Chapter 1680: A Victory

"The Primordial Realm needs a victory!"

The Woodcutter Saint looked down. Supreme Emperor Heaven was in grave peril. The Celestial River flowed, forming two large circles in front of Supreme Emperor Heaven, its currents carrying warships that unleashed artillery fire like rain.

If Supreme Emperor Heaven collapsed, it would inevitably crush towards Eternal Peace! Although Eternal Peace now occupied half of the Primordial Realm's territory, the collapse of Supreme Emperor Heaven would surely destroy countless lives in Eternal Peace, burying them beneath its ruins. This would be a tremendous blow to the morale of both Carefree Village and Eternal Peace.

"The Primordial Realm needs a victory..." The Woodcutter Saint clenched his fist, his gaze shifting from Supreme Emperor Heaven. He murmured, "We need a resounding victory that can boost both public and military morale!"

Battle Heavenly Master Zhuo Cha and Zixi Heavenly Master Yan Yunxi were waiting for his order to attack. Emperor Shiva's Ark of Deliverance was besieged in the Celestial River, while other Heavenly Kings were in Carefree Village. The divine and demonic armies of Carefree Village's Thirty-Three Heavens were also awaiting his command!

However, the Woodcutter still did not give the order. His gaze fell upon the rear of the Celestial River, where the main forces of the Celestial River Navy had yet to be deployed.

Heavenly Master Zhu Shaoping remained firmly in command of the central army, flanked by 120,000 colossal battleships – the true core of the Celestial River Navy. Beside him were powerful Emperor's Throne realm cultivators such as Superior Auxiliary Ge Yuntian, Liu Jia, Shang Shu, Zuo Shu, and You Shu.

The forces currently besieging Emperor Shiva's Ark of Deliverance and attacking Supreme Emperor Heaven were merely a million smaller vessels deployed from the holds of those 120,000 colossal battleships. If Carefree Village were to deploy its main forces now, it would give Zhu Shaoping an opportune moment to strike.

"Wen Tiange!" Battle Heavenly Master Zhuo Cha said hoarsely, "Supreme Emperor Heaven won't last much longer, and Han Tang won't either! Let me go!"

The Woodcutter Saint did not reply, instead raising his right hand.

Zhuo Cha stared at his right hand, only to see him raise his little finger. Disappointment etched his face, and he snorted angrily, muttering, "If there were a ditch nearby, you'd be in it by now!"

As the Woodcutter Saint's little finger remained raised, a massive landmass suddenly sliced across the Primordial Realm from Youdu, appearing between the two branches of the Celestial River. Endless mists shrouded it, and countless white bones piled up like mountains. Among the peaks, a stone tablet stood tall, several blood-red characters inscribed upon it: "The Land of the Living Dead!"

The sudden appearance of Fengdu interfered with the real world. The Heavenly Court's gods and devils on the numerous warships attacking Supreme Emperor Heaven immediately shed their flesh, turning into piles of bones. All the large battleships were instantly filled with skeletal figures, throwing the divine and demonic forces into disarray.

King Yama led Fengdu's gods and devils in an immediate charge onto the warships. As the Heavenly Court's forces turned into skeletons, Fengdu's deceased grew flesh and bodies. This shift in power caused heavy casualties among the Heavenly Court's gods and devils. Many warships lost control, colliding wildly, resulting in widespread damage and significant loss of life.

Zhu Shaoping raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on the Woodcutter, specifically his little finger. "Zuo Shu, deploy troops!" he ordered decisively. Zuo Shu Ye Shuhuai immediately led a large army, pushing straight into Fengdu.

Meanwhile, the Woodcutter Saint retracted his right hand, raised his left, and curled his little finger. In Carefree Village, Heavenly King Tian Shu took a deep gulp of wine, hoisted his Emperor's Throne divine blade, and roared with laughter, "Lads, follow me to slay the enemy!" He ran barefoot, followed by tens of thousands of Carefree Village soldiers, who charged barefoot downwards, assaulting Zuo Shu Ye Shuhuai's army!

Zhu Shaoping made an immediate decision, shouting, "You Shu, deploy troops to intercept Heavenly King Mingdu!" You Shu Yue Wangyuan led a fleet, setting sail. The battleships radiated blinding sunlight, casting their glow far and wide. Heavenly King Mingdu Tian Shu, who practiced Youdu's demonic arts, shrieked as his demonic energy sizzled under the sun's rays.

The Woodcutter Saint raised an eyebrow, clenched his hand into a fist, and extended his index finger.

As his index finger went up, Azure Emperor led Carefree Village's Celestial Dragon Division in a charge against You Shu's army.

Zhu Shaoping sneered, "Before the Celestial River Navy, any divine dragon is but an insect! Liu Jia, attack and eliminate that old demon Azure Emperor!"

Once Liu Jia moved, the Woodcutter Saint breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Zixi, you go!"

Yan Yunxi chuckled, riding her donkey Lü Zheng, and led a large army to charge the Celestial River Navy led by Liu Jia, shouting, "Form ranks!"

"Heavenly Master Zixi seems like a woman," Battle Heavenly Master Zhuo Cha praised sincerely, "but her combat power is truly boundless! Woodcutter, it's my turn now, isn't it?"

As Zhu Shaoping dispatched various armies, the Woodcutter Saint ordered the different forces from Carefree Village's Thirty-Three Heavens to engage. Even the Qin clan members from Qin Hanzhen's lineage were sent out, but Zhuo Cha remained unassigned.

Zhuo Cha clenched his fists, staring at the back of the Woodcutter's head.

Finally, the Woodcutter Saint raised his thumb. Divine King Lang Wo immediately led the Creation Masters directly towards the Celestial River Navy's central camp!

Only Zhu Shaoping's personal guards remained by his side. Although numerous, they could hardly withstand a Celestial Venerable like Lang Wo!

Zhu Shaoping burst into laughter, allowing Lang Wo's Creation Master army to approach. When the distance between them was less than a hundred miles, a large curtain on a battleship beside him suddenly opened, revealing a colossal divine weapon: the Grand Primordium Ore Vein from the Ancestral Court! Zhu Shaoping bowed respectfully and smiled, "Please, Lady Taiyin!"

Lady Taiyin slowly rose from the Grand Primordium Ore Vein, reached out, grasped the ore vein, and confronted Lang Wo.

Zhu Shaoping called out with a distant laugh, "Wen Tiange, you still have Emperor Yi Yue ambushed in Carefree Village. Why not let her show herself and see if this generation's Founding Emperor can break my army!"

The Woodcutter smiled faintly and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please!"

From within the Ark of Deliverance where Emperor Shiva was located, a woman suddenly flew out, cutting through the Heavenly Court fleet surrounding the ark like lightning, heading straight for Zhu Shaoping!

Zhu Shaoping laughed, "So, Founding Emperor is here! Too bad, you're no match for the rebel Qin Ye."

Behind him, another large curtain on a battleship opened, revealing more than a dozen volcanoes from the Ancestral Court, refined into weapons. Zhu Shaoping's personal guards formed a formation, activating the divine weapons to encircle Emperor Yi Yue.

Zhu Shaoping, at ease, flicked his sleeve and chuckled, "Wen Tiange, what's on these dozen ships behind me? You probably don't know yet, but these ships carry the Celestial River Pagodas, the elite of the elite! Besides the Pagodas, there are also the Heavenly Court's Twelve Grand Artifacts! And now, do you have any more troops?"

At his command, the large curtains on those battleships were swiftly pulled open, revealing venerable divine beings standing on them—all gods and devils of the Jade Pond and Jade Capital realms!

The Celestial River Navy's most powerful force was the Celestial River Pagoda army, which remained unmoving, even as all of Carefree Village's armies had been deployed. Furthermore, each battleship carried a grand artifact: mountains, rivers, seas, and clouds—all refined from the Ancestral Court's sacred lands. The most striking among them was the Nine Prisons Platform!

Suddenly, two streams of muddy tears ran down the Woodcutter's cheeks as he murmured, "We need a victory, a great victory..."

Relief washed over him as he suddenly shouted, "All soldiers, listen to my command! Unleash Eternal Peace's grand artifacts!"

Fisherman Han Tang was battered and bruised, fighting alongside two massive red kun against Left Vice Minister Yan Sheng. Yan Sheng, an Emperor's Throne realm expert, far surpassed him in power. Han Tang, skilled in beast taming, continuously controlled various giant beasts to battle Yan Sheng, but he could only endure the attacks without any chance to retaliate.

Many of his soldiers were wounded or dead. If this continued, complete annihilation was certain.

Just then, the Woodcutter's voice reached him. Han Tang's spirits soared, and he sharply commanded, "Unleash the Myriad Heavens Mountains and Rivers Map!"

Scrolls unfurled across the sky, displaying majestic mountains and rivers that materialized from paintings into reality.

The Five Chariots army surged into this landscape, finding endless, vast mountains and waters. They looked back but could no longer find their way.

Left Vice Minister looked up, seeing myriad worlds, large and small, floating in the sky. Many Five Chariots soldiers were scattered within them, scrambling aimlessly like headless flies.

Eternal Peace's Painting Saint's Myriad Heavens Mountains and Rivers Map depicted one heaven per scroll, with each connected. Han Tang led his remaining forces, concentrating superior power to encircle and eliminate the dispersed Five Chariots armies, wiping out one unit after another.

Left Vice Minister Yan Sheng watched, his eyes blazing with fury. He immediately led his remaining troops towards the heaven where Han Tang was located.

Suddenly, he stopped, his expression grave as he looked ahead. On a mountaintop sat a man leaning on the Carefree Sword. Left Vice Minister Yan Sheng's eye twitched uncontrollably. "Founding Emperor Qin Ye! Aren't you dead?"

He suddenly heard zither music and looked towards another peak, where Heavenly Venerable Yue was playing the zither.

His mind was thrown into chaos. Then he saw purple energy radiating from yet another peak, where Heavenly Venerable Yun stood beneath a Dao tree, his robes fluttering.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he laughed, "It's all fake, just paintings!"

At that moment, he saw Qin Mu, Lang Wo, Heavenly Venerable You, Earth Count, and Heaven Duke, all depicted in the paintings.

Eternal Peace's Painting Saint, also known as the Deaf Mute and Crown Prince Tian Tu, had reached the Twenty-Eight Heavens realm in his mastery of painting.

Above the Celestial River, the Ark of Deliverance was besieged and in grave danger. Emperor Shiva heard the Woodcutter Saint's cry and was greatly invigorated. With a loud roar, ships flew out from the Ark of Deliverance's cabins!

The ships, like modules, continuously assembled and connected, quickly forming a colossal vessel on the Celestial River that was no less grand than the Ark of Deliverance itself. This ship was the Peerless Great Vessel, designed by Wei Suifeng specifically to counter the Celestial River Pagodas!

Emperor Shiva's body rapidly expanded as he leaped onto the vessel, shouting, "Poison your weapons! Follow me to break the Celestial River Pagodas!"

His soldiers promptly coated their divine weapons with the potent poisons sent from Eternal Peace, breaking through the Heavenly Court's battleship barriers. The Peerless Great Vessel charged directly towards the Celestial River Pagodas!

Carefree Village's various armies unleashed the divine weapons sent from Eternal Peace, instantly reversing the situation and putting the Celestial River Navy at a disadvantage!

Zhu Shaoping's mind was in turmoil. Suddenly, a formation diagram unfurled, forming heavenly palaces in the sky. These palaces were scattered, inhabited by an unknown number of Carefree Village's gods and devils, who had become part of the heavenly palace and the Heavenly Court itself!

"The Grand Heavenly Court Formation!"

Zhu Shaoping was dizzy. Wherever the formation passed, the Celestial River Navy's warships shattered, resembling an attack by a Celestial Venerable!

The formation diagram flew directly towards Divine King Lang Wo, settling behind her head.

Lang Wo had nearly been killed by Lady Taiyin. With the formation diagram behind her head, the aura of the thirty-six heavenly palaces merged with her. She calmly said, "Taiyou, do you know how much power one possesses after attaining Dao?"

Lady Taiyin's pupils contracted sharply. She activated the Grand Primordium Ore Vein to protect herself.

"I didn't know originally," Lang Wo raised her palm, "but now I do. And you will soon learn how terrifying this power you desire truly is."

The Woodcutter Saint wiped away tears from his temples. Behind him, Battle Heavenly Master Zhuo Cha, seeing the current situation, felt his blood boil and became restless.

However, the Woodcutter still did not order him to attack. Zhuo Cha could tolerate it at first, but eventually, he couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "Woodcutter, it's my turn, isn't it?"

The Woodcutter shook his head.

Zhuo Cha waited a moment longer, then roared, "Let me fight, quickly!"

The Woodcutter shook his head again and said, "You cannot fight. If you do, Zhu Shaoping will come to kill me. If I die, Carefree Village loses, and I cannot die. With you here, Zhu Shaoping won't dare to kill me. Your role is to protect me."

Battle Heavenly Master flew into a rage, raising his fist. Niu Sanduo quickly transformed into human form and embraced him, shouting, "Master, don't hit him! If you kill him, Carefree Village will truly lose!"

The Woodcutter said earnestly, "You should listen to Sanduo. Protecting me well is your greatest contribution."

Battle Heavenly Master roared, shaking Niu Sanduo away, then sat cross-legged and crushed a handful of stones to dust.

Black Tiger God sat beside the Woodcutter, looking down at the ground, daring not to speak.