# Chapter 1682: The Firewood Chopping Old Man
The Undying Heavenly Empress had arrived, descending with a sovereign-over-realm momentum, demanding that the Firewood Chopping Old Man surrender the Heavenly Court ruins.
"Bathing in the blood of various emperors, reborn through nirvana—just how terrifying is this bloodline..." Everyone felt a chill down their spines, thinking of many things.
In that distant ancient era, how many bloody incidents had occurred? If they were to be told, they would surely shake heaven and earth and move gods and demons to tears. Many felt their hair stand on end.
The deaths of some Great Emperors in history seemed so extraordinary—could they be related to this?
They still remembered the sensation when the Supreme Emperor's fragmented corpse was discovered in the Immortal Mansion World of Central Province in the Big Dipper Star Domain. That supreme being with astonishing offensive power who had stepped onto the path of immortality had actually died with his body shattered, and the blood he shed was still burning to this day.
Moreover, some had heard terrifying roars of an Ancient Emperor-level existence from that region, loudly cursing the Immortal Emperor. Connecting these things made people's bodies turn ice-cold.
Just how ancient was that person? Could it be that he had spanned the entire long history of cultivation? He... was still here? This was simply unimaginable, terrifying to the heart.
A long roar erupted, shaking the myriad heavens. The Phoenix Nest was still hazy, shrouded in bloody mist, with only the vague outline of a divine nest formed from blood phoenix wood visible. At this moment, a tall figure stood above it, looking down and speaking coldly: "The Heavenly Emperor is an immortal god, unfathomable to the world."
Sun, moon, and stars fell together, revolving around him. He seemed to be the center of the universe, with ten thousand rivers of stars there, a shocking sight.
This was a stunningly beautiful man, godlike, with long silver hair falling to his lower back, shimmering with crystalline luster, showing no signs of aging.
He looked very young, heroic and imposing, like a young deity walking from ancient times to this era, revered by all under heaven.
It was the Sun Moon Divine General. This was not the phantom body he had used against Ye Fan and the Human Demon, but his true original body, having emerged from his grave, with surging blood energy.
"Hmm. The legendary Eight Divine Generals, each once shining across ten thousand ages, with strength so great it defied heaven. Who would have thought more than one survived. Unfortunately, none are at their peak anymore. In the past, some of you almost attained the Dao, but now you've all become plucked phoenixes." The old man with yellow teeth muttered, then led his grandson to continue watering that immortal tree. Without lifting his head, he said: "The wind is strong up there. Be careful not to get blown down. This is no longer those days. If you're not at your peak, don't stand on the mountain peak. A gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall, and a man does not stand atop a bird's nest."
"Boom!"
The blood mist surged, and the massive divine nest pressed forward, covering the sky. The Heavenly Court ruins trembled. The Undying Heavenly Empress and the two Divine Generals drew near.
"Since the Heavenly Empress wishes to fight to the death, I shall oblige!" On the Yin Yang Dao Platform, the old Daoist rose to his full height, facing the high heavens with gleaming eyes.
Behind him, Zhou Yi and Lin Jia both trembled. It had been a long time since they had seen the Firewood Chopping Old Man like this. Now he was no longer aged, like a drawn divine blade slashing toward the sky.
Crack!
The sharpness shooting from the Firewood Chopping Old Man's eyes tore two great fissures in the void, like blades singing, like swords clanging in battle!
"Can you still fight? That battle back then left us both in bad shape. Continuing this confrontation benefits no one." The Phoenix Nest drew closer, and the Heavenly Empress's clear voice came from within.
Silently, the Kun Heaven Divine General also appeared, standing side by side with the Sun Moon Divine General atop the blood-red Phoenix Nest, each prepared for a decisive battle.
At the same time, the bearded burly man took a step forward, arriving before his master. Meanwhile, the old man with yellow teeth dropped his wooden bucket, released his grandson, and also came forward, confronting the two Divine Generals in the sky.
"Let us see how formidable the Divine Generals of yesteryear are, and how much of their power remains." The big-bearded man laughed boldly.
The yellow-toothed old man shook his head, saying: "I hate fighting most. Brawling and killing are utterly boring. I prefer studying various plants and bloodlines. The Heavenly Empress's bloodline must be quite special, I imagine. I'm really looking forward to it."
"You seek death!" The Kun Heaven Divine General's face turned cold. He took a step forward and instantly flew down, attacking the old man.
Although the Eight Ancient Divine Generals held transcendent status, proud to the heavens, and would not even show particular respect to the Undying Heavenly Empress, they would not tolerate outsiders disrespecting her either.
The old man did not retreat at all. A yellow-haired whirlwind rose as he charged upward. A withered yellow palm clashed directly with the Divine General's weapon.
A thunderous explosion came, with sun, moon, and stars shattering. Everyone was horrified. This lecherous old man was actually so domineering, daring to clash head-on with a former Divine General—such madness!
Runes filled the sky. A river of stars was crushed there. The Kun Heaven Divine General's divine ability was to control heaven and earth, seizing the origin of the universe for his own use. But the starry sky he had grabbed was blown apart by the old man.
The black heavenly halberd in Kun Heaven Divine General's hand buzzed and trembled, as if struck by a heavy blow. His entire body shook three times, nearly suffering severe injury.
Everyone was shocked by this result!
The legendary Eight Divine Generals of the past, who had left behind so many tales—someone could actually match them in strength!
"Indeed, a plucked phoenix is worse than a chicken. How much of your power remains? Can you return to your peak? If you had your former strength, this old man would flee immediately." The yellow-toothed old man chuckled, looking even more lecherous.
Kun Heaven remained silent. Simply surviving was a miracle. If he hadn't consumed some remnants of an immortal pill, he might not have awakened at all.
"Unexpected. Firewood Chopper, you've found another peerless expert to help you. Not as good as the Divine Generals of old, but not far off." The Undying Heavenly Empress's voice from within the Phoenix Nest was crisp and charming, like a young girl speaking in anger.
"Heavenly Empress, give me two hundred jin of phoenix blood, and I'll sell myself to you, pledging my loyalty." The old man said without any sense of integrity.
"Grandfather!" Under the immortal tree, the child pouted unhappily, feeling his grandfather was too embarrassing.
"Who am I doing this for? For you, of course. I'm trying to get some phoenix blood to use on you, so you can deal with that stone egg in the future." The old man muttered, then looked eagerly at the sky and transmitted his voice to the Phoenix Nest: "How about it, Heavenly Empress? I'll give you a fifty percent discount—one hundred jin of phoenix blood will do."
Everyone was astonished. They looked at the child, then at the old man. What background did they have? To deal with that egg—did they mean the one under the Immortal Heavenly Blade? How shocking!
The Kun Heaven Divine General swooped down to attack the old man, while the Sun Moon Divine General, with his silver-white hair flying, charged at the big-bearded man. A fierce battle erupted.
After a moment, a voice came from the Phoenix Nest, telling Kun Heaven and Sun Moon to retreat, fearing they might meet with mishap, as they no longer possessed their full divine powers from the past.
"You're afraid? Admitting you're inferior to me?" The old man looked ecstatic, like a victorious rooster, strutting proudly away.
But after retreating, his face turned bitter. He shook his hands vigorously, crying out in pain: "It hurts like hell! Damn it, aren't they plucked phoenixes? Why are they still so powerful?"
Everyone was speechless. This old man had just used his bare hands to block the opponent's weapon, crushing sun, moon, and stars with a single finger. Now he was crying in pain? Was his sensory perception severely delayed?
Under the immortal tree, the child covered his face in embarrassment, blushing at his grandfather's shameless display.
"If we fight another round, we'll certainly risk our lives. Let's settle it with three strikes." The Heavenly Empress's voice came from the Phoenix Nest.
"Fine. To live a few more years, let's reduce the fighting." The old Daoist looked up, then charged toward the sky.
In an instant, it was like a raging sea bursting its banks. Everything turned white. The immense divine sound and shockwaves knocked many unconscious. Fortunately, the Heavenly Court ruins had supreme restrictions; otherwise, everyone would have been splattered with blood.
The Firewood Chopping Old Man and the Phoenix Nest were submerged. They couldn't see the battle, but everyone could sense the tremendous fluctuations.
They directly fought into the universe, shattering rivers of stars. Imperial Dao laws seemed to burst forth. Where was the agreement of three strikes? Soon, thirty great clashes had already passed.
Those collisions were chilling. Each strike was more powerful than the last, making it hard to breathe.
In the universe, that star system was shattered, completely destroyed. People carefully counted and were horrified to discover that the battle had escalated. As time passed, three hundred strikes had already been exchanged.
"This is a fight to the death." Pang Bo sighed.
Ye Fan, the Monkey, the Human Demon, Black Emperor, and others all showed grave expressions. Battles of this level had a profound impact on them. Everyone gazed into the distance, hoping to see it through.
In fact, the other ancient imperial princes did the same, opening their heavenly eyes to watch the battle among the stars.
Stars shifted and constellations moved. This battle finally ended after three thousand strikes. The Undying Heavenly Empress's Phoenix Nest slowly moved, then left this star system.
Before leaving, her cold voice spread throughout the area: "Ancient imperial bloodlines, come with me. In the future, there will be a true immortal realm world for you to enter."
Today, each event was more shocking than the last. The Undying Heavenly Empress openly recruited the ancient imperial princes, directly revealing such news, making everyone's faces change.
"Pfft"
The Firewood Chopping Old Man made no attempt to hide it. He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, his body nearly shattered. Even a bloody hole appeared at his brow. He descended onto the broken Dao platform.
Everyone's faces turned pale. What kind of battle had this been?
Zhou Yi and Lin Jia hurried forward, taking out a green-skinned gourd and pouring out a golden pill for the old Daoist to take.
He was wounded to such a degree, yet the Undying Heavenly Empress did not pursue. This showed that the peerless woman in the Phoenix Nest must also have suffered severe injuries, no better than the Firewood Chopping Old Man.
Whoosh!
A red light struck. No one expected that just as the Undying Heavenly Empress had left and things had calmed down, a red dragon suddenly appeared, slashing down, aiming straight for the Firewood Chopping Old Man.
The fluctuations were too intense, too terrifying. All the array patterns in the Heavenly Court ruins lit up, unleashing their power.
"The Divine Lord has arrived!"
"He wants to enter here too!"
Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the others changed color.
The Firewood Chopping Old Man gave a light cry, spitting out a beam of immortal light from his mouth, slashing at the red dragon.
"How dare you!" On the other side, the yellow-toothed old man also shouted in rebuke. Another red light rushed toward him, aiming to seize that withered immortal tree.
In fact, this light was the real one. The red dragon attacking the Firewood Chopping Old Man, though possessing formidable combat power, was merely an incarnation.
"Boom!"
The old man was knocked backward, unable to block the Divine Lord.
"It's him! The master of the Divine Court, one who is about to attain the Dao. He is certainly no weaker than the Undying Heavenly Empress or the Firewood Chopping Old Man—a peerless expert of the same level." Many exclaimed.
"Rumble!"
That immortal tree was uprooted, about to leave the ground. The Divine Lord had arrived, striking with overwhelming force, making everyone tremble. It seemed no one could stop him.
Even Ye Fan and Pang Bo found it unbelievable.
"You came for this immortal root, but even if I gave it to you, you couldn't attain the Dao." The Firewood Chopping Old Man said.
He forced back that incarnation, took a step to arrive before the immortal tree, and stabilized it, confronting the supreme being clad in red dragon armor, his whole body shimmering with red light.
People recalled a legend. The Heavenly Court's immortal tree contained the Emperor Venerable's Dharma and Dao. In his daily practice, he had chanted sutras before the tree and watered it with his own Life Spring divine liquid. This tree was undoubtedly a priceless treasure.
The Divine Lord had come here clearly for the Dao within the withered tree, seeking the Emperor Venerable's Dao fragments, hoping to find the final great secret of attaining the Dao. He had waited too long.
Today, a friend invited me to dinner. I came back too late and hurriedly started writing, breaking out in a cold sweat, finally finishing one chapter. Let's just have one chapter today. I'll organize the outline and what comes next. Let me tell you the end time: within one or two months, Chen Dong will finish writing the final parts. Thank you to all brothers and sisters for your continued support. (To be continued...)