Tribulation of Myriad Races

Liu Hong stared at Su Yu with a slight frown. After a long while, he said, “Su Yu, you…”

“Teacher, were those dreams or memory transmissions?”

After a long silence, Liu Hong said, “Did you experience something similar before?”

“I’m the one asking here.”

Liu Hong said helplessly, “What is there to answer? I never asked you about your fortuitous encounters! This is rude!”

He explained in an exasperated manner, “You can consider it a form of memory transmission. At times, some memories would appear randomly. That was how I became a top genius of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy with my humble background.”

“When did this start happening?”

“When did it start happening?” Liu Hong thought about it and answered, “About ten years ago. At the time, I was still a student in a secondary school. That was how I managed to get into the academy.”

“About ten?” Su Yu pressed on, “When exactly?”

“You…” Liu Hong answered helplessly, “Almost fifteen years ago.”

Su Yu frowned. He had his first nightmare at six. It had been around fourteen years since then, or to be precise, nearly fifteen years. Were the two events related to each other?

Did anything happen in the Myriad Realms fourteen years ago? He couldn’t recall any. In any case, Liu Hong had admitted that he had started dreaming around the same time. Or perhaps it was really a sort of memory transmission.

Ads by PubRev Around fifteen years ago.

A change of laws…and compatibility. Perhaps…something happened beyond the net?

Did something happen in the world beyond their world? Was that the origin of the two events?

Su Yu couldn’t be certain. That was a level far beyond him. He couldn’t accurately predict the events in or beyond the net. However, he suspected that even the hidden old fossils who had been restricted from descending for now were most likely not as powerful as the ancient human kings.

At most, they were only Daofuses, with a few fellows near the Great Dao Realm mixed among them. Humanity would have been wiped out long ago if these old fossils were any stronger.

“Things are getting more and more interesting.” Su Yu smiled and said, “Teacher Liu, you have too much free time here. You must be waiting for me to leave before sneaking away to search for your fortuitous encounter. Are you worried that I would steal your fortuitous encounter if I were around? So be it.”

Su Yu turned around and said, “Lord Grandstar, if Teacher Liu wished to seek death after my departure, let him be. Please inform Lord Xing Yue to let him through. I won’t stop him. Everyone has their destiny to pursue.”

Liu Hong laughed stiffly and said, “Su Yu, I’m definitely not thinking of sneaking off.”

“Don’t bother.” Su Yu said, “You might have schemed against me several times, but I have also taken my revenge. I suppose I still owe you some for your previous help with the death spirit Wisdom King summoned, but I reckon you don’t care about my repayment. Let us wipe the slate clean here. Neither of us owes the other anything anymore.”

Liu Hong laughed awkwardly and said, “Uhm…I think you owe me more than that.”

“Hmm?”

Liu Hong pushed on with the same awkward expression, “You promised me previously that you would help my teacher reach the Sunmoon Realm. You have yet to fulfill that promise. That furball has probably grown enough to devour my teacher’s characters. He is still secluded in Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. I doubt he can last much longer. Please help me with this and all the slate between us will be fully cleared.”

Su Yu asked in surprise, “Why do you still remember this matter?”

“That’s my teacher.” Liu Hong said, “For many people, you are merciless and selfish. But you have helped your teachers greatly, even though you haven’t received much help of substance from them. Everyone has a kind side. And everyone has something they can’t let go of. Am I right?”

“That teacher of mine has not taught me much, but…he still helped solve many of my troubles before entering his seclusion back then. I have no way of repaying him, but I can’t do nothing as he dies in seclusion, right?”

Su Yu laughed, “Yes, I did promise you. Fine. If your teacher were still around by the time I returned, I would help him.”

“Thank you!”

Liu Hong grinned, but there didn’t seem to be any emotion behind that smile.

As the two smiled at each other, Su Yu couldn’t help but recall their first meeting. At the time, Liu Hong had appointed him the class monitor with the same smile. He had thought that the appointment was a good thing, but it was actually a trap.

From then on, Su Yu had lost all his trust in smiling faces. Why would an actual nice person smile all the time?

The two continued smiling at each other for a while before Su Yu lost interest and vanished with a flicker. It was pointless to have a smile competition with Liu Hong as this was someone who could smile for an entire day without feeling tired.

***

Middle of May, year 352 of the Anping Calendar.

That day, Su Yu embarked on a journey back to the Human Realm. He felt as though everything had changed during his short time away.

A year ago, also in the same month, he had departed Great Ming alone. First, he had created chaos everywhere in the Human Realm. Subsequently, he left for the Allheaven Battlefield.

Back then, the Mountainseas of Great Ming weren’t even Su Yu’s match. But now, they had produced experts capable of killing Invincibles without being Invincibles. And a year before that, also in May, his father departed to rejoin the army.

Su Yu had reached his current height in only two years. Massive changes had appeared in the Allheaven Battlefield during the past two years. One battle after another had erupted. And one Invincible after another had died.

The Allheaven Battlefield had been open for about a thousand years, while the Human Realm had restored its connection with the battlefield about four hundred years ago. Surprisingly, the number of dead Invincibles during the past two years seemed to have surpassed even the number of people killed during the prefecture founding period.

Looking into the distance from atop the city wall, Su Yu smiled. Finally, it was time for him to return. This was his first time ever returning openly. He had returned in the past, but each time, he had borrowed the identity of others.

“Go!”

With one command, thirty-five cities rose to the sky and appeared around Grandstar City. Together, they flew toward the Human Realm. They weren’t moving too rapidly, but they weren’t moving too slowly either.

Experts were observing the movement from all directions.

Su Yu was returning.

Inside the thirty-five cities, numerous city guards prepared Su Yu’s return procession. Strictly speaking, this was the first official encounter between the two parties. Thus, a degree of ceremony was required. After all, they couldn’t allow the others to underestimate the master of the ancient cities.

Before long, all thirty-five ancient cities stopped before the Eastrift Valley. Covered by the various cities, not even the sky was visible anymore. Numerous armored guards left the cities in neat formations, acting as Su Yu’s honor guard.

The various mayors also released their powerful auras.

As mayors, they were at least ninth-stage Sunmoons.

***

Eastrift Valley.

Countless people had gathered there as well. The human armies stood in formation, while the various Invincibles stood tall facing the ancient cities brimming with intense death qi.

Some frowned, some remained expressionless, while some shook their heads.

Great Qin King stepped forth, smiled, and said, “Su Yu, this almost looks like an attack on the human race. Your escort is a bit too big.”

Su Yu stepped forth. With the same fluttering white robes and gentle smile on his face, he said, “You jest, Great Qin King. The various races want me dead. I have to be careful when traveling, right?”

With one step, he arrived before the assembled ancient city guards. Facing the Eastrift Valley, he laughed and said, “Back when I left the Eastrift Valley and entered the Plain of Desires, I had thought that a day I return would never arrive.”

Great Qin King said nothing.

At the time, Su Yu had left to escape all the troubles waiting for him in the Human Realm. Thus, that was quite a thorny topic to talk about.

The still smiling Su Yu said, “At the time, I met my father here. He prepared a meal of red braised pork for me. I ate while crying, promising my father to return one day. I promised to return and meet him openly. I said that I would no longer sneak around like a criminal the next time we meet. I think…I have fulfilled that promise today.”

Su Yu looked around with a wide smile on his face and said, “Fortunately, only a year has passed. Thus, not enough time has passed for me to not know the Human Realm so well anymore. During the past year, I surmounted various challenges, reaching where I am today.”

Great Qin King maintained his silence. Beside him, Great Zhou King smiled and said, “Mayor Su, the past is the past. The future will be better. I believe you will come to learn this soon. Things will be very clear soon.”

Su Yu chuckled and said, “I hope so.”

“Mayor Su…do you wish to enter now?”

Su Yu said, “There is no rush. No matter what, I am a human. I may not serve the human race anymore, but the Eternals present are all my elders. It can’t be helped that I didn’t know most of them in the past. Now that we’re all here together, care to make the introductions, Great Zhou King? It would be rude for me to still not know who they are after today.”

Great Zhou King looked around. A large number of human Invincibles were present today. In fact, a majority of them had arrived.

Su Yu had arrived with great fanfare, subjecting the human race to massive pressure. Thus, they had to gather all these Invincibles here to maintain their confidence when facing Su Yu.

Great Zhou King smiled and said, “Sure. Let me make the introductions…”

He pointed at Great Qin King and said, “I doubt you need an introduction to this person here. He is Great Qin King, the founder of Great Qin.”

Su Yu bowed slightly.

Next, Great Zhou King pointed at a burly man with a square face behind Great Qin King. That was also a face Su Yu knew. Great Xia King.

“This is Great Xia King, founder of Great Xia.”

Su Yu bowed with a smile and said, “Greetings, Great Xia King. I’ve long looked forward to meeting you.”

As someone who had grown up in Great Xia, he naturally knew how Great Xia King looked like.

Imposing.

Brave.

Domineering.

In fact, this wasn’t Su Yu’s first time seeing Great Xia King. But he just couldn’t relate the Great Xia King he saw with the grandpa watching the gates in Nanyuan from his childhood. He also couldn’t imagine that Great Xia King would carve something like “Xia Wushen is the number one pretty boy in the world” on his saber in his youth. Su Yu couldn’t help but wonder about Great Xia King’s mindset back then.

Was Great Xia King a narcissist back then? Or was it something else? Su Yu had to try really hard not to laugh when he saw Great Xia King.

The dignified Great Xia King nodded, maintaining his solemn, cold, brave, and domineering persona. As the dignified Great Xia King, this was naturally how he should act.