Chapter 1713: Return to the Hometown Road

The land seethed with murderous intent, as formidable figures rose to arms.

Among the Heavenly Court's Three Divisions, the Earth Division was larger in scale than the Celestial River Navy. However, the Navy's greater renown overshadowed the Earth Division's prominence.

The divine beings and devils within the Earth Division mostly hailed from the various Heavens of the Heavenly Emperor's Astral Realm. Among them were eight principal commanders: Yaoguang, Kaiyang, Yuheng, Tianquan, Tianji, Tianshuan, Tianshu, and Beidou, symbolizing the supreme authority of the Heavenly Emperor's Astral Realm.

Among these, Emperor Beidou held the highest authority; divisions like Yaoguang and Kaiyang were all under his command, and he was revered as a Heavenly Monarch.

At this moment, Heavenly Monarch Beidou was coordinating the seven divisions of the Earth Division, besieging the Grand Purity Realm, attempting to invade it and slay Lan Yutian.

When the Grand Purity Realm, the uppermost layer of Wuyouxiang, erupted, the thirty-three Heavens unified. The surfaces of these Heavens disintegrated and collapsed, revealing immense divine metal structures within. Terrifying beams of sword light shot upwards from inside the thirty-three Heavens. From a distance, the thirty-three Heavens of Wuyouxiang resembled a colossal sword.

The various armies of the Earth Division, located within the different Heavens of Wuyouxiang, now faced sword light and sword energy that permeated all the Heavens—a resurrected Sword Dao!

At this moment, only one thought remained in everyone's minds: escape!

However, they had nowhere to flee. The thirty-three Heavens had transformed into an ocean of Sword Dao. This Sword Dao was not merely the Sword Dao of Emperor Kaihuang Qin Ye, but the spirit of an era, the tragic anthem of the Kaihuang era!

As the light of Wuyouxiang became most intense and magnificent, its dazzling brilliance illuminated the sky of the Primordial Realm, obscuring the suns dragged forth by the Xuan Du divine demon army.

Heavenly Monarch Beidou stood at the entrance of Wuyouxiang's Grand Purity Realm, watching this scene. Tears suddenly streamed down his face as he murmured, "There's no escaping..."

Emperors Kaiyang, Yuheng, Tianquan, and Tianshu rushed over, surrounding him. They exerted their full strength to break through the sky and shouted, "Heavenly Monarch, if we don't leave now, we'll be trapped!"

Heavenly Monarch Beidou, dazed, looked at the countless divine demon armies of the Earth Division below. They were scattered across the thirty-three Heavens, but with Wuyouxiang's eruption, millions of divine demons were buried in the vast ocean of Sword Dao.

Grand Emperor Heaven, Grand Bright Heaven, Clear Bright Heaven, Mysterious Fetus Heaven, Primordial Bright Heaven...

Each layer of Heavens had transformed into a Sword Dao hell!

Rigid sword energy had turned the place into a slaughterhouse where not even divine demons could survive!

The Earth Division, the Heavenly Court's largest army of divine demons and its strongest ground combat force, would likely not escape this catastrophe!

"There's no escaping anymore!"

Heavenly Monarch Beidou cried out, "All the soldiers are trapped! We're trapped too..."

Before he could finish speaking, the full might of Wuyouxiang erupted, as if Emperor Kaihuang Qin Ye, the supreme Sword Dao paragon, had personally unsheathed his sword.

Emperors at the Emperor Seat Realm, such as Kaiyang and Yuheng, disintegrated, split apart, shattered into countless fragments, and vanished in the light of the Sword Dao, leaving nothing behind!

The Earth Division army, one of the Heavenly Court's Three Divisions, which had previously crushed Wuyouxiang's forces in ground assaults and defenses, was now annihilated within Wuyouxiang itself.

Although many remnants of the Earth Division had not entered Wuyouxiang, they were no longer a significant force. The Earth Division, once one of the Three Divisions, was now removed from the rolls!

In the sky, Lan Yutian controlled numerous divine artifacts, all named Lan Yutian, gathering Wuyouxiang's power. From afar, he appeared to be wielding Wuyouxiang's Grand Purity Realm as the sword hilt, with the other Heavens serving as the sword guard, edge, blade, tip, and aura!

The full might of Wuyouxiang was unleashed, like a colossal sword standing between Heaven and Earth. However, Wuyouxiang's power was rapidly diminishing; it was merely the sword heart of the Wuyou Sword. Without the actual Wuyou Sword, its ability to kill so many divine demons of the Earth Division was truly remarkable.

Under Lan Yutian's activation, Grand Emperor Heaven and Grand Bright Heaven violently collided, stacking upon each other, then crashing into Clear Bright Heaven, Mysterious Fetus Heaven, and Primordial Bright Heaven!

Within a single breath, the powers of Wuyouxiang's various Heavens had converged, forming a thirty-two layered Heavenly Sword Domain, which then slammed into the final Heaven, the Grand Purity Realm!

Boom!

The Grand Purity Realm's Dao Sword Domain completely merged with the thirty-two layered Heavenly Sword Domain!

Lan Yutian's objective was to use Wuyouxiang's remaining power, before it completely dissipated, to kill Lady Yuan Mu!

Just then, Lady Yuan Mu, who had been trapped in the cycle of reincarnation, suddenly awakened. Seeing the situation, she felt a chill down her spine, and with a fierce cry, she unleashed the power of a Guixu Dao achiever!

Within the Grand Purity Realm, the Dao Sword Domain rotated around a colossal Guixu. The sword domain and the Guixu collided violently, creating an earth-shattering scene!

It was a contest between the Sword Dao and the winds of heat death, a struggle against the all-devouring abyss. The intensity was immense; the sword domain rotating around the Guixu was scorched crimson by the winds of heat death, engulfed in raging flames!

Suddenly, a lotus leaf slowly rose from the Guixu. Lady Yuan Mu stood within the lotus leaf, activating its immense power!

This lotus leaf was equivalent to a Dao achiever's Dao tree. If a Dao achiever utilized their Dao tree, it meant their life was at stake!

Lady Yuan Mu used the lotus leaf, pushing the power of the Guixu Dao achiever to its limit. An earth-shattering boom resounded, and the sword domain suddenly exploded!

Lady Yuan Mu transformed into a black streak of light, tearing through the air and vanishing.

Meanwhile,

Wuyouxiang shattered, and colossal, sword-like metallic fragments rained down from the sky, impaling the former site of Wuyouxiang in disarray.

For tens of thousands of miles in every direction, fallen swords littered the ground, forming a desolate graveyard of swords.

In the distance, Emperor Yiyue and the other soldiers of Wuyouxiang looked dejected, each straightening their posture.

The Saintly Woodcutter said calmly, "Gentlemen, the Navy, the Divine Division, and other Heavenly Court armies are catching up quickly. We must leave this place as soon as possible."

The soldiers silently turned and headed east, towards Yankang.

The Woodcutter looked back. The Heavenly Court's Divine Division was the fastest, already visible in the distance. The power of the Divine Division, among the Three Divisions, was sufficient to slaughter them all, leaving no one alive.

Although Wuyouxiang still had many soldiers, they were no longer enough to contend with the Heavenly Court.

"Reverend Wen, do we need someone to stay behind?" Su Maiqing stopped and asked.

The Saintly Woodcutter nodded silently, his voice low: "Dao Master Su, you alone are not enough."

"Then I will stay too," Yan Rihuan slowed his pace and came to his side.

Fang Youji stopped, "And me."

Gao Baixun also fell back a step and said, "I think this generation of Wuyouxiang's youth is very good. Back then, I thought they were all good-for-nothing scoundrels who only knew how to eat, drink, and play. But now, after experiencing war, they've become admirable."

Zhou Jingmeng and Zhou Xunfang, two old fellows, stepped forward and chuckled, "We brothers are old-timers now, and we plan to stay behind to buy the young ones some time."

"Reverend, let us severely wounded soldiers stay behind too."

A soldier who had lost both legs stopped, looking up with hope. "Taking us wounded soldiers will only slow down the army's march. Rather than having the entire army wiped out, it's better to leave us behind with Junior Protector Fang and the others to buy time for everyone else!"

The Saintly Woodcutter nodded silently. Many injured and disabled divine demons began to separate from the retreating forces.

Others were about to step forward, but the Saintly Woodcutter raised a hand and said, "That's enough. If there isn't enough time to link up with Yankang, the others will still have a chance. My old brothers, this battle is our eternal farewell. I, Tiange, will not see you off."

Fang Youji stared at him with wide, aged eyes, then suddenly huffed, "Wen Tiange, I've always found you unpleasant to look at. They say you're supremely holy yet heartless, supremely wise yet unrighteous. We old folks are going to die today, and these cripples are staying behind to fight to the death, yet you're still so cold, not even a frown? Today, you *must* give us a smile!"

The Saintly Woodcutter offered a gentle smile.

"Not that fake smile!"

A smile appeared on the Saintly Woodcutter's face, his eyes stinging. He turned his face away, shielding it with his sleeve, and secretly wiped away old tears.

Seeing this, Fang Youji didn't press him further. He sighed, "Even a saint is human; your heart is made of flesh too. Wen Tiange, to have served by your and Qin Ye's side, living a magnificent four hundred centuries, I feel very content and have no regrets. Hurry, leave now!"

He waved his hand.

The Saintly Woodcutter bowed deeply to the ground, then caught up with the retreating main force.

Fang Youji set his coffin upright, vigorously wiped it clean, and began to whistle. This coffin, which he had rubbed and polished for twenty thousand years, gleamed brightly.

The old man pressed his face against the coffin and chuckled, "This day, it's finally going to be put to use..."

Gao Baixun, a scholar wearing a tall cap, listened to Fang Youji's whistling. As he watched the approaching Heavenly Court Divine Division army, he gently tapped his palm with his teaching whip, in sync with the whistling.

The scholar swayed his head, softly chanting: "Behold my will to pacify the heavens, ascend my Hall of Equal Heaven, carry my Pure Bright Coffin, ascend my Mysterious Fetus Mountain."

The old generals, disabled soldiers, and wounded troops of Wuyouxiang felt a profound calm, quietly listening to his chant. Fang Youji's whistling grew ever more ethereal, as if transporting them back to Wuyouxiang in the void of the other shore.

Those years felt like yesterday, right before their eyes.

Gao Baixun clapped his teaching whip, stepped forward, and suddenly began to dance. In his spiritual consciousness, he conjured visions of the Creator and Wuyouxiang, with Creator's divine maidens gracefully dancing in the air, their movements enchanting.

"Visualize all things born, peace and joy equally shared, ascend high to gaze at the other shore, creation unfolding the starry void. Enter my Wuyouxiang, avoiding the world with no worries."

His voice gradually lowered, becoming carefree, then suddenly grew sonorous and powerful, like the ringing of metal and stone. The whistling also became spirited!

"One day the great dream awakens, the road back to the homeland!"

"Tread my dangerous Heavenly path! Battle my wicked jackals! Bury my heroic souls! Inter my righteous bones!"

"Aging in wind and frost, I fear not!"

"Wounds from blades and swords, I'm unshaken!"

"Though my body be shattered to dust!"

"Though my soul be scattered and dispersed!"

He removed his tall cap, letting his hair fall over his shoulders. Watching the approaching Heavenly Court divine demons, his hair flew wildly with rage as he shouted, "Henceforth, all in the Primordial Realm are righteous heroes! The void everywhere is home!"

Numerous old veterans and generals of Wuyouxiang stood up, activating their damaged divine weapons and stirring their remaining vital energy.

Gao Baixun burst into laughter and charged towards the Heavenly Court's Divine Division, shouting, "Come on! You Heavenly Court whelps, step over my corpse!"

Everyone laughed heartily, charging forward with him. An earth-shattering roar erupted in the sky: "Step over our corpses!"