# Chapter 1683: The Imperial Lord Falls
The Imperial Lord appeared, striking at this critical moment. His power was beyond doubt, absolutely comparable to the Undying Heavenly Empress and the Woodcutter Old Man.
The Woodcutter Old Man was covered in blood, with even a bloody hole in his forehead gushing blood. His physical condition was very poor, but now only he could block the Imperial Lord.
This place immediately fell silent. Everyone held their breath, watching with tense attention.
Nine rounds of heavenly suns set in the west. Under the evening glow, the entire Heavenly Court palace complex was bathed in a layer of sacred radiance, making it even more solemn and majestic.
"Give it here!" The Imperial Lord spoke, extending a hand. His entire body was covered in Crimson Dragon Armor, his physique slender and powerful, his palms and fingers strong. With a casual reach, clusters of Imperial Dao runes appeared in the void.
"It would be useless for you as well." The Woodcutter Old Man shook his head, his eyes very deep, with a wise radiance. He said, "You have spent your time in regret, already losing your Dao heart. Even if given a true immortal scripture, you are destined not to attain the Dao."
"Give it to me!" The Imperial Lord's words were cold, his aura suddenly strengthening several times over. The Woodcutter Old Man's words had touched his reverse scale. That hand blazed fiercely, blooming with crimson blood radiance.
That immortal tree had already been uprooted completely, fixed in the void before the heavenly palace, suspended between the two. Its entire body was dim, its old bark cracked, showing no luster at all.
Was this the Undying Tree that Emperor Venerable had chanted scriptures over and watered with Life Spring Divine Liquid? Many people widened their eyes, even more shocked than before. The fact that those about to attain the Dao were contending over it was itself enough to illustrate the problem.
The Woodcutter Old Man shook his head, not retreating half a step.
In fact, a field had long formed between the two. The immortal plant swayed between them. How terrifying the divine energy of that level was could hardly be described. Once imbalanced, it might turn this immortality medicine into ashes.
So neither dared to use force, handling it cautiously.
"Then let's fight, and let this decide it!" The Imperial Lord said, his hair flying wildly, his body like a dragon's form, leaping into the sky.
Ao hou!
With a great roar, a huge crimson dragon appeared in the cosmos, its entire body blood-red, its scales dense, as if cast from Phoenix Blood Red Gold. Additionally, a Vermilion Bird stood on the dragon's head, looking down below.
The crimson dragon coiled, its supreme physique shining with radiance, strangling down, shattering star rivers.
The old Daoist ascended into the sky, calmly pushing out a palm. It seemed to have no trace of worldly fire, not even divine light bursting forth. But a terrifying thing happened—a cluster of stars ahead dimmed, the entire starry sky suddenly darkened, and that blood dragon shook violently, its cry echoing through the nine heavens.
This palm strike was too terrifying, silent and soundless, destroying an entire star river, making people tremble.
Clang clang clang sounds rang out without end. Beside the Imperial Lord, nine ancient characters appeared one after another, each brightening like nine heavenly suns shining in the sky, shielding him below.
Those were the nine ancient characters from the Dao Scripture, capable of suppressing one's body, achieving eternity, possessing an immortal power. Now they displayed powerful defensive capabilities.
Bang!
The Woodcutter Old Man's ten fingers drilled forward like awls, his attacking power fierce. Ten immortal rays shot out, like Great Yi shooting down the suns, ten arrows shaking the heavens!
The nine ancient characters all trembled violently, erupting with a terrifying aura like suns about to be destroyed, sweeping across the heavenly dome, transforming into a cosmic storm.
Ye Fan was moved. He was very familiar with the nine ancient characters from the Dao Scripture, having used them many times, deeply understanding their subtlety and powerful mysterious force. He never expected someone to break them this way.
That was an Imperial Dao technique. Of course, the most important thing was the Woodcutter Old Man himself. He possessed a power that could turn decay into magic. Ten immortal rays split the sky, clanging and ear-splitting.
Roar!
The crimson dragon soared into the sky, roaring loudly, opening its mouth to spew a sea of flames. The overwhelming heat waves burned some stars into liquid and then into dust.
Passivity was not the Imperial Lord's choice. He began to attack. The nine ancient characters that had dimmed reappeared, shining with even more brilliant light, while he himself charged forward.
The Woodcutter Old Man drew with his hand, and a Yin fish appeared, carrying the power of Grand Yin to suppress forward, colliding with the blazing flame waves, causing annihilation at this place.
"Chi!"
Suddenly, on the head of that crimson dragon, the small Vermilion Bird standing atop flapped its wings, dancing through the nine heavens, striking down like a blood-colored lightning bolt.
The Imperial Lord possessed Vermilion Bird bloodline. The reason he manifested a crimson dragon form was all due to the armor, and his most fundamental bloodline power was the Vermilion Bird.
This strike surpassed ancient and modern times, far beyond worldly understanding. Though that fiery red little bird was not large, its divine power was world-shaking. One of its wings was about to immediately strike the Woodcutter Old Man's body.
Clang! A snow-white blade light shot up into the sky. The old Daoist's firewood knife behind his back left its sheath. Blade energy rolled in ten thousand layers, surging forward like an ocean.
The Vermilion Bird cried out, tearing through the cosmos.
And the light flooded this place. In the Heavenly Court ruins, the crowd could not see clearly.
When everything ended, the Woodcutter Old Man's body swayed. There was even more bloodstains all over his body. Especially the left half of his body—a terrifying crack appeared, his flesh almost split in two.
That was the power of the Vermilion Bird's wing splitting the sky just now!
On the other side, the Imperial Lord also had spots of blood on his body, struck by the blade energy. It was a terrifying aura, piercing a bloody hole through his shoulder.
Suddenly, the Imperial Lord's form flickered and vanished, using the Vermilion Bird's technique of crossing three thousand realms, making time stand still, reversing downward to seize that immortal tree.
The old Daoist blocked him, chasing down. The two collided continuously in the void. This time, they fought with true fire, with thousands upon tens of thousands of Dao flowers blooming.
Clusters of runes appeared, a kind of supreme law fluctuation.
Pop!
Suddenly, that immortal tree in the Heavenly Court ruins made a light sound. Its roots shattered, turning into ashes, while the trunk fell to the ground.
The Imperial Lord let out a roar, diving down. The Woodcutter Old Man intercepted. They clashed several times, finally landing before the Heavenly Court ruins.
"The roots are fake, indistinguishable from the real thing. The true Emperor Venerable immortal tree is no longer here. The roots have been moved away!"
The old man with yellow teeth angrily threw his wooden bucket to the ground. The golden thunder elements in the bucket flowed, startling all the strong ones to flee. Those things could definitely injure a Great Sage.
"All for nothing. The immortal plant has been moved away." The Imperial Lord was lost and disappointed, then his eyes suddenly turned cold, looking at Ye Fan, Black Emperor, and the others in the distance, killing intent exposed.
Chi! He pointed out a divine ray, wanting to destroy them. Little Nannan was not here, so he had no scruples.
"Bang!"
The Woodcutter Old Man shifted position, blocking his attack.
"You interfere too much!" The Imperial Lord's eyes were very cold. His entire Crimson Dragon Armor glowed, his aura even stronger.
"Old thing, have you forgotten being scared shitless by a little girl not long ago? Still putting on airs." Black Emperor taunted him.
"All of you, leave." The Imperial Lord swept his gaze over the old man with yellow teeth and the big man, then stared at the old Daoist. "You leave too. Vacate this place." Finally, he looked at Ye Fan, Black Emperor, and the others. "These people must die."
At this moment, everyone could see that the old Daoist seemed to have lost his ability to fight. His condition was terrible to the extreme. The bloody hole in his forehead struck by the Undying Heavenly Empress was worsening. The wound could not heal, and after the battle with the Imperial Lord, it had become even more severe.
The Imperial Lord now felt emboldened, threatening him like this, telling him to leave, or else there would surely be a bloody calamity.
"You overestimate yourself. Even if we are both about to attain the Dao, even if I am severely injured, you are not necessarily able to suppress me with your momentum." The old Daoist said calmly.
Behind him, Ye Fan drew the Azure Lotus, the Monkey raised the Immortal Iron Staff, the Human Demon held the Stone Artifact, and Black Emperor began to set up a great formation, preparing for an unpredictable decisive battle.
"Then all of you die." The Imperial Lord went mad. Not long ago, he had lost everything, even his Dao heart was broken. Now he was nearly pathological—if he couldn't have it, he would destroy it.
Emperor Venerable's immortal tree was where he had placed his hopes, and now it was gone.
The Woodcutter Old Man drew his firewood knife with a clang. The dark blade back, the snow-bright blade edge, cut through the starry sky. His blood burned, his primordial spirit left his body, and his physical form collapsed weakly.
Boom!
The entire blade was brighter than a star river, condensing the old Daoist's entire essence, energy, and spirit. His primordial spirit was fused into it. He had no strength for prolonged fighting and bloody struggle, so he launched the most fierce strike, wanting to end the battle in the shortest time.
The mad Imperial Lord suddenly woke up. This kind of battle was the most dangerous. Two about-to-attain-the-Dao experts fought with their lives. One side could fall at any moment.
In just that instant, the heaven and earth shook ten times, like ten strikes of creation. People were terrified to find that this aura was too terrifying, comparable to the Dark Calamity over three hundred years ago.
Many felt their hair stand on end. That firewood knife collided with the Imperial Lord ten times, bursting forth scenes of the beginning of heaven and earth. Various Chaos deities roared.
Finally, the Crimson Dragon Armor shattered. A great dragon was disintegrated. And the Vermilion Bird that rushed out from within, though it shrieked mournfully, could not escape the deadly calamity. It was struck by the firewood knife.
"Pu!"
A bloodied head flew up, falling before the Heavenly Court ruins, then exploding into bloody mud. Its primordial spirit was destroyed.
Clang!
The firewood knife fell to the ground. The old Daoist's primordial spirit was extremely dim, entering his collapsed body on the ground. He struggled to fly up to the Dao platform, his eyes dim and lusterless.
This was a bitter victory. He had paid a tremendous price.
The Imperial Lord was dead, slain by another. One of the few peerless experts of this era in the cosmos was killed like this, making people feel unreal.
Blood splattered, heralding the fall of a behemoth. People knew that the Divine Court was finished, without a shred of hope.
"The Imperial Lord has been killed!"
This was a violent storm. The news swept in all directions, spreading like a tidal wave. Some even crossed the starry sky and left directly.
The Divine Court was about to be destroyed, unavoidable. Many people were making early plans.
The headless corpse shattered inch by inch, then turned into a pool of blood, finally burning away. Nothing remained. The Imperial Lord was dead.
"The world will fall into chaos. The Undying Heavenly Empress wants to walk a blood-colored path to attainment, bathing in the divine blood of all living beings. I wish to establish a Dao Palace, reorganize the universe, and pacify the blood chaos." The old Daoist, supported by Zhou Yi, stood up with difficulty and spoke slowly.
His tone was very calm, but it spread through heaven and earth, like an ancient deity returning. The stars in the cosmos stopped rotating in that brief instant, only this voice echoing.
On this day, the Dao Palace founded by the old Daoist was officially established, shaking the cosmos. Under his command were experts like clouds, strong ones like forests.
On this day, the Divine Court was destroyed. The Imperial Lord's lineage was broken, swept away by several major forces, cleaned out completely.
On this day, the Undying Heavenly Empress announced to the world that she would establish an immortal imperial dynasty. Among the living beings, experts gathered like clouds, all from races that had once regarded the Undying Heavenly Emperor as the supreme deity.
On this day, the Underworld moved abnormally. Many people saw numerous ghost soldiers crossing paths in various star regions, traversing star rivers, as if marching to a battlefield.
On this day, the Divine Organization also had major movements. In some regions, ancient divine statues suddenly emitted light. (To be continued...)