start a battle with the determination to drag some people down with them before dying. They would have no reason to push for a battle now otherwise.
With that in mind, the top powerhouses of the myriad races came together for an emergency meeting. Were the humans trying to scare them? Or were they really planning to start a battle?