Chapter 886: The Primordial Realm, The Great Lord Chapter
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord did not give them time to reminisce. This ancient god turned the Primordial Wood, and the sphere formed by its roots, like a massive hammer, struck heavily against the chest of the "Imperial Heaven Lord," who was still in a state of shock.
The "Imperial Heaven Lord" tumbled and rolled, crashing into the barrier of the Primordial Realm. Like a stone skipping across the water's surface, he was bounced up and down by the world's boundary.
The force of this blow was too strong, and the "Imperial Heaven Lord" was also too powerful, smashing enormous holes into the barrier of the Primordial Realm.
These holes were like wounds on the Primordial Realm. The spatial barrier slowly healed but could not recover immediately.
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord shrieked. She raised two fingers, and countless roots from the sphere of the Primordial Wood shot out like dragons, hissing as they pierced through the wounds on the "Imperial Heaven Lord's" body!
Qin Mu had said this was her only chance, so she would not let it slip. No matter what, she had to take advantage of the "Imperial Heaven Lord's" severe injury to kill him.
If she failed, she would be the one to die!
"Infinite Primordial Magnetism!"
The roots of the Primordial Wood passed through the sword wounds on the "Imperial Heaven Lord's" body and emerged from his back. Primordial Magnetism burst forth from the roots, merging with them in a dazzling divine light.
Countless roots wove through him, lifting the "Imperial Heaven Lord" into the air. They crisscrossed in the starry sky, then flowed back into the root sphere, forming a massive "∞" symbol.
Qin Mu looked at those roots and saw that the Primordial Magnetism runes on them had formed countless halos, spinning around the roots. These roots, carrying the runes, continuously shuttled back and forth, returning to the great root ball.
The power of Primordial Magnetism was immense. It drained the essence from the "Imperial Heaven Lord's" physical body, weakening him as much as possible. The terrifying Primordial Magnetism divine power crushed the Dao runes within his body, causing incalculable damage to both his physical form and his primordial spirit.
Previously, the "Imperial Heaven Lord" who descended to the lower realm was merely an experimental subject used by the Heavenly Court's Sovereigns, with cultivation only at the Divine Bridge realm. But this time, the "Imperial Heaven Lord" who descended was inhabited by the primordial spirit of the Heavenly Lord Hao.
The power of the Earth Mother Primordial Lord's divine ability and the Primordial Wood was too strong, causing immense destruction to his primordial spirit as well.
One by one, various heavens were forcibly pulled in by the terrifying Primordial Magnetism divine light, crashing down onto the "Imperial Heaven Lord" with a thunderous roar. The pressure would have easily crushed any existence at the Emperor Seat realm!
"Earth Mother, Heavenly Lord Mu, you underestimate this realm of the Heavenly Court!"
Behind the "Imperial Heaven Lord," a majestic Heavenly Court emerged—heavenly palaces, treasure halls, all resplendent and magnificent. His power erupted, and the spinning runes on the roots of the Primordial Wood instantly halted. The roots stopped flowing, and the "∞" symbol they formed unfurled into a great circle.
The various heavens pressing down on his body also began to drift away.
Then, the Primordial Magnetism runes on the roots began to reverse their flow. The essence that the Earth Mother had just seized started flowing back into his body!
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord let out a continuous shriek. More roots shot out from the Primordial Wood's root ball, some thick and massive enough to pierce into the "Imperial Heaven Lord's" Heavenly Court, collapsing palaces and attempting to destroy the heavenly palace.
The trunk and canopy of the Primordial Wood only accounted for a tenth of the true Primordial Wood. The Earth Mother Primordial Lord's greatest strength lay in her roots.
Her form also moved closer to the "Imperial Heaven Lord," with the Primordial Wood following behind her as she flew.
But from within the tree canopy, Qin Mu suddenly leaped out of the bird's nest. His body was surrounded by countless rapidly spinning teleportation runes, transforming into a faint stream of light that flew toward the shrinking "wound" in the Primordial Realm's spatial barrier.
"Heavenly Lord Mu, I have been waiting for you for a million years!"
From the mouth of the "Imperial Heaven Lord" came a voice that was neither laughing nor crying: "A million years ago, you had the advantage of hindsight, using techniques from a million years later to fight me, which is why I lost to you! But a million years later, I have the advantage of foresight. I have a million years of wisdom, a million years to repair and perfect the Heavenly Court!"
As Qin Mu fell, he looked back and saw the two terrifying divine beings locked in close combat. Behind the "Imperial Heaven Lord," within the majestic Heavenly Court, in the various heavenly palaces and treasure halls, stood faceless divine beings, like lords of those palaces, like great emperors.
"The Heavenly Lord Hao has immersed himself in this realm of the Heavenly Court for so long, he truly possesses incredible abilities."
Qin Mu accelerated his descent, thinking to himself: "But he has already been severely wounded, with the Earth Mother seizing the initiative. If he were to fight to the death, he might still have a chance to kill her, but he is someone who values his life. A million years ago, it was the same; a million years later, it is no different. For the sake of his position in the Heavenly Court, he will not allow himself to be too heavily damaged. He will inevitably abandon the Earth Mother and return to the Heavenly Court. Until his injuries heal, he will not make any major moves."
The barrier of the Primordial Realm healed, and his figure disappeared into the realm.
Outside the heavens, the two incredibly terrifying beings continued their slaughter. Their divine abilities repeatedly tore open the sky of the Primordial Realm, allowing the beings below to see their fearsome figures and be awed by the power they displayed.
In the battle beyond the heavens, the Earth Mother's injuries grew heavier, and she gradually began to struggle.
"Heavenly Lord Mu, what should I do next?" Her thoughts rippled, and only then did she realize that Qin Mu was no longer in the tree canopy.
The Earth Mother felt a pang of panic. Qin Mu's guidance had allowed her to turn the tables, but now she was losing ground again, and Qin Mu had vanished. Fear of death crept into her heart.
But even more afraid than her was the Heavenly Lord Hao.
After all, the Earth Mother had nothing left to lose, while he still had everything.
His position in the Heavenly Court was too high, so high that he could not afford to suffer too much damage. Otherwise, the other Sovereigns in the Heavenly Court would be more than happy to seize his power!
If he continued to fight recklessly, he would face this bitter outcome.
However, if he failed to eliminate the Earth Mother, it would also be a great blow to his prestige.
To this day, no Sovereign from the Heavenly Court had descended to help him. Even the Heavenly Lord Fire, who had once been his follower, had not come down to assist. Those in the Heavenly Court who usually treated him like a kindred spirit now seemed to be waiting for an opportunity—a chilling opportunity.
Just then, a face appeared beyond the heavens—the face of another "Imperial Heaven Lord."
The Heavenly Lord Hao's heart leaped with joy, then sank. That "Imperial Heaven Lord" did not make a move but watched from afar, a smile on his face.
"Does Your Majesty need help?" that "Imperial Heaven Lord" said with a laugh.
Hearing this voice, the Heavenly Lord Hao immediately knew which Sovereign of the Heavenly Court this person was.
In the Primordial Realm.
Qin Mu landed and looked around. Everywhere was devastation.
The Heavenly Court's army, led by the Heavenly Lord Hao, was riding great warships, beginning to eradicate the forces within the Primordial Realm. They flattened the nations built by the demigod races inhabiting the realm, burning, killing, and looting.
Now, the Primordial Realm had become a world of utter chaos. Demons and monsters roamed freely. Divine beings and demons fought in the clouds, and from time to time, mountain-sized heads fell from the sky.
Whoosh—
Above his head, a massive demon god flew past, fleeing in panic, followed by hundreds of divine weapons that split the sky and killed the demon god.
Qin Mu hadn't gone far before he saw a river of blood. The corpse of that demon god lay before him, like a great mountain blocking his path.
A squad of Heavenly Court divine beings arrived from behind. Someone laughed, "Lift the corpse! It still has its uses!"
Qin Mu hid in the shadows, watching them carry away the demon god's corpse. Only after they left did he emerge from hiding.
He walked through this chaotic, murderous world. He saw terrifying gods uprooting mountains and hurling them at the nations of the demigod races, crushing imperial cities to dust and countless demigods to pieces.
He also saw dragons among the demigods being skinned. The Heavenly Court's divine beings hung the divine dragons on mountains, casually summoning heavenly fire to roast them.
Dazed, he walked through this boundless battlefield. Everywhere, Heavenly Court gods were burning, killing, and looting. The divine kingdom established by the Phoenix race had been conquered by the Heavenly Court's army. Countless handsome Phoenix men and women had become slaves in the army, used by those gods to satisfy their bestial desires.
He saw gods hanging at the mountain gate of a certain heavenly realm, which had been smashed to pieces. Countless demigod slaves, pierced through their bodies, trudged forward under the lash of the gods.
The Primordial Realm was ablaze with war. The Heavenly Court's army used the corpses of gods and demons to build towering altars, conducting blood sacrifices.
The sky was filled with dazzling bloodlight. More and more Heavenly Court divine armies, riding warships, entered the Primordial Realm through blood sacrifices, attacking even larger forces.
The number of warships in the sky grew, and so did the number of gods.
"Where is the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor?" Qin Mu murmured. "Have you descended? I've already given you the chance to act... What about the human race? What about the humans in the Great Ruins?"
This war was spreading and would soon reach Eternal Peace.
"Son of the Netherworld?"
Suddenly, a god spotted him and unrolled a scroll, laughing heartily: "Seeking him far and wide, but finding him with no effort at all! The Son of the Netherworld is here!"
Qin Mu remained expressionless. He manifested three heads and six arms, his body growing taller and larger. His third head was that of a big-headed doll.
"Where my body is, there is the Netherworld!"
The big-headed doll looked dazedly at this devastated, chaotic world: "But this place is even more terrifying than the Netherworld."
In the Southern Sea, a falling star collapsed, trailing a long flame as it plunged into the sea, stirring up monstrous waves.
On the surface of the Southern Sea, within the heavenly palace of the remnants of the Chi Ming race, countless Chi Ming divine beings fought against the Heavenly Court's divine army. Chi Xi led the resistance, buying time for his people to retreat.
His comrades grew fewer and fewer, until finally, only he stood alone on the Execution God Platform, roaring and fighting. In the end, he was overwhelmed by the sea of gods and demons.
"Come with me on the road to death!" he let out one final roar. "Sacrifice!"
His lifeblood was devoured by the Execution God Platform. This Emperor Seat-level platform seemed to come alive, awakening from its slumber. Its power erupted, and a tide of blood surged, devouring the lifeblood of countless surrounding gods. Those who rushed onto the platform rapidly turned into dried corpses, frozen in various poses.
Chi Xi, the divine being, lost his breath. His vision grew blurry.
"The Son of Chi Ming should have led the tribe far away by now... And my disciple, I wonder if he is safe..."
Before his complete death, he saw the Great Lord, like an old rabbit, scurrying and hiding in the destroyed Chi Ming Heavenly Palace.
Chi Xi showed a final smile: "He runs so fast..."
Ban Gongcuo fled the Chi Ming Heavenly Palace in panic, pursued by hundreds of gods as he made his way to Eternal Peace. After all, Qin Mu had honored him as the number one escape artist. Even several hundred gods couldn't stop him. He even encountered blockades by beings at the Jade Pool and Jade Capital realms but still managed to escape.
The sky was dim, the sun and moon unseen. The celestial map was torn apart by war and set ablaze by divine fire, like a burning scroll.
Ban Gongcuo fled under this scroll, finally reaching the mainland. He was covered in wounds but still managed a smile: "No one in this world can kill me! No one! Not Sect Leader Qin, and certainly not anyone else!"
Just then, he saw gods fighting ahead. The warship fleet of Eternal Peace was carrying countless mortals northward, but one by one, the ships fell under the divine abilities of the gods and demons.
"None of my business."
He was about to detour and find a place to hide when his gaze froze, fixed on the figure resisting the Heavenly Court's gods. He couldn't look away.
It was the First Ancestor Human Sovereign, fighting desperately under the siege of dozens of Heavenly Court divine generals, protecting those warships so that the cultivators on board could lead these mortals to safety.
The flames of war illuminated the faces on those ships—faces full of fear, women and children.
"None of my business. I've never done a good deed in my life. For ten thousand years, I've done nothing but evil..."
Ban Gongcuo chuckled and fled far away. Just then, the First Ancestor Human Sovereign's body crashed down from the sky, sliding dozens of miles before stopping at his feet. A being at the Jade Capital realm descended from the heavens, driving a sword toward the First Ancestor's chest.
Without thinking, Ban Gongcuo transformed into a wisp of black smoke, wrapping around the First Ancestor Human Sovereign and fleeing.
"Stop!"
The First Ancestor's body trembled, shaking off the black smoke. He didn't look at Ban Gongcuo but stared at the pursuing Heavenly Court powerhouse: "You escort those people away!"
He charged back at the gods, not looking back.
Ban Gongcuo stood stunned. Silently, he flew up and landed on a warship. The ship sped northward. Behind him, the figures of the First Ancestor Human Sovereign and the gods flickered in the darkness. The shockwaves of their divine abilities reached here, causing the warships to creak and groan, threatening to fall apart at any moment.
"Land the ship. We'll walk."
Ban Gongcuo smiled at the despairing cultivators: "I've been running my whole life. I guarantee I can lead you out of here alive!"
The warship landed, and the people filed off.
"Once we reach the Li River Academy, we'll be fine."
Ban Gongcuo led them forward, comforting the crowd: "At the Li River Academy, the National Teacher of Eternal Peace has built a teleportation platform. We can teleport directly to the capital."
The people moved through the darkness, not knowing where they were. Along the way, they encountered more displaced people, and the group grew larger.
Ban Gongcuo became their pillar of strength. The sun never appeared in the sky, and the moon and stars were gone. He was the only one who could find the way in the dark.
He led them for over ten days. More and more people fell behind, dying by the roadside.
"There was a time when I could have become the Human Sovereign."
Ban Gongcuo said to the cultivators: "That was at the end of the era of the Supreme Emperor. I led the remnants of the Supreme Emperor through the darkness, fleeing all the way. I almost became the First Ancestor Human Sovereign of that era, heh heh..."
That day, the Li River Academy came into view.
But the refugees despaired as they saw a Heavenly Court warship descending from the sky, its prow lined with faces as hard as stone.
"Great Lord!" The cultivators guarding the refugees looked around, but Ban Gongcuo had already vanished.
The crowd was in despair.
In the darkness, Ban Gongcuo looked back at the gods descending from the warship, walking toward the people he had once protected.
"I've been running my whole life. I won't fall here. I've killed countless people, never done a good deed!"
Ban Gongcuo panted heavily, chuckling: "No one has ever caught me! Not even Sect Leader Qin! Heh heh, heh heh..."
His breathing grew heavier. He dragged his heavy steps out of the darkness, walking toward the Heavenly Court's divine beings: "I could have become the Human Sovereign, the First Ancestor Human Sovereign... No one can kill me! Come on!"
He faced the Heavenly Court gods, laughing: "Come on! I've been running my whole damn life..."
The gods stared at him coldly.
He turned to the cultivators of Eternal Peace and smiled: "Take them and go. Cross this mountain, and you'll see the Li River Academy! I'll hold them here!"
The cultivators led the people away in panic.
After a long time, the blood-soaked First Ancestor Human Sovereign arrived at the scene. Amid the broken and brutal battlefield, he found Ban Gongcuo's corpse.
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign closed his eyes, letting him rest in peace: "Back then, I was just a deserter. I never thought I would become the Human Sovereign."
He continued forward, catching up with the fleeing people.
Ahead, the Li River Academy was in sight.