Chapter 888: The Great Sovereign of the Prime Realm

Di Mu Yuan Jun gave them no chance to reminisce. The ancient god spun the Primordial Wood, and the spherical mass of its roots, like a colossal hammer, slammed heavily into "Yu Tian Zun"'s chest, who was still reeling in shock. "Yu Tian Zun" tumbled and rolled, crashing into Yuanjie's barrier. He bounced off the world barrier like a skipping stone on water, rising and falling. The force of this blow was immense, and "Yu Tian Zun" was also incredibly strong, causing large holes to appear in the Yuanjie barrier. These holes were like wounds in the Yuanjie; the spatial barrier slowly healed but struggled to fully recover for a time.

Di Mu Yuan Jun shrieked, raising two fingers. Countless root tendrils, like dragons, shot out from the sphere formed by the Primordial Wood's roots, piercing through "Yu Tian Zun"'s wounds with a hiss! Qin Mu had said this was her only chance, so she would not let it slip away. She would kill "Yu Tian Zun" while he was heavily wounded, no matter what. If she failed, she would be the one to die!

"Primordial Magnetic Immeasurable!" The Primordial Wood roots passed through the sword wounds on "Yu Tian Zun"'s body and emerged from his back. Primordial magnetism burst forth from the roots, glowing with dazzling divine light and merging with the Primordial Wood roots. Countless roots intertwined, lifting "Yu Tian Zun" into the starry sky. They crisscrossed and flowed back into the root sphere, forming a giant "∞" (infinity) symbol. Qin Mu looked at the roots, observing countless glowing halos of primordial magnetic runes rotating around the Primordial Wood's tendrils. These tendrils, carrying the primordial magnetic runes, continuously wove and returned to the large root sphere. The power of primordial magnetism was incredibly potent, draining the essence from "Yu Tian Zun"'s physical body, weakening him as much as possible. The terrifying primordial magnetic divine power crushed the Grand Dao runes within "Yu Tian Zun," causing immeasurable damage to his body and soul. Previous "Yu Tian Zun" incarnations who descended were merely experimental subjects used by the Heavenly Court's supreme beings, with cultivation only at the Divine Bridge realm. However, this "Yu Tian Zun" who had descended was inhabited by Hao Tian Zun's primordial spirit. Di Mu Yuan Jun's divine ability and the power of the Primordial Wood were too strong, causing immense destruction to his primordial spirit. Myriad heavens were forcefully drawn in by the terrifying primordial magnetic divine light. The heavens boomed as they pressed down on "Yu Tian Zun." Such pressure would easily crush any being at the Imperial Emperor realm!

"Mu Tian Zun, Di Mu, you have underestimated the Heavenly Court at this realm!" A majestic Heavenly Court appeared behind "Yu Tian Zun," with magnificent palaces and halls. His power erupted, and the constantly rotating runes on the Primordial Wood roots immediately stopped. The roots also ceased flowing, and the "∞" symbol they formed instantly unfurled into a large circle. The heavens that had been pressing down on his body began to move away one by one. Then, the primordial magnetic runes on the roots flowed backward. The essence that Di Mu had just taken was actually returning to his body!

Di Mu Yuan Jun continued to shriek, and more roots pierced out from the Primordial Wood root sphere. Some immensely thick roots even penetrated "Yu Tian Zun"'s Heavenly Court, collapsing palaces and attempting to destroy the celestial palace. The trunk and crown of the Primordial Wood only accounted for a tenth of the true Primordial Wood; Di Mu Yuan Jun's most powerful aspect was her roots. Her figure also approached "Yu Tian Zun," with the Primordial Wood flying behind her. From the tree crown, Qin Mu suddenly leaped, jumping out of the bird's nest. His body was enveloped by countless rapidly rotating transmission runes, transforming into a subtle streak of light. He flew towards the rapidly shrinking spatial barrier "wound" of the Yuanjie.

"Mu Tian Zun, I have waited a million years for you!" A voice, sounding like a mixture of laughter and tears, came from "Yu Tian Zun"'s mouth: "A million years ago, you had the late-mover advantage, using divine abilities from a million years in the future to defeat me! But now, a million years later, I have the first-mover advantage. I have a million years of wisdom, a million years to repair and perfect the Heavenly Court!" As he fell, Qin Mu looked back. He saw the two terrifying divine beings locked in close combat. Behind "Yu Tian Zun," within the majestic Heavenly Court, faceless divine beings stood in palaces and halls, like masters of celestial palaces, like Great Emperors.

"Hao Tian Zun has indeed cultivated to an incredible degree in the Heavenly Court realm for so long." Qin Mu accelerated his descent, thinking to himself: "However, he has already been severely wounded, and Di Mu has gained the upper hand. If he were to fight to the death, he might still be able to kill Di Mu, but he is someone who cherishes his life, both a million years ago and now. For his position in the Heavenly Court, he will certainly not allow himself to be too severely damaged. He will undoubtedly abandon Di Mu and return to the Heavenly Court. He will not make any significant moves until his injuries are fully healed."

The Yuanjie barrier healed, and his figure disappeared into the Yuanjie. Outside the heavens, the two incredibly terrifying beings continued their struggle. Their divine abilities repeatedly tore through the Yuanjie's sky, allowing the beings in the lower realms to witness the terrifying figures of these two entities, awed by the power they displayed. As the battle raged outside, Di Mu's injuries also grew heavier, and she gradually felt her strength failing.

"Mu Tian Zun, what should I do next?" Her thoughts wavered. It was only then that she realized Qin Mu was no longer in the tree crown. Di Mu felt a surge of panic. Qin Mu's guidance had helped her escape being cornered, but now she was at a disadvantage again, and Qin Mu had vanished without a trace, filling her with the fear of facing death. However, more terrified than her was Hao Tian Zun. Di Mu had, after all, already lost everything, while he still possessed everything. His position in the Heavenly Court was too high, so high that he could not afford to sustain significant damage. Otherwise, other supreme beings in the Heavenly Court would be very happy to seize his power! If he continued to fight fiercely, he would face this bitter consequence. However, if he could not eliminate Di Mu, it would also be a tremendous blow to his prestige. To this day, no supreme beings from the Heavenly Court had descended to help him. Not even Fire Tian Zun, who used to be his shadow, had come down to assist. Those who acted like close friends in the Heavenly Court now seemed to be waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity that sent shivers down his spine.

Just then, another face appeared outside the heavens—another "Yu Tian Zun"'s face. Hao Tian Zun felt a surge of joy, then alarm. That "Yu Tian Zun" did not intervene but watched from afar with a smile. "Does Your Majesty need help?" that "Yu Tian Zun" laughed. Upon hearing this voice, Hao Tian Zun immediately knew which supreme being from the Heavenly Court this was.

In Yuanjie, Qin Mu landed and surveyed the scene: devastation everywhere. The Heavenly Court army, led by Hao Tian Zun, began to clear out forces in Yuanjie, driving massive battleships. They flattened the nations built by the demigod races residing in Yuanjie, burning, killing, and looting. The Yuanjie had now completely transformed into a chaotic world, overrun by demons and monsters. The sky was filled with a murky haze, with gods and devils clashing amidst the clouds. From time to time, mountain-sized heads fell from the sky.

Whoosh— Above him, a giant demon god flew past, fleeing frantically, followed by hundreds of divine weapons that sliced through the sky, slaying the demon god. Qin Mu hadn't walked far before he saw rivers of blood. The demon god's corpse lay before him, blocking his path like a mountain. A team of Heavenly Court divine beings arrived from behind. Someone laughed, "Pick up the body, it's still useful!" Qin Mu hid in the shadows, watching them carry away the demon god's corpse. Once they left, he emerged from the darkness.

He walked through this chaotic, blood-soaked world. He saw terrifying celestial gods uprooting mountains and crushing them onto the nations of demigod races, shattering imperial cities. Countless demigod races were crushed to pieces. He also saw dragon-kin among the demigods being skinned, with Heavenly Court divine beings hanging the divine dragons on mountains and wantonly using celestial fire to roast them. He walked in a daze through this boundless battlefield, where celestial gods were everywhere, burning, killing, and looting. The divine kingdom established by the Phoenix race had been conquered by the Heavenly Court army. Countless handsome Phoenix men and women became military slaves, subjected to the brutal desires of those celestial gods. He saw a deity hung before the mountain gate of a heaven, while that Yuanjie heaven was utterly shattered. Countless demigod slaves, their bodies pierced, moved forward with difficulty under the celestial gods' whips, carrying heavy loads. Yuanjie was engulfed in warfare everywhere. The Heavenly Court army used the corpses of gods and demons to construct towering altars, performing blood sacrifices. The sky was filled with dazzling blood light. Heavenly Court divine and demonic armies continuously entered Yuanjie via blood sacrifice, aboard battleships, to attack even larger forces. More and more battleships appeared in the sky, and more and more celestial gods.

"Ancient God Heavenly Emperor?" Qin Mu muttered, "Have you descended? I've given you a chance to act... What about humanity, the humans in the Great Ruins?" This war was spreading and would soon reach Yankang.

"Son of Youdu?" Suddenly, a celestial god noticed him, unfurling a scroll. He laughed heartily, "We searched high and low for him and found him without any effort! The Son of Youdu is here!" Qin Mu was expressionless, manifesting three heads and six arms. His body grew taller and larger. His third head was that of a large-headed baby doll. "Where my body is, there is Youdu!" The large-headed baby doll looked confusedly at the devastated and chaotic world: "But this place is even more terrifying than Youdu."

In the Southern Sea, an alien star collapsed, trailing a long flame as it plunged into the Southern Sea, stirring up immense waves. On the surface of the Southern Sea, in the Red Emperor Remnant's Heavenly Palace, countless Red Emperor divine beings fought against the Heavenly Court's celestial army. Chi Xi led the resistance, fending off the attack to give his people time to retreat. His comrades around him dwindled until he was the only one left on the God Slaying Platform, roaring and fighting. Ultimately, he was engulfed in a sea of gods and demons.

"Come with me!" He let out a final roar, "Sacrifice!" All his blood and essence were devoured by the God Slaying Platform. This God Slaying Platform of an Imperial Emperor realm expert seemed to come alive, awakening from slumber. Its power erupted, blood surging like a tide, devouring the blood and essence of countless surrounding celestial gods. Those celestial gods who surged onto the God Slaying Platform quickly became mummified corpses in various poses. Chi Xi the divine being was lifeless, his eyes gradually blurred.

"The Red Emperor's Son must have led our people to migrate to a very distant place, right? And my disciple, I wonder if he's doing well..." Before his complete death, he saw the Great Senior, like an old rabbit, hiding and scurrying in the destroyed Red Emperor Heavenly Palace. Chi Xi the divine being showed a final smile: "He runs so fast..."

Ban Gong Cuo fled frantically from the Red Emperor Heavenly Palace, pursued by hundreds of celestial gods, escaping towards Yankang. After all, Qin Mu had hailed him as the foremost expert in escaping. A few hundred celestial gods couldn't stop him. He even encountered resistance from cultivators in the Jade Pool and Jade Capital realms along the way, but he still managed to escape. The sky was dim, the sun and moon obscured. The celestial map was torn apart by warfare, ignited by divine fire, like a burning scroll. Ban Gong Cuo fled under this burning scroll, finally reaching the mainland. He was covered in injuries but revealed a faint smile: "No one in this world can kill me, no one! Not Cult Master Qin, and certainly no one else!"

Just then, he saw divine beings clashing ahead. Yankang's battleship fleet transported countless mortals northwards, but one by one, the battleships fell under the divine abilities of gods and demons. "None of my business." He was about to go around, looking for a place to settle, when his gaze froze on the figure resisting the Heavenly Court gods. He couldn't look away. It was the Human Emperor First Ancestor, desperately protecting those battleships under the encirclement of dozens of Heavenly Court divine generals. He was allowing the cultivators on the battleships to lead these mortals in migration. The flames of war illuminated the faces on those battleships—faces filled with fear and anxiety, women and children among them.

"None of my business, I've never done a good deed in my life. For ten thousand years, I've done nothing but evil..." Ban Gong Cuo chuckled, moving far away. Just then, the Human Emperor First Ancestor's body crashed down from the sky, sliding dozens of miles before stopping at his feet. an Imperial Emperor realm being descended from the sky, plunging a sword into the First Ancestor's chest. Without hesitation, Ban Gong Cuo transformed into black smoke, coiling around the Human Emperor First Ancestor and fleeing.

"Stop!" The First Ancestor's body trembled, shaking off the black smoke. He didn't look at Ban Gong Cuo but stared at the pursuing Heavenly Court strongmen: "You escort those people away!" He then charged at the celestial gods, without looking back. Ban Gong Cuo was stunned, then silently flew onto a battleship. The battleship sped north. Behind them, in the darkness, the figures of the Human Emperor First Ancestor and the celestial gods were faintly visible. The aftershocks of divine abilities impacted them, causing the battleships to creak, on the verge of breaking apart at any moment.

"Lower the battleships, we'll walk." Ban Gong Cuo smiled at the desperate cultivators: "I've been escaping my whole life; I guarantee I can get you out of here alive!" The battleships descended, and people streamed out. "It'll be fine once we reach Lijiang Academy." Ban Gong Cuo led them forward, comforting everyone: "At Lijiang Academy, Imperial Preceptor has built a teleportation array, and we can directly teleport to the capital." People migrated in the darkness, not knowing where they were. Along the way, they met more displaced people, and the group grew larger. Ban Gong Cuo became the backbone of these people. The sun never appeared in the sky, and the moon and stars were gone. He was the only one who could discern the path in the darkness. Ban Gong Cuo led them for more than ten days. More and more people fell behind, exhausted and dying by the roadside.

"There was a time when I could have been the Human Emperor." Ban Gong Cuo told the cultivators: "That was at the end of the High Emperor Era. I led the remnant High Emperor race through the darkness, fleeing all the way. I almost became the Human Emperor First Ancestor of the High Emperor Era, hehe..."

On this day, Lijiang Academy was in sight. However, the refugees despairingly saw a Heavenly Court battleship descend from the sky. At the bow of the ship were faces like unyielding rocks. "Great Senior!" The cultivators protecting the refugees looked around. Ban Gong Cuo was already gone. The crowd despaired.

In the darkness, Ban Gong Cuo turned back, watching the celestial gods descend from the battleship and walk towards the people he had once protected. "I've been escaping my whole life; I won't fall here. I've killed countless people and never done good deeds!" Ban Gong Cuo panted heavily, chuckling: "No one has ever been able to take me down! Not even Cult Master Qin! Hehe, hehe..." His breathing grew heavier, and he dragged his weary steps out of the darkness, walking towards the Heavenly Court divine beings: "I could have been the Human Emperor, the Human Emperor First Ancestor... No one can fucking take me down! Come on!" He met the Heavenly Court divine beings, laughing loudly: "Come on! I've been escaping my whole damn life..." The celestial gods looked at him indifferently. He turned his head and smiled at the Yankang cultivators: "You take them and go! Cross this mountain, and you'll see Lijiang Academy! I'll hold them here!" The cultivators led the people away in a panic.

After a long time, the Human Emperor First Ancestor, covered in blood, arrived there. He found Ban Gong Cuo's corpse in the ravaged and tragic battlefield. The Human Emperor First Ancestor closed his eyes, letting him rest in peace: "Back then, I was just a deserter and never thought I would become the Human Emperor." He continued forward, catching up with the fleeing people. Ahead, Lijiang Academy was in sight.