Chapter 1710: Peerless Heroes

The heroes were horrified. The Eight Heavenly Generals! These were mythical figures they had heard about since childhood, deities who had followed the Undying Heavenly Emperor since ancient times. Two of them had died in an instant, both killed by a single person. How could this not shock everyone?

Ye Fan approached, covered in blood. It was the blood of the generals, splattered all over him, even on his hair, giving him a demonic aura.

A golden divine sea surged beneath his feet. He stood proudly alone, surveying his surroundings, so awe-inspiring that many were left speechless.

"You killed our Eight Heavenly Generals! Remember this: their blood will not be shed in vain. Someone will come to kill you someday!" an iron guard on the Phoenix Nest cried out, roaring. These were all masters who had survived since ancient times.

However, war was relentlessly cruel. Here, blood oaths held no sway; there was only brutal reality. Ye Fan raised his hand and pointed a finger. A divine light shot out, and with a soft pop, the person exploded, disintegrating into shattered bones and a mist of blood.

A brief silence was followed by the thunderous sound of war drums. The clear, cold voice of the Undying Empress echoed, proclaiming, "The Heavenly Emperor is immortal! He will know of your efforts. One day, sooner or later, he will return to avenge you and grant you glory! Fight for splendor and immortality; go and slay all enemies!"

Dong, dong... The war drums intensified, stirring everyone's blood to a boil. The quiet battlefield once again thundered with battle cries as the various legions charged forward with all their might, risking their lives in a full-scale assault.

Boom! The Woodcutter and the Yama Lord were locked in a fierce, white-hot battle. They had long since moved away from the main battlefield, engaging in a peak duel that no one could approach.

Both were covered in bloodstains and had suffered severe injuries, yet their fighting spirit remained high; they did not shrink back. Laws and secret techniques erupted to their fullest extent, turning the area into a land of annihilation.

Boom! Suddenly, supreme imperial power erupted. Everyone's faces turned pale, as if they were transported back to that night over three hundred years ago when imperial laws had emerged. The era of dark turmoil left an indelible impression.

Imperial artifacts were clashing. A green lotus appeared in the Woodcutter's hand, its azure light shattering the sky, while in the Yama Lord's hand, a black nether-spear emerged, emanating death qi like a vast sea.

No one had expected that both of them would resort to using supreme artifacts and engage in such a fierce battle. Who could possibly approach them?

"Kill!" In the distance, countless yin soldiers, a vast army, arrived as reinforcements. From the Phoenix Nest, an unending stream of powerful individuals surged out like a tide, charging forward to attack.

The Dao Palace, the Divine Organization, and the Heavenly Court forces were immediately struck, suffering heavy losses. The enemy's army was like a sea, far more numerous than they had imagined, with experts as abundant as trees in a forest.

The only blessing was the presence of Ye Tong, Xiao Song, Shan Huang, Yang Xi, and others, all of whom were Quasi-Emperors with immense power. They quickly stabilized their positions and launched a counterattack.

Ye Fan, along with Gu Xinao, charged directly into the vast enemy army, causing the area to collapse and sweeping away all who stood in their way.

Woo woo... The Emperor's Horn sounded as the White-Haired Sword God charged forward, slicing apart the Phoenix Nest's powerful individuals with each swing of his sword.

The Old God himself also advanced, approaching the Phoenix Nest.

The Undying Empress looked solemn as she beat the war drums. She also stepped forward, intending to fight the Old God to the death, and the atmosphere in the area immediately grew many times more tense.

Poof, poof... The White-Haired Sword God was overwhelmingly powerful, slicing apart the iron guards charging from the Phoenix Nest with almost every swing of his sword. None could withstand even a single blow.

The Phoenix Nest vibrated; it was, surprisingly, a massive array that swallowed the White-Haired Sword God, temporarily trapping him.

The Undying Empress faced off against the Old God, both their faces etched with cold intent. One of them had to fall in this battle to the death.

Amidst the countless yin soldiers and the Phoenix Nest's vast army, Ye Fan cut in and out, covered in blood. No one could stop him; he was like a Heavenly Emperor descended to the mortal realm, radiating billions of feet of golden light. He walked through the midst of thousands of soldiers and ten thousands of horses, unstoppable, leaving a path paved with blood and bones beneath his feet.

Silently, a lame horse appeared, carrying a white-haired old man who stared blankly at the Phoenix Nest.

On the other side, a youth dressed in animal skins also appeared, his eyes clear. He said, "I've lived until this generation just to wait for you. Sure enough, you are still in this world."

"First Divine General!" an iron guard on the Phoenix Nest cried out, trembling with excitement as he stared at the white-haired old man on the ailing horse.

The Undying Empress's body trembled, and she sharply turned around. When she saw the once-spirited genius, now aged, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

That white-horse youth from back then, who was unrivaled throughout the world with a single war-halberd, how high-spirited and dashing he once was! Time, alas, had reduced him to this state.

The youth, carrying a sturdy bow on his back and a stone staff in his hand, said, "Back then, your Heavenly Emperor's Divine Dynasty pursued me relentlessly. I was the only one left in the Heavenly Court who could defy fate. Now, has the tide turned? Your situation isn't looking good. Your brothers are also being killed one by one."

"They are not my brothers," the First Divine General said expressionlessly, his white hair disheveled.

"Oh, right, you're different from them. You have no deep ties to them; it's just for that woman. Haha, how about I help you get rid of her? One death, a hundred worries gone. You'll have no more burdens and can focus solely on the 'Path to Breaking Emperors.' How does that sound?" the youth said with a loud laugh.

"You can try!" The First Divine General's gaze was piercing and incomparably bright.

"How boring," the youth said, shaking his head. "I've lived for so long, and I can finally no longer seal myself away. I've always wanted a glorious battle. If you hadn't appeared, I was going to go raid a Restricted Zone."

Everyone who heard this was horrified. Who exactly was this person? Such audacity!

"It's the First Divine General of the Ancient Heavenly Court! To think, he is still alive in this world!" The Old God's lips trembled, his eyes welling up with tears of excitement and joy.

The crowd was in an uproar. Some who knew the youth's origins were deeply stirred. Back then, this was truly an existence who dared to break into Restricted Zones to kill.

Because there were too many legends about him!

"That old geezer, the Underworld Emperor, was one of the culprits behind the collapse of the Ancient Heavenly Court. His time is running out. I was almost going to the Underworld to settle accounts with him, but you just had to appear. It seems you couldn't seal yourself away anymore either," the youth said with a self-deprecating chuckle. "For people like us to end up like this, how cruel it is. Perhaps it's a different kind of 'achieving the Dao,' like the Great Accomplished Holy Body."

"Indeed, such an end would be a pity," the First Divine General murmured, with a hint of nostalgia and melancholy.

The youth, holding the stone staff, casually swung it, feeling quite relaxed. "You also think it's a pity, so let's have a different kind of decisive battle," he said.

"How will we fight?" the First Divine General asked.

"One of us will venture into a Restricted Zone and slaughter all within, to see if we can kill one or two Supremes." The youth laughed wildly, yet his demeanor was bright, radiant, and heroic. He said, "It was their fortune not to have encountered us when they achieved the Dao. But we must let them know that there were once two individuals like us, who, if they had been in the same era, would have left them no chance!"

The First Divine General sighed. He had been born nine thousand years after the Undying Heavenly Emperor; by the time he rose, the other had long since achieved the Dao. He had no chance whatsoever.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go have our respective decisive battles. True peerless heroes are only people like you and I!" The youth laughed freely, adding, "The Underworld Emperor is mine; don't fight me for him. That old geezer has lived too long. He deserves to die."

Then, he turned and looked at Ye Fan. "You have the vigor of my youth, and your fighting strength is good," he said. "I won't compete with you this generation; this era belongs to you!"

"Haha..." The First Divine General suddenly burst into laughter, though with a hint of desolation. He said, "I never imagined we would have a day where we could converse like this, instead of immediately engaging in a life-or-death battle."

"Because you and I are essentially the same kind of people, just born on opposing sides. But now, the era is different." The youth picked up his stone staff and said, "Let's go. I can't wait to kill that bastard Underworld Emperor."

This youth, with such a radiant and uninhibited demeanor, was astonishing. How unrestrained and powerful he was, speaking of killing ancient Supremes with such casualness.

This was truly a peerless hero!

Everyone was shaken to their core. The blood of many began to boil.

The First Divine General finally shook his head. "I cannot leave, at least not now," he said. "I cannot watch her die."

In his eyes, there was a graceful figure that made his expression complex. Looking at the Undying Empress on the Phoenix Nest, he refused to leave.

"Just one daughter! After all these long years, can you still not let go?!" the youth shouted.

"And what about the obsession in your heart? Have you let it go? If you had completely severed it, you would already be an Imperial Venerable. But you still can't let go, blaming yourself and sighing over the collapse of the Heavenly Court."

"When you are destroyed and the Underworld collapses, then I'll be at peace," the youth declared defiantly. "Now your fate is sealed, because you've met me. Once this matter is done, I'll go to the Underworld, kill the Underworld Emperor, and then I can achieve the Dao and live for two more generations!"

In the distance, the Undying Empress on the Phoenix Nest stopped beating the drums. She stared blankly at the First Divine General's aged face, which was already streaked with tears.

The youth who once wore a white robe and rode a white horse had grown so old; even his celestial steed was lame and had entered its twilight years. That peerless hero of yesteryear had, astonishingly, also reached this day of twilight.

The youth looked up and shouted at the Phoenix Nest, "That woman, he has sacrificed much for you. Do you want to watch him die with regret? If you care for him even a little, you should die immediately, let him put everything down, and achieve the Dao. Don't be so selfish!"

"Is that true... If I die, you can achieve the Dao?" Tears glistened on the Undying Empress's peerlessly beautiful face, continually rolling down. She said in a trembling voice, "If that's possible, I'll help you achieve the Dao."

The First Divine General shook his head. "Don't listen to his nonsense," he said.

"How wishy-washy! I'll help you achieve the Dao, and then we'll go kill people in the Restricted Zones. Otherwise, your current state is definitely far inferior to mine!" The youth made his move, striking a palm towards the Phoenix Nest.

Everyone was horrified. What kind of powerful expert was this, so confident as to try to kill the Undying Empress with a single palm strike?!

Clang! A gleaming silver halberd rose horizontally, blocking the youth's path. The First Divine General made his move, clashing head-on with him. Imperial Dao laws spread, causing all the heroes to prostrate themselves, unable to bear the pressure and involuntarily bowing their heads.

The only thing to be thankful for was that the laws were controlled within a certain range; otherwise, everyone would have died!

"Oh, you woman, you ruined his previous life," the youth sneered. "And in this life, he also had a chance to transcend, to kill Supremes in the Restricted Zones without issue, but then he met you again, and it's ruined again."

"If I am a burden... I would rather die immediately!" The Undying Empress shed tears, no longer appearing as a powerful female warrior but as a fragile, helpless woman. Her heart ached as she thought of the past.

The First Divine General shouted, "Nonsense! You've fallen for his Celestial Sound Immortal Spell; he's trying to force you to die. Whether you live or die, you are already imprinted in my heart."

Hearing this, the Undying Empress felt an even sharper pain in her heart. Never abandoning her, the white-horse, silver-robed youth had always guarded her side and never left. Clear tears rolled down her face; she couldn't utter a word, only sobbing in sorrow.

"How truly boring! You're so pedantic; no wonder you can't achieve the Dao," the youth said. "Let's go. I can have them spare her life; she won't be killed. For people like us to end up in a mutually destructive defeat, it would truly be a tragedy under heaven. People like us should at least go kill a Supreme, making a Restricted Zone their burial ground. We were born in the wrong era, unable to act independently. Death, of course, should be chosen by oneself, ending in ultimate glory."

"If you issue a divine decree, we can naturally spare the Empress this time," the Old God said.

"This universe is too defiled; it holds no meaning for you and me. Let's go pick our burial grounds!" The youth laughed heartily, displaying a great divine ability. The area immediately crumbled, and the battlefield was forcibly shifted as he and the First Divine General vanished.

Everyone was stunned. Had they truly charged into a Restricted Zone? What peerless heroes!