Chapter 1731: Seizing Power, The First Battle

When the Carefree Village army arrived, the Heavenly Court's counterattack was exceptionally fierce. Since its arrival in the Primordial Realm, the Heavenly Court had always maintained the offensive. Despite experiencing both victories and defeats, the overall strategic situation had remained unchanged.

But now, Carefree Village and Eternal Peace had the audacity to launch an offensive, attempting to reverse this trend. This was utterly intolerable for any Heavenly Court soldier.

As Carefree Village advanced to the Heavenly Court's grand camp, Heavenly King Huang Tianxi could no longer hold back. He led his forces out, and the Heavenly Court's army surged forth like an overwhelming tide, obscuring the sky.

The pallbearers from Carefree Village stood at the forefront, observing the Heavenly Court's elite forces charging. From the enemy camp, a towering wave of divine arts and abilities, like a radiant deluge, surged towards them. The scene was utterly despair-inducing!

Alongside the divine arts of the Heavenly Court soldiers came tens of thousands of divine weapons. These treasures weaved through the torrent of abilities, constantly transforming, their power unfathomable!

Large beads of sweat covered the foreheads of Carefree Village's celestial strongmen, yet they remained motionless, quietly awaiting Woodcutter Wen Tiange's command. They held an inexplicable trust in Woodcutter Wen Tiange; even when faced with such a terrifying scene, their confidence remained unshaken.

The torrent of divine arts and weapons from the Heavenly Court soldiers rapidly approached them, yet the Woodcutter Saint still gave no command. The torrent of divine arts and weapons traversed a hundred li in a flash, now only about a hundred zhang away. Behind this devastating onslaught were Heavenly King Huang Tianxi's elite forces!

Just then, from behind them, the Woodcutter's voice rang out: "Open the coffin! Engage the enemy!"

The celestial strongmen strenuously pushed open the coffin. Suddenly, a surge of Dao power erupted, and the World Tree ascended! Qin Mu sat motionless in the coffin beneath the tree. Suddenly, his divine treasure realm burst forth from within him, expanding with a roaring sound.

Huang Tianxi, the Heavenly Court's Eastern Heavenly King, was a being capable of contending with the Four-Colored Great Emperors. He had previously been trapped within Qin Mu's realm during Qin Mu's fight with the Third and Fourth Young Masters, leaving him with a deep-seated fear of Qin Mu's divine treasure realm. Seeing Qin Mu's realm erupt, he couldn't help but inwardly exclaim, "My life is over!"

However, while Qin Mu's divine treasure realm did unfurl, encompassing Huang Tianxi's army, it did not activate its full power against them. Instead, it fully enveloped the Carefree Village army within its bounds.

The soldiers of Carefree Village had endured dozens of battles, both large and small, including the destruction of their homeland, the retreat to Eternal Peace, and the defense of Lanfeng. Only 200,000 remained. Compared to the Heavenly Court's armies, which routinely numbered in the tens of millions, this force was barely a drop in the ocean!

As these 200,000 soldiers stood within Qin Mu's realm, it was as if they suddenly had eyes everywhere – front, back, left, and right. They could perceive every divine art from the Heavenly Court with perfect clarity, even beyond mere observation. Each of them could see every facet of the divine arts used by the Heavenly Court's gods and devils. They could even perceive the internal workings of each art, clearly understanding its composition. Moreover, even the divine weapons wielded by the Heavenly Court were seen with perfect clarity. The rune transformations within them, their operational principles, internal structures, and the formations they contained were all vividly apparent!

This was precisely the marvelous function of Qin Mu's divine treasure realm. The soldiers immediately employed various methods. Before the divine arts and weapons of the Heavenly Court army could strike the Carefree Village strongmen and Qin Mu's coffin, they completely nullified the first wave of attacks!

The faces and bodies of the celestial strongmen carrying Qin Mu's coffin were grazed by the residual power of divine arts and fragments of divine weapons, leaving numerous wounds, yet they continued to carry the coffin without moving. Some were even pierced through the chest by sharp weapon fragments, but still stood firm.

"Heavenly Venerate Mu!"

In the Heavenly Court's ranks, the commanders of various armies were leading their forces out of the grand camp. Seeing this, they all halted their charge, looking up with a mix of surprise and uncertainty. Huang Tianxi also immediately halted his army's charge, looking with apprehension at Qin Mu, who sat in the coffin ahead.

As the first wave of Huang Tianxi's army's attack was thwarted, the divine light dispersed, and the Carefree Village formation became clear. It was then seen that although Qin Mu's divine treasure realm was unfurled, fifty enormous pillars, shimmering with cold light, had pierced through his thirty-three-layered realm!

Those were fifty Dao-Slaying Divine Nails! The Dao-Slaying Divine Nails anchored Qin Mu's divine treasure realm, piercing not only his realm but also the fifty wounds left by the Third Young Master in his physical body. Qin Mu's divine treasure realm was an independent universe, intrinsically linked to his physical body. The fifty nails that pierced his physical body also pierced his divine treasure realm. Furthermore, the fifty wounds left by the Seventh Young Master were also deeply imprinted in his divine treasure realm. However, they were pierced by those fifty massive nails, suppressing the Dao injuries within the wounds.

His injuries were far more severe than they appeared!

This brought a sigh of relief to everyone in the Heavenly Court. In the center of the grand camp, Emperor Haotian let out a long breath, quickly rushed forward two steps, a mix of surprise and joy appearing on his face. He burst into laughter, declaring: "Old rogue Mu, you've met your match today! Soldiers, heed my command, flatten these rebels! I shall adorn my palace with the heads of these traitors!"

Qin Mu's greatest threat to the Heavenly Court had always been his strange and unfathomable divine treasure realm. His battle with the two young masters, in which his divine treasure realm was prominently displayed, had almost shattered the confidence of everyone in the Heavenly Court. If Qin Mu could still wield its full power, then no one would be able to contend with him in this battle! However, the current situation was that Qin Mu was no longer unfathomable. This proactive attack by Carefree Village had instead completely dispelled his mysterious aura, allowing the Heavenly Court soldiers to no longer fear his divine treasure realm.

The various Heavenly Court armies immediately moved out. Huang Tianxi took the lead, rushing forward with his army and shouting: "Destroy Carefree Village, capture Heavenly Venerate Mu alive!" His soldiers, faces flushed with excitement, roared: "Capture Heavenly Venerate Mu alive—"

Woodcutter Wen Tiange activated the Primordial Spirit Lure, simultaneously issuing orders to the various Carefree Village armies. Their formations shifted, and they all ascended into the air, landing on Qin Mu's World Tree. The World Tree's branches and leaves swayed, each existing in a different void. The Woodcutter, having set up his formation, suddenly roared: "Carry the coffin, advance!"

The celestial strongmen strenuously lifted the coffin and stepped forward, heading towards Huang Tianxi's army. Even before the two armies engaged in close-quarters combat, the sky was already a battlefield of clashing divine arts. The divine arts of the Heavenly Court and Carefree Village surged through the air, and divine weapons clashed with divine weapons, creating a dazzling display of light and power!

The celestial strongmen strenuously carried the coffin forward, as residual divine power and weapon fragments whizzed around them. Some passed through their bodies, others pierced their primordial spirits, and strongmen continuously fell. Whenever this happened, giants from Carefree Village would descend from the World Tree, replacing the fallen strongmen and continuing to carry the coffin forward.

Leveraging the advantage of the divine treasure realm, the Carefree Village soldiers bypassed the enemy's divine arts and weapons. Moreover, the divine arts and weapons of their various army commanders breached the enemy's defensive screen, slaying enemy generals and inflicting heavy casualties on Heavenly King of the East's army! However, Heavenly King of the East's army was simply too numerous and held an advantage in cultivation realms. Many divine arts still managed to penetrate, and on the thirty-three layers of the World Tree, the bodies of Carefree Village soldiers continuously fell.

The two armies drew closer. On the leaves of the World Tree, Yan Yunxi's mount, Donkey Demon King Lu Zheng, transformed into a demon god with a donkey head and human body. He chuckled broadly: "Little black cat, fish, and old ox, you don't need to be afraid. With me here, I can definitely protect you all!" One of his eyes was already blind, injured by an enemy during the battle of Carefree Village. Black Tiger God, gripping two great axes, snorted. A deep scar ran across his face, from his right forehead down to his left chin—another wound sustained in the battle of Carefree Village. The two small red fish transformed into a couple dressed in large red robes, their bodies also bearing numerous wounds. Ox San Duo stood upright, smoke puffing from his nostrils. "Lu Zheng," he snorted, "you'd better watch yourself. I was personally bestowed the Golden Guard title by Grand Emperor Tai Chu back then, a being who caused havoc in the Heavenly River and fought against ancient gods!"

The Carefree Village army clashed with Heavenly King of the East's army. The pallbearers bore the brunt of the attack, and in just an instant, more than half were killed or wounded. As the strongmen in front fell, the strongmen behind them immediately bore the entire weight of the Burial Dao Divine Coffin. They were crushed to the point of bleeding from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, their shoulder bones pulverized, yet they stubbornly held on, refusing to fall.

However, the World Tree immediately tilted, hindering their advance and causing all the soldiers on it to lose their balance. The Woodcutter's voice came: "Lu Zheng, Ox San Duo, go and carry the coffin forward. You must guard it and carry Heavenly Venerate Mu into the Heavenly Court's grand camp!"

The five immediately rushed down from the tree. Lu Zheng chuckled: "Brothers, I'll protect you. Your cultivation is weaker than mine, so I'll stand at the very front. Don't worry about me, I have my radish!" The five lifted the Burial Dao Divine Coffin. Lu Zheng roared, his muscles bulging, and with a hunched back, he positioned himself at the very front, carrying the coffin forward.

As countless gods and devils from Heavenly King of the East's forces charged forward, Emperor Yi Yue immediately flew down to meet Huang Tianxi. Following the strategy of "capturing the leader to win the battle," she had to kill Huang Tianxi and crush the Heavenly King of the East's army in the shortest possible time to have any chance of saving the other Carefree Village soldiers!

"Emperor Yi Yue, do you even deserve to be called Founding Emperor?" Huang Tianxi laughed heartily, showing no fear. Heavenly palaces emerged behind his head, forming a miniature Heavenly Court. "You are three and a half realms below me; you are no match for me!" he declared. "You were the most talented person in the Founding Emperor Era, and a demigod, so why do you help the human race?"

"So you also know that I am the most talented person in the last forty thousand years!" Emperor Yi Yue let out a fierce cry. Their divine arts clashed directly, and as their figures darted past each other, Emperor Yi Yue's left arm detached, severed by Huang Tianxi.

At the same time, behind Emperor Yi Yue, a vast Ancestral Court appeared. The Four Heavenly Gates stood both upright and inverted, the Jade Pool and Jade Terrace exuded profound Dao rhythm, the God-Slaying Platform surged with malevolent qi, the Heavenly Sea was like a mirror with not a single ripple, and the Nine Prison Platform was as deep as an abyss! In her Ancestral Court, the illusory forms of the Four Great Mines had already appeared, with only the Mine of Grand Beginning yet to manifest. From the Four Great Mines, the divine light of four Great Daos slowly rose. Emperor Yi Yue's primordial spirit gathered this divine light, moving in reverse to her physical body. In just an instant, it broke through Huang Tianxi's miniature Heavenly Court, piercing straight through his High Heavens Palace with a whoosh!

Within the High Heavens Palace, Huang Tianxi's primordial spirit exploded with a thunderous roar, turning into dust. Huang Tianxi's corpse toppled to the ground, immediately submerged by the chaotic army.

Emperor Yi Yue did not pick up her severed left arm. She stopped the bleeding and charged forward, plunging into the enemy lines. By the time she broke through Heavenly King of the East's army, she saw various Heavenly Court armies surging towards her from the front.

"In this battle, we must break through the Heavenly Court's grand camp and place Heavenly Venerate Mu's coffin within it!" Emperor Yi Yue gripped her sword with one arm, her primordial spirit floating amidst the Four Great Mines. She looked at the surging Heavenly Court armies, declaring: "Only with the World Tree standing within the Heavenly Court's grand camp can Carefree Village be considered the sharp knife that breaks through the Heavenly Court's might!"

Another Heavenly Court army surged forward, engulfing her. Emperor Yi Yue's figure was like a small boat on a turbulent sea. She flickered in and out of sight amidst the crashing waves, never being swallowed by them. Yet another army surged forward, followed by a third. On the World Tree, Wen Tiange gave an order, and Yan Yunxi, Di Shitian, Martial Heaven Master, and others all charged down to support Emperor Yi Yue. They carved a path through the bloody tide, with countless enemy corpses tumbling within the sanguine waves.

"Activate the Northern Heavenly Gate!" A roar came from the enemy camp. A Heavenly Gate rose, and cold winds howled, blowing towards the World Tree, freezing everything.

Lu Zheng and the others carrying the coffin couldn't help but shiver, their faces covered in ice shards. This Heavenly Gate was the Northern Heavenly Gate, a sacred site from the Ancestral Court, directly transported by the Heavenly Court. It was deployed as a divine weapon to suppress everything and contend with the World Tree, attempting to crush Qin Mu's divine treasure realm and halt Carefree Village's advance. At the same time, the Heavenly Court soldiers who had reached the base of the World Tree frantically climbed upwards, already reaching its individual leaves.

Meanwhile, Lu Zheng, Ox San Duo, and the others carrying the coffin were surrounded by extreme danger. Lu Zheng used his back to bear the Burial Dao Divine Coffin, freeing his hands to fight, while Ox San Duo carried it on his shoulder, also freeing his hands. They felt surrounded by an endless tide of enemies, with divine weapons and sharp implements attacking from every direction, impossible to kill them all or block every blow. They wondered when this battle would ever end.

Suddenly, around the Northern Heavenly Gate, countless gods and devils of the Heavenly Court army fell in droves, without any warning. The Heavenly Court Chronicler, holding the Heaven-Connecting Pillar, was bewildered. He seemed to sense something, his face drastically changed, and he roared: "Enemy attack! From Youdu, burrowing into our life-and-death divine treasures! Beware of enemies assassinating our primordial spirits!" His Heavenly Palace abruptly appeared. A Divine Imperial Saber swept past his High Heavens Palace, slaying his primordial spirit!

King Tian Shu of the Netherworld vibrated the Divine Imperial Saber, its blade light dazzling. As the blade light vibrated, the stone tablet of the Realm of the Living and the Dead appeared. The King of Fengdu led the ghosts and gods of Fengdu, emerging from Youdu to kill into the life-and-death divine treasures of the Heavenly Court's various gods and devils. Tian Shu's body grew larger and larger, his legs parting. He stood atop the two mountain ranges of the Northern Heavenly Gate and shouted fiercely: "Advance—"

Lu Zheng, Ox San Duo, the Red Kun couple, Black Tiger God, and others strenuously carried the coffin and charged forward. Countless Heavenly Court soldiers surged from all directions, creating a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Along this path, the battles were innumerable, and the casualties among Carefree Village soldiers were equally immense. Finally, they arrived before the Heavenly Court's grand camp. From above, countless divine arts and weapons rained down. Carefree Village soldiers strenuously resisted, but many were continuously killed, falling from the World Tree.

The camp walls were thick and heavy. Lu Zheng shouted: "I'll carry the coffin, Old Ox, you go break down the city gate!" Ox San Duo charged out, roaring repeatedly. His body grew larger and larger, his muscles bulging menacingly. His fists slammed onto the city gate, and the gate and its tower trembled with a rumble.

Heavenly Court soldiers leaped down from the city tower to fight, their numbers growing by the moment. Simultaneously, countless Heavenly Court soldiers from all directions surged forward. Lu Zheng, with the coffin on his back, shouted sternly: "Little cat, fish, I'll hold them off! You protect Old Ox!" Black Tiger God and the Red Kun couple immediately stopped carrying the coffin and fought with all their might, ensuring Ox San Duo's safety.

Ox San Duo furiously slammed the city gate, but it remained unbroken. Suddenly, he roared continuously, lowered his head, and rammed into the gate. An earth-shattering crash resounded. The city gate shattered into pieces, and the tower collapsed. Ox San Duo's two horns broke off, and his head was bleeding profusely. Yet he smiled, shouting loudly: "Donkey, the city's breached, the city's breached! Carry the coffin into the city!"

Lu Zheng, with the Burial Dao Divine Coffin on his back, stood motionless, his body hunched and riddled with various divine weapons. "Donkey!" Black Tiger God fought off the surging Heavenly Court soldiers and rushed forward. He saw Lu Zheng, his single eye wide open, already breathless. The ginseng doll by his mouth was just a radish head, still with a faint breath of life. Radish Head was Lu Zheng's good friend. Although Lu Zheng often nibbled on Radish Head whenever he pleased, he could never bring himself to eat it entirely, as that would take his friend's life.

"Carry the coffin into the city!" Black Tiger God wiped away his tears and roared at the Red Kun couple. Only three of them remained to carry the coffin. The Burial Dao Divine Coffin was too heavy, and the three were crushed to the point of spitting blood. Ox San Duo cleared the path ahead, using his physical body to block the attacks of countless surging gods and devils, carving a bloody path for Black Tiger God and the other two.

Finally, they reached inside the city.

In the distance, on Eternal Peace's divine city, Ling Yuxiu saw the World Tree enter the Heavenly Court's grand camp. Her raised arm finally fell, like a sword striking down. The various armies of Eternal Peace roared into action, surging mightily towards the Heavenly Court's grand camp!