Tribulation of Myriad Races

Great Bamboo Marquis asked again, “In my opinion, they might view you as enemies, but that might not be the case for us. The iron devourer race is not without a choice. We can always submit to them. What do you think?”

Su Yu nodded, “You’re right.”

That was true. Control King’s lineage was hostile against Culture King and the others, but they might not be hostile toward the allied races.

“In that case, why should I join you instead of them?”

Su Yu thought about it and said, “It’s the difference between sending charcoal in snowy weather and adding flowers to brocade.”

“I would rather add flowers to brocade. It’s much easier.”

Su Yu smiled with resignation. This was a tough negotiator. This was his first time stumped in an argument against an iron devourer.

He thought again and said, “They might not be willing to accept outsiders. Otherwise, they could have contacted the iron devourers long ago.”

“True.” Great Bamboo Marquis asked, “Are you trying to frame them as the culprits behind the disaster of the dragons?”

“How do you know that, Senior?”

Great Bamboo Marquis smiled and said, “I’m not stupid. The myriad races are convening a meeting. What’s the point in doing so without a clear target? It is clear that they already know their target. And the target is powerful enough to force a cooperation. The last time a meeting was convened, it was due to Hundred Battle King’s rise.”

Su Yu nodded, “That is indeed my plan. I intend to have those fellows have some fun with the myriad races.”

“That won’t be easy to accomplish.”

Great Bamboo Marquis shook his head. There was a risk that the two factions would first remove Su Yu’s faction.

“People with a high enough cultivation level will not be too rash. They might talk among themselves first instead of going straight to war. And a single talk will be enough for them to realize that a third party is stirring the pot. What will you do when that happens?”

“Withdraw.” Su Yu smiled and said, “If things get difficult up here, I’ll simply withdraw to the Lower Realm and prepare myself to fight again in the future.”

“Are you confident you can grow enough to match them in only a few years?”

“Yes.” Su Yu shook his head, “Or to be precise, I can try.”

“Well, this is understandable. You are filled with confidence due to your rapid rise. This isn’t a bad thing. But too much confidence can also be a bad thing.”

At this point, Full Moon returned with food. While eating, Great Bamboo Marquis said, “Eat!”

Su Yu did not hold back and started eating as well. The food here tasted surprisingly good.

Great Bamboo Marquis said, “I’m not opposed to cooperation. But you need to show me your strength, ability, and wisdom. Firstly, deal with the remaining old fellows of the human race. You can kill, capture, or subdue them. Secondly, I want to see your third victory in ten days. The dragon race is nothing. I want to see something happen to the three major races.”

After taking a bite out of the meat in his hand, Great Bamboo Marquis said, “I can’t cooperate with someone without the courage to face the three major races. If you’re such a person, you will be useless the moment the three major races come knocking. The three major races are far stronger than the other races.

“How can I trust you if you’re only good at bullying the weaker races? How can I trust you with the future of the iron devourer race?”

After chomping down and crushing the bone in his hand, he grinned, revealing his sharp teeth and said, “I will never agree to cooperation with someone terrified of the three major races.”

Su Yu nodded and asked, “Do you have anything specific in mind?”

“I won’t make things difficult for you. At least three Daofuses.” Great Bamboo Marquis smiled and said, “I can even provide you with a clue. Historically, the Myriad Race Assembly has always convened its meeting at the Human Mountain. That is a neutral territory at the center of the Upper Realm. Back then, humanity intended to make that place the new imperial palace. But the plan was left incomplete after the collapse of the ancient past.

“There is a small palace up on the Human Mountain. That is the usual venue of the Myriad Race Assembly. I believe the three major races will be there in advance to prepare for the coming meeting. You can find their experts there.

“That is a neutral territory away from the territories of the three major races. It’s the perfect place for the assembly since the various experts won’t be comfortable meeting in the territory of others. You can probably kill a few fellows there, but escaping after that won’t be easy.

“If you can kill some experts from the three major races and return to tell the story, you will gain the support of my race. I’m talking about full support.”

April and the others stared at Great Bamboo Marquis with admiration.

How impressive. This marquis had given Emperor Yu a difficult problem to solve right after arriving. To gain their support, he had to first demonstrate his power. He would need to kill some experts from the three major races at the center of the Upper Realm.

April interjected, “The Human Mountain might be masterless, but the territories of the three major races are not too far away.”

He solemnly said, “The Human Mountain is surrounded on all sides. You might end up surrounded and killed during your escape.”

At that, September’s expression changed. But Su Yu appeared calm. He smiled and asked, “So you will be willing to ally with us if we can kill three Daofuses. Is that right?”

“Of course.” Great Bamboo Marquis said, “But you need to survive the attempt. Otherwise, there won’t be a need for us to talk further.”

Su Yu nodded and asked, “Must I deal with those ancient humans as well? I’m honestly more partial to ignoring them…”

“Yes. You need to deal with them.” Great Bamboo Marquis said, “If you leave them to their own devices, they might run around doing stupid things and mess with your plans.”

Su Yu said helplessly, “None of this is an easy request, Senior.”

“That is the price to have we risk the survival of our race for you.” Great Bamboo Marquis said, “Of course, you don’t need to attack the Human Mountain. You can also pick one territory and focus on it. Run after killing three Daofuses. Or you can simply wait somewhere. Their Daofuses can’t stay at one place for long so maybe you’ll get lucky and catch some lone Daofuses somewhere. Then again, you have a time limit of ten days. You might get lucky, but you might also get unlucky.”

September couldn’t resist asking, “Ancestor, isn’t that too short? Ten days? That’s not even enough for us to investigate the terrain of the place we’re attacking.”

Great Bamboo Marquis said, “In that case, I also have a question for you. Don’t you think that the Lower Realm iron devourers were too rash when they decided to support humanity just like that? This concerns the survival of our entire race. Do you think we can make such a decision so lightly?”

September was left with no argument.

“But…”

“No buts.” Great Bamboo Marquis said, “The Lower Realm and the Upper Realm are different. Down there, you only have two Daofuses to send. The myriad races won’t act against us so easily because of that. Our race is not weak.

He looked at Su Yu and said, “If Emperor Yu can accomplish these tasks, I won’t go back on my word. You will have our support. Otherwise, don’t bother to visit us anymore.

“The various races are paying close attention to us. They are also keeping an eye out for your people. Frequent visits will only bring trouble to us. Don’t you agree?”

Su Yu nodded, “Yes. I have been too neglectful.”

“No, you’re not neglectful.” Great Bamboo Marquis said, “You’re merely confident. So be it. Confidence isn’t a bad thing to have. Just don’t turn confidence into conceit. These are my terms. That is all.”

Su Yu nodded. He stood up and said, “In that case, I’ll be taking my leave.”

He smiled and said, “September, stay here for now.”

“Lord…” September hurriedly said, “I can go with you!”

“No. It’s fine.” Su Yu said, “Stay and learn from the seniors here. Wait for my news.”

Great Bamboo Marquis said, “September is a Daofuse. An additional Daofuse can be very helpful. Are you sure you’re not taking him with you?”

“It’s fine.” Su Yu said, “Merely three Daofuses. Not three pseudo kings. One additional Daofuse on my side won’t make much difference. September has inherited Senior February’s devouring dao. Please provide him with some pointers during his time here. He’s still too weak right now.”

Su Yu looked at September and said, “Stay here. The next time I see you, I want to see a stronger September. A tier-five Daofuse is truly too weak.”

September nodded solemnly and said, “Yes. Take care, Lord.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Su Yu cupped his fist at the iron devourers and said, “See you in ten days.”

Then, he transformed back into an iron devourer before leaving.

***

With Su Yu gone, April asked, “Great Bamboo Marquis, this…isn’t this task too dangerous?”

Even if they weren’t interested in cooperation, there was no need to send these humans to death, right?

Great Bamboo Marquis was still eating. He said, “He can give up if he finds it too dangerous. How can they expect us to take risks while they take zero risk? How can they win our support with some empty words?”

He looked at September and repeated himself, “The Lower Realm is the Lower Realm, while the Upper Realm is the Upper Realm. You believe that he’s capable of anything. But that’s based on his performance in the Lower Realm. The Upper Realm is filled with experts. Can he continue running rampant here?”

September argued unyieldingly, “Even the dragons have been defeated!”

“Fool.” Great Bamboo Marquis snorted and said, “That’s the result of a surprise attack. Can he repeat the same feat now that the myriad races are all wary? You can ask him if he’s confident he can repeat that feat. The dragons are nothing. They aren’t even half as strong as one of the three major races. No, they don’t even have one-third the strength of one of the three major races.

“So what if he can defeat the dragons? Is he strong enough to face the three major races? Do you think he has plenty of time to grow?”

Great Bamboo Marquis snorted and said, “We’re out of time. The connection to the Lower Realm will be restored soon. At that point, this little advantage he enjoys will be gone.”

At present, Su Yu enjoyed the advantage of secrecy. But that advantage would be rendered pointless the moment the connection to the Lower Realm was restored.

After thinking about it, September laughed and said, “It doesn’t matter. I believe in Emperor Yu. He can win even without that advantage. Ancestor, you have been up here for too long. You don’t understand. You have never witnessed his miracles. He can do anything. A year ago, the Lower Realm humans did not have a single Daofuse. With dozens of Daofuses, the myriad races held the absolute advantage. A year later, humanity won. They would have conquered the entire Lower Realm long ago if it weren’t for the sake of fooling the Upper Realm myriad races.”

September declared confidently, “I am sure Emperor Yu will return in ten days with a glorious result.”

Great Bamboo Marquis said, “If that’s really the case, I won’t mind joining them. If he fails, you won’t have any argument against our refusal to ally with them anymore. Why are you getting so agitated right now? Just wait and see.”

September grumbled to himself before shutting his mouth.

***

At the same time, Su Yu was walking out of Bamboo Mountain.

Before long, he vanished with a flicker.

Shortly after, he regrouped with Lan Tian and the others. Lan Tian said, “Why is the fat bear ordering us around? Why don’t we remove him and be done with it?”

“…”

Su Yu rolled his eyes and said, “Piss off.”

Lan Tian laughed and said, “That’s a joke. By the way, that little guy is here.”

At that, Great Zhou King stepped forth with the captured General Wen Qi.

Stable Army Marquis stepped forth and said anxiously, “Emperor Yu, Wen Qi—”

Su Yu stopped him with a wave of his hand.

He looked at Wen Qi. With his dao sealed, Wen Qi’s eyes were filled with fear and confusion. But when he saw Su Yu, his eyes flickered as he said, “Emperor Yu? I am WenQi, a subordinate under South Suppression Marquis. I do not mean you harm. In fact, I have been looking for you, Lord. But I wasn’t able to…”

He was speaking the truth. But Su Yu said nothing. He stared at Wen Qi for a bit before stuffing Wen Qi into his Mark of Civilization.

Stable Army Marquis was about to say something again, but Su Yu said, “Enough. This is an insignificant figure. Put him aside for now. Great Bamboo Marquis gave me two difficult tasks. Upon success, we will gain four…no, maybe five Daofuses on our side. Two of them are heavenly kings. April and May are respectively tier-one and tier-two Daofuses. They also have a tier-three Daofuse among them. This is a force we can’t give up on. They are actually stronger than us.”

Wen Qi was far too insignificant to deserve his attention for now. Wen Qi was nothing compared to the iron devourers. After repeating Great Bamboo Marquis’ words to the group, Great Zhou King and Great Ming King frowned.

Launching another attack when things were already so tense.

Unlike before, the myriad races were not unprepared anymore.

Furthermore, they had to kill the Daofuses of the three major races instead of some other race. Currently, their Daofuses could only be found in their own territories, the Human Mountain, and the Dao Origin Land.

All were extremely dangerous locations. The moment their path of escape was severed, all of them would end up dead. Great Zhou King and the others stared at Su Yu silently. This wouldn’t be an easy mission. Su Yu rubbed his chin and sank into thought.

They couldn’t act rashly as that might result in a complete defeat. The two tasks given by Great Bamboo Marquis were indeed difficult.