Chapter 1688: Horse Stomps the Sky
The Heavenly Court camp was in chaos. If the Great Luo Heaven were to fall, the destruction would likely cause heavy casualties among the various military camps of the Heavenly Court!
Countless gods and demons immediately soared into the air, each activating their divine abilities, expanding their physical forms into towering giants that seemed to prop up the heavens, attempting to hold up the plummeting Great Luo Heaven.
Just as they were about to make contact with the Great Luo Heaven, a Dao Flower suddenly appeared. The flower spun, growing larger and larger, and lifted the falling Great Luo Heaven.
Tai Chu’s face was ashen. He urged the Dao Tree to fly over, its roots extending in all directions, burrowing into the Great Luo Heaven that had split in two, trying to reconnect the fractured halves.
The Great Luo Heaven was the imprint of the Great Dao in the ultimate void, a manifestation of the Dao. Although Qin Mu had managed to split his Great Luo Heaven apart, he could not yet damage his Dao foundation.
All Tai Chu needed to do was merge the split Great Luo Heaven, and he would return to his peak state. However, the blow Qin Mu had dealt to his Dao heart could not be restored in a short time.
He had planned to ambush Qin Mu and had prepared well in advance, but unfortunately, Qin Mu was no longer the same person he was during the Yan Kang Calamity. Both in wisdom and methods, he had surpassed Tai Chu by a great margin.
Back then, Qin Mu had been at his mercy, utterly oppressed, like a naive child.
Now, everything seemed reversed. The schemes he had spent over twenty years devising were like the antics of a foolish child before Qin Mu. Not only were they easily broken, but he himself had also suffered severe damage.
Suddenly, the Great Luo Heaven split apart again. Tai Chu let out a muffled groan, a mouthful of blood rising to his throat. He clamped his mouth shut, but the blood surged up through his nasal cavity and sprayed from his nostrils.
He was still injured. Qin Mu had not only taken away the Azure Dragon’s soul but had also gravely wounded him!
“Emperor Father, if you make any more moves in the future, it would be best to inform me in advance.”
Emperor Hao came up behind him, speaking indifferently: “Every failure of yours is a blow to the morale of the Heavenly Court army. The Heavenly Court cannot afford more failures right now.”
Tai Chu’s back muscles tightened. He did not turn around, nor did he dare to wipe the blood flowing from his nose. He said in a deep voice: “Your Majesty’s lesson is well taken. I understand. However, Mu Tianzun should also be injured. To ambush me, he had to summon the Azure Dragon’s soul while simultaneously casting spells against me, leaving himself defenseless. He must have been severely wounded by my divine abilities!”
Emperor Hao smiled faintly, a hint of mockery in his expression: “Do you really think he would be severely wounded by your divine abilities? Emperor Father, you are still so self-righteous. In this world, there is no one left who can severely wound him through ambush. You are old. You cannot defeat him. What you need to do is obediently await my orders and stop being so presumptuous.”
Emperor Hao raised his hand, and vast divine power surged forth, helping him stabilize the Great Luo Heaven that was about to split again: “Your methods are outdated. They cannot deal with him.”
Tai Chu fell silent. After a moment, he said: “I still think he is injured.”
Emperor Hao said no more. After helping him stabilize the Great Luo Heaven, he turned and left.
Meanwhile, Qin Mu summoned the three souls of the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon, sealed them within a dragon scale, and handed it to the soldier from Jiangling. The soldier immediately left with the dragon scale, returning to Jiangling through the teleportation portal.
Qin Mu dispersed the altar, withdrew his primordial spirit, and sighed in admiration: “Tai Chu is indeed formidable. He managed to injure me. My estimation of him was still off. He should have already cultivated the Seventy-Two Treasure Halls, elevating his divine power and cultivation to another level, making his path of achieving Dao through force even more mature.”
Ling Yuxiu stepped forward, took out some medicine, and wiped the wound on his knuckles, saying with concern: “You must not push yourself like this next time.”
Qin Mu nodded: “Madam’s lesson is well taken. Next time, I’ll let Shang Jun block him.”
Yun Tianzun stared at the wound on his knuckles but said nothing.
Just now, when Qin Mu was performing the ritual to summon the Azure Dragon’s soul, Tai Chu’s divine ability had struck without warning, extremely dangerous!
Tai Chu’s divine ability had followed the thread of the Soul Summoning Art straight to its source, truly catching one off guard. Even Yun Tianzun felt the immense danger!
At that moment, Qin Mu had unleashed all his methods, standing on the altar as various divine abilities burst forth, blocking and dismantling Tai Chu’s attacks one by one!
The most astonishing thing was that the power of Tai Chu’s divine abilities had not even managed to spread beyond the altar before being completely neutralized!
This was what shocked Yun Tianzun the most!
Mu Tianzun, who established his Dao through divine abilities, had reached a level of mastery in divine abilities that was beyond comprehension. Yun Tianzun had clashed with Tai Chu many times and was well aware of his profound skill in divine abilities, holding him in high regard. Although Tai Chu achieved Dao through force, his mastery of the Primordial One Qi was extremely high—arguably the foremost expert in that field!
Similarly, he was highly proficient in Tai Chu’s Dao, having cultivated his Dao realm to a deep level, reaching over twenty layers of the Dao realm.
Yet, despite all that, when he launched a sneak attack, the power of his divine abilities could not even leave the altar!
One must know that the power of a Dao-achiever’s divine abilities, when unleashed, could destroy most of the Pure Land of the Carefree Realm. Yet such immense power was confined to the altar by Qin Mu!
In the end, Tai Chu’s divine ability only managed to injure Qin Mu’s knuckle. Qin Mu lamented that his own divine abilities were not perfect, but the shock he gave others was unparalleled!
After Ling Yuxiu finished treating the wound on his knuckle, Qin Mu looked up at the sky. The massive face of the Heavenly Lord loomed over the western region, countless Sun Guardians gathering beneath his visage as the Xuan Du army prepared for battle.
“The power of the Heavenly Court is truly too great.”
He frowned slightly. The Heavenly Court possessed ten or even dozens of times the military strength of the Carefree Realm and Yan Kang. For now, the Heavenly Court’s army was blocked by the Carefree Realm, and the battlefield had not yet fully expanded. But once it did, the Carefree Realm would likely be unable to escape disaster!
“At that time, even the Celestial Venerables and Dao-achievers will have to take the field!”
Qin Mu’s chest swelled. The most dangerous place was not the Carefree Realm but the Western Lands. The Western Lands would likely be impossible to hold!
“Before the Carefree Realm suffers a major defeat, we must pacify the forces in the east, south, and north. Otherwise, Yan Kang will be surrounded and annihilated!”
East Sea.
The messenger from Jiangling walked out of the teleportation portal and quickly made his way through the Yan Kang god and demon army camps to the Eastern Sea camp.
Under the tiger-shaped tent, Yan Kang’s National Teacher, Jiang Baigui, looked up as he saw him. His eyes still showed no emotional fluctuation, but he unconsciously stood up.
The messenger hurried forward, presented the Azure Dragon’s dragon scale, and said solemnly: “National Teacher, Mu Tianzun has summoned the three souls of the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon and sealed them within this dragon scale!”
Yan Kang’s National Teacher took the dragon scale and said: “You have worked hard. Go and rest.”
“This general is not tired!”
Yan Kang’s National Teacher glanced at him and revealed a faint smile: “Good. When the war begins, you will follow me into battle. Someone, summon the Earth Virtue Primordial Lord!”
“No need, I am already here!”
A gentle voice came. Yan Kang’s National Teacher followed the sound and saw Earth Virtue Primordial Lord Gongsun Yan walking forward. He quickly turned his head and looked toward the Yan Kang capital city. Seeing that the Primordial Tree was still there, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Gongsun Yan said: “I left my main body in the capital and came in physical form, so as not to alert the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor.”
Yan Kang’s National Teacher bowed in greeting and said: “Primordial Lord’s consideration is most wise. If your main body had come, the Azure Emperor, even though he hates the Azure Dragon to the bone, would not dare to go to war. If he does not go to war, we cannot capture and subdue him alive. Listen to my orders, prepare the three armies!”
His orders were relayed, and from the various camps on the sea, military horns sounded. The Duke of Wei, the Heavenly Strategist General, the King of Mount Tai, Qin Feiyue, and other military lords began reviewing their troops.
On the sea, the camps stretched like a wall ten thousand miles long. In the sky, flying divine cities hovered. Beneath the sea, massive gods and demons lurked in orderly formation, ready for action at any moment.
Yan Kang’s National Teacher calculated the time down to the minute. Suddenly, he said in a deep voice: “Beat the drums, present the Eastern Emperor’s divine artifact!”
At his command, the drums roared, shaking the East Sea waters into rolling waves and splitting the sky. Amidst the towering waves, the camp gates opened, and a colossal Azure Dragon divine artifact was pushed forward by thousands of Yan Kang divine beings.
The divine artifact sat on a massive sea platform, as if the Eastern Emperor himself were alive!
The Azure Dragon coiled, its claws gripping a spirit treasure mountain used for grinding teeth!
That was the spirit treasure mountain that the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon had lost to Qin Mu when he visited the Eastern Extreme Heaven and was defeated by him!
This Azure Dragon divine artifact was a creation artifact crafted by Yan Kang’s Creation Divine Artifact, modeled after the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon’s form, similar to the Divine Artifact Imperial Heaven!
However, this artifact was made of flesh and blood, containing the Azure Dragon’s Dao, and possessed immense power.
As soon as the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon divine artifact appeared, across the camp, celestial palaces and divine cities stretched endlessly. The Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor, leading sixty military lords of the Eastern Heaven, had established a vast, golden continent on the sea. In comparison, the Jiangling front line appeared extremely small!
The two sides were vastly different in size and military strength, but the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor held his position firmly. No matter how Yan Kang’s National Teacher provoked him, he remained still and refused to engage.
If Yan Kang launched a strong attack, they would fall into a disadvantageous position, so the stalemate continued.
When Jiangling brought out this Azure Dragon divine artifact, the Heavenly Court camp on the opposite side was not idle either. The gates opened wide, revealing a colossal Azure Dragon!
The dragon was ferocious and menacing, its body vast and boundless, exuding the unique Dao aura of an ancient god, suppressing the East Sea. However, the dragon had no head—it had been severed at the neck. This was the physical body of the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon!
Tai Chu had slain the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon, sealed the Azure Dragon Celestial Venerable’s head in a box, and sent it to Emperor Hao, while leaving the body for the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor!
On Yan Kang’s side, they only had an Eastern Emperor artifact, while the opposite side possessed the Azure Dragon’s actual body. Clearly, the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor intended to show off his power and crush the confidence of Yan Kang’s National Teacher.
Not only that, but within the Eastern Heaven camp, blood energy hung like an inverted sea in the sky, dense and thick above the sixty military lords’ camps. It was evident that the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor had even moved the birthplace of the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon in the Eastern Extreme Heaven—the sacred land of the Ten Thousand Dragon Nests—over here!
The Ten Thousand Dragon Nests were brimming with vigorous blood energy and vitality, enough to protect the countless troops of the sixty military lords, allowing them to regenerate severed limbs and fear no injury on the battlefield, like a colossal creation artifact!
Despite having far superior strength, forces, and treasures compared to Yan Kang, the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor still refused to leave his camp and fight.
Yan Kang’s National Teacher, Jiang Baigui, waved his hand, and the thousands of divine beings escorting the Eastern Emperor artifact retreated back to their camp.
Then, a small boat sailed out from the camp. Jiang Baigui stood at the bow of the boat, and in the center of the boat stood a scrawny, red old horse. The boat cut a straight line across the sea, stopping in front of the Eastern Emperor artifact’s head.
On the opposite side, the Eastern Heaven camp remained eerily quiet. No one came out to fight.
Jiang Baigui’s boat came to a halt. He took off his crown and placed it on the bow, then removed his hairpin, letting his hair hang loose.
He drew his divine sword and the Azure Dragon’s dragon scale, holding the sword as he performed a ritual before the dragon’s head.
Still, there was no movement from the opposite side.
The Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor ascended the city wall, leisurely took a seat, and ordered fine wine and delicacies to be brought up. Watching the scene from afar, he laughed: “That Yan Kang brat Jiang Baigui is full of tricks. Now he’s putting on another act to lure me into battle.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the sea suddenly churned with waves. From the dragon scale, a brilliant azure light burst forth. A colossal Azure Dragon soared into the air from within the scale, vast and boundless. In an instant, dragon roars echoed endlessly, and the sea split open with a crack, forming a chasm stretching for countless miles!
At that moment, within the Eastern Heaven camp, countless divine dragons from the Eastern Extreme Heaven, now slaves, roared in unison, howling at the sky, shaking the binding ropes on their bodies with a clatter!
Those divine dragons were the descendants of the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon. After his death, the Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor had occupied the Eastern Extreme Heaven, capturing all of the Azure Dragon’s offspring. Some were killed, some imprisoned, their tendons pulled and skins flayed, even made into dragon liver feasts!
Those who survived were reduced to slaves, bound with ropes, and treated like livestock for his army to ride into battle, to vent his long-held hatred.
These divine dragons sensed the aura of their ancestor and became restless, causing chaos among the various armies. Countless gods and demons raised their whips, lashing the agitated dragons until they were bloody and mangled.
However, the sacred land of the Ten Thousand Dragon Nests in the Eastern Extreme Heaven suddenly erupted with violent blood energy, causing the blood energy of countless Eastern Heaven soldiers to go haywire, making them feel extremely uncomfortable!
The Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor’s face changed drastically. The wine cup in his hand shattered with a pop. He stood up abruptly, staring at the Azure Dragon soul that had suddenly appeared on the sea!
That dragon soul was incredibly powerful. Under Jiang Baigui’s ritual, it involuntarily drifted toward the Eastern Emperor artifact and entered its body!
“ROAR——”
The artifact suddenly came to life. The Azure Dragon stretched its body, and countless Azure Dragon Dao patterns and runes on its surface lit up brilliantly. With a mighty roar, the split sea exploded. Boom, boom, boom! The East Sea split into a cross shape, cracking all the way to the front of the Eastern Heaven army’s camp, causing countless divine cities to sway!
The Azure Dragon coiled its body, grabbed the spirit treasure mountain, and stuffed it into its mouth to grind its teeth, sharpening them to a gleaming shine. Its voice was thunderously loud: “Azure Emperor, how dare you treat my corpse and my descendants with such disrespect! I will fight you to the death! Jiang Baigui!”
The Azure Dragon’s head lowered, its massive face, like an enormous mountain, floating before Yan Kang’s National Teacher, Jiang Baigui. Its breath caused Jiang Baigui’s robes to flutter backward. On the boat, the scrawny red old horse was already terrified, lying prostrate on the deck, trembling and soiling itself.
“Jiang Baigui, how many troops will you give me? I will charge into the enemy camp and bring you the Azure Emperor’s head!”
Yan Kang’s National Teacher pulled the scrawny red old horse to its feet and said solemnly: “Azure Dragon Celestial Venerable, a famous general deserves a fine steed, and a precious sword is given to a hero! This is a Fire Dragon Steed, exceptionally brave and fierce, capable of aiding the Celestial Venerable in battle.”
The Azure Dragon lowered its head to look. The old horse was scrawny and bony, clearly just an ordinary horse. Terrified by his divine might, it had been soiling itself all the way, trembling and unable to stand steady.
Jiang Baigui’s spirit soared with passion, his voice like thunder as he shouted: “Celestial Venerable, let your horse stomp across the sky! I will beat the war drums to cheer you on. This campaign will surely be victorious!”