Chapter 724: The Heavenly River Breaks Its Banks, the You Clan Appears!

Donghuang mobilized troops and dispatched generals; the momentum of slaughter was vast, flooding the Star Sea and sweeping toward the human world.

The demon god advanced bravely; the demon troops had advance but no retreat; blood-red became the main melody of heaven and earth at this moment.

Facing the near-total mobilization of the Heavenly Court's main force, Yandi held the center, calm-faced, orderly gradually contracting the defensive line, trading space for reduced casualties, relying on terrain to rout the enemy army.

The Fire Master was at a disadvantage, yet not on the verge of collapse, because as the core of humanity, with the Wu Clan's source severed, it could absorb the former elite human organization's personnel, becoming part of its forces.

Setting aside those scattered members who went off to act alone, the majority now gathered under the Fire Master's banner—after all, this is the orthodoxy recognized by Nüwa and Houtu!

Such a massive force, even if much was diverted to join the Jiu Li, even if they once obeyed the ancestral Wu rather than the human emperor, causing integration difficulties……

Yet this remains a formidable military force!

In today's brutal battlefield, it is nonetheless the most suitable place for tempering, growing and integrating in blood and fire, united, withstanding the pressure of the Demon Race.

Although difficult, it is a case of the weak overcoming the strong, yet it will not be swept away in one blow by the Heavenly Court's main force; the uneven, scattered defensive lines, each forming small teams, exhibit outstanding individual combat strength, offense and defense at will, shifting tactics, tugging at the enemy's momentum, striving to impose their own rhythm.

And such skirmish lines, ultimately commanded by Yandi, meeting moves with counters, resisting and breaking the Demon Race's towering momentum, causing them to expend their initial surge, then wane, then exhaust.

Yandi is no pushover!

In the realm of war, he possesses extraordinary talent; though not claiming to dominate the world, he can be considered top-tier.

By defending to await attack, the Fire Master can for a time be fully secure.

However, it ultimately has some flaws.

The disadvantage in manpower destined it to be unable to attend to every place.

Looking after the safety of its troops below, reducing their attrition, it necessarily neglected its own defense; the central forces gradually became hollow, exposed to Donghuang's eyes—this is a good opportunity for a surprise attack.

"Go!"

"Strike straight at the enemy's core!"

By Taiyi's military order, a star river condensed, descending from the nine heavens, seizing the momentum of the Weak Water, turning into a vast flood.

In that instant's eruption, like a breached dam with its gates opened, a destructive Dao power burst forth, rolling an overwhelming vast momentum that swept across, threatening to shatter and scatter the time-space where the Fire Master's royal court resides!

Moreover, riding this Weak Water Heavenly River momentum, a Heavenly Court elite force also stirred… they had lain hidden within it at some unknown time, moving with the momentum, launching a surprise attack while the royal court's masters struggled to guard the commander's flag core!

Water and fire are already merciless; moreover, taking advantage of this mercilessness, they added cold blades and axes!

"Taiyi! You despicable!"

A human divine general shouted angrily, "How dare you act against the Heavenly River? Aren't you afraid of throwing mountains, rivers, and the Star Sea into chaos, disturbing the laws of heaven and earth? To the point of flooding Honghuang and exterminating all beings?!"

"So what?" Taiyi said calmly, "As for soldiers, they naturally leave no means unused."

"Moreover, this is merely opening a sluice gate; everything is under control." Donghuang said softly, "It's not permanent destruction… after we've dealt with you, we'll just close it again."

"In the past, the Heavenly Dao itself once destroyed the world; my Heavenly Court's foundations were torn apart, exchanged for a world-ending strike… reflecting now, I am far from comparable to it, merely a trifling skill!"

Taiyi spoke modestly.

Human calamity, how could it compare to heavenly disaster?

Furthermore.

What's this talk of calamity or not… how unpleasant.

After beating the opponent, there are plenty of ways to gloss over this process; not speaking of whitewashing, even a half-whitewash is not difficult.

Even to the point……

Donghuang wouldn't even bother to whitewash.

He dares to do it, and dares to face the consequences.

In a deadly camp struggle, victor becomes king, loser becomes bandit; they fundamentally don't care about the righteousness of means, as long as they win.

For this, even if they bear countless infamies, what can be done?

My hero is their foe, and that's all!

As a great hero of the Demon Race, that's enough; why need the enemy's adoration and reverence?!

"It's rare to master the Heavenly River, holding a high position; not making good use of it would be a waste of this geographical advantage."

Donghuang said lightly, "Your so-called defenses and positions, painstakingly built over the years, what are they before this terrain?"

"If back when none of us had been weakened, you still had a bit of the ability to break myriad laws with a single force—what a pity…"

The times have changed!

Taiyi let out a long sigh; in the dim distance an ancient bell tolled, as if bidding farewell to someone.

"Hold it! You must hold it!"

The human divine general roared, "The commander's flag must not fall; the army's heart must not be thrown into disorder!"

After the roar ended, this divine general leapt resolutely, throwing his body across the onrushing Heavenly River, his whole body glowing, expanding boundlessly, transforming into a giant as if able to prop up heaven and earth, entwined with limitless wind and thunder, he hurled himself against the unstoppable Heavenly River.

"Boom!"

Merely an instant, and a piercing blood-light exploded, dyeing this realm of heaven and earth red!

And what of the Great Luo?

In the face of that falling Heavenly River, it still appears utterly insignificant!

In a mere moment, this divine general was ground to bare bone, all flesh and blood gone, leaving only a skeleton, golden light shining upon it, yet revealing only desolation!

Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, its tragic bravery and helplessness—this is staking one's life to seize a slim chance to turn the tide!

This seemed to have some effect.

Charging forward to meet death, filling itself entirely, when the brilliant flood burst, the falling Heavenly River, between existence and non-existence, shifted slightly, buying a sliver of time for those behind to maneuver.

Yet this divine general's fate was gruesome.

After all, what burst from the breached dam was not only the Heavenly River, but also a terrifying elite force of the Demon Race!

"Die!"

A deep, cold cry rang out from a demon god, who at some unknown time had drifted downstream to stand before the divine general, exhaling wisp after wisp of rosy vapor, as if the clouds and mists of the Myriad Heavens and all worlds had gathered here, collected by it, now released—first as a river, then in an instant becoming a sea, finally seeming boundless, suffusing vastness.

Within this vapor, endless Great Dao runes densely covered, interlaced to shine forth seven-colored variegated light, bathing this stretch of the Heavenly River in five-colored hues, turning it into a wondrous dreamscape, holy yet uncanny.

The sudden killing strike, the overwhelming pressure of the Heavenly River, with a heart ready to die he fiercely clashed with the wrathful gaze of the merciless water deity, yet could not strike back; in the instant of offense and defense, his skeleton was ground away, myriad rays of rosy light suddenly turned eerily alive, devouring all of him!

It's truly delicious...

The smoke-and-mist demon god clung to a surviving vertebra, reluctantly watching a faint innate spiritual light flee into oblivion—this was something he could not dispose of, but for now his gains were extremely abundant, having usurped the blood‑bone of a Great Luo.

This era is still good…… If it were the previous era, when the Heavenly Court pacified the world, who would dare act recklessly?

But one cannot act recklessly; otherwise where would the fluctuations come from, where would the promotion come from?

For us divinities who cultivate the path of slaughter, this is truly not wonderful……

Heh… hehe… haha!

In the terrifying laughter, it merged again into the Heavenly River, following the ensuing water flow, carrying out the East Emperor's will to the letter, launching a killing strike at the central headquarters of the Fire Sect!

Guard the Majesty!

A human divine general was shocked and angry, his eyes revealing sorrow and killing intent, as a comrade died right before him—too great a shock.

However, with the overall situation paramount, one could only spare limited thought for more important matters.

If the enemy seeks to destroy the command headquarters, we must defend it to the death!

He immediately issued orders for the troops engaged in all directions to fall back and reinforce.

Guard the Majesty? No need to guard the Majesty!

But at this moment, Yandi coldly shouted, 'Units, pay no heed to me; fight calmly!'

How could my single life outweigh the countless lives of the Fire Sect up and down?

It is not that Taiyi himself has arrived; only these elite demon gods have come to kill, merely intending to confuse our army's morale and disrupt command.

What the East Emperor wants to kill is our new blood, our foundation…… he intends to exterminate the Fire Sect!

Yandi's eyes were icy cold, embodying ultimate rationality and ruthlessness, toward others and toward himself.

Even if one Yandi dies, another will take his place.

But if the Fire Sect is utterly destroyed, the morale of humanity will scatter, truly becoming a loose sand!

What is heavier, what lighter—no need to ponder!

Having come to this point, what could the gods guarding the core possibly say?

We subjects will surely follow the Majesty! May the human way endure forever!

The generals roared, clad in armor, and charged forward.

Break!

A divine general bellowed, his hair standing on end, his battle power elevated to the apex of divine life; with surging blood and qi he swung his divine fist, piercing through the countless worlds of natural birth and death flowing in the Heavenly River, the light of creation seeping into the river of ages, shining upon the Myriad Heavens.

This is an astonishing sight.

However, an evil thing blocked him—a white peacock, ferocious beyond compare; with a single cry, its feathers exploded, each feather an immortal divine sword, cutting through spacetime, the scene both beautiful and terrifying.

Fist and sword clashed, life and death grappled; in an instant a fist imprint struck the peacock's skull sideways, while a chilling sword severed an arm, flesh and blood flying.

Sever!

The river of time shimmered; a great witch wielded the Heavenly Blade—this is the Blade of Light and Shadow, the Blade of Ages—'Time is a blade that cuts the heaven‑proud!'

The Time Ancestor Witch—a master of the Candle Nine Yin lineage, who once followed the footsteps of the Great Sage Candle Dragon, now has joined the Fire Sect, becoming one of its members.

The temporal law he commands is immensely powerful; although still far inferior to the divine might of the earlier Chaos Bell, on this battlefield it stands out, even influencing the flow of a breached section of the Heavenly River—sometimes accelerating, sometimes slowing, the alternating speed making the River seem unsure how to flow, in chaotic turbulence.

And this is merely the aftermath of the conquest; the blade's edge points at the very life‑foundation of a demon god!

Moo!

A pair of azure‑green eyes flashed, a resonant lowing rang out, and a mighty god‑ox demon god brandished an iron rod, unleashing the purest and most overbearing force!

This is a terrifying entity excelling in the flesh.

The power of time is fearsome.

It can turn seas into mulberry fields, and change people's hearts.

But.

Even the purest, most overbearing bodily power is not to be trifled with.

Heaven cannot be destroyed, earth cannot bury me, even if heaven and earth perish I will not perish…… so many sayings describe the pinnacle bearing of this path!

When the iron rod comes down, if the Myriad Heavens and universe were to sink and crumble together, space would coil, time would freeze, and all phenomena would end!

Hiss!

Blade and rod clashed, yet surprisingly produced little sound, as if it were the silence of great sound; all confrontations sank into an interface imperceptible to mortals, where victory and defeat are decided, and life and death determined.

……

Bearing the overwhelming might of the surging Heavenly River, in absolute adversity they fought to the death—human divine generals, great witches of the Wu Clan, and the elite demon gods that had surged with the tide—exchanging wounds for wounds, lives for lives, retreating not a step, solely to keep the human emperor's command from falling into disorder.

Yandi watched this scene, a hint of sorrow in the corner of his eyes, which then faded away.

His hand never ceased its motion; he still overlooked the whole situation, directing the entire front; meanwhile his eyes burned bright, as if piercing layer upon layer of spacetime, locking onto the East Emperor, seeing the amusement in that sovereign's gaze.

Taiyi awaits.

He awaits Yandi's inability to restrain himself.

Whether Yandi cannot bear the pressure and urgently contracts the troops to fall back to the core, or he can no longer stand by while his subordinates die and takes the initiative, using his own combat power to break the stalemate.

These are all opportunities for Taiyi.

At this moment the Fire Sect can hold its ground, the weak resisting the strong, entirely relying on Yandi's ability.

If Yandi's heart falters, he will reveal a flaw, which the East Emperor will seize to strike a great chunk of flesh from the Fire Sect!

Such bleeding is the true means to annihilate a kingdom's court.

The human emperor warns himself to handle everything calmly, so as not to fall into the trap.

'Taiyi…… you won't be laughing for long……'

Yandi muttered coldly in his heart, 'Reckon the time—he should be coming soon……'

"Just right."

"This time, let it be his chance to make his debut……"

"There is the You clan……"

"Yandi's killing intent surged within him, yet he grew even calmer."

"He, in tune with the Fire Master's destiny, stood together with countless soldiers and civilians; every spark of will leapt, grasping every battlefield detail, all handled with meticulous precision, guarding a patch of pure land amid the demon army's flood."

"……"

"You're not going to attack?"

"The Fire Master's situation is really not good."

"Far away in another realm of mountains and rivers, two mighty beings were conversing."

"Without his order, I cannot go."

"The responder, tall and stalwart, was none other than the former captain of the guard of the Houtu Ancestor Witch, now the Lord of Jiuli."

"——Chiyou!"

"But his central core is about to be destroyed."

"Wind Earl stroked his beard."

"If we wait any longer, today might well be the Fire Master's crushing defeat…… then the heavens of humanity will fall."

"I believe in him." Chiyou said in a low voice, "As the emperor of the Fire Master, his abilities are not small."

"Now he has me set up another stove, to develop in peace…… I cannot possibly go against his will and do what I shouldn't."

"Unless he summons me…… whether it be a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, I will go."

Chiyou said.

"Like that……" Wind Earl let out a long breath, "Then all the pressure will fall on him alone; doing this only to give you room to maneuver, such a person……"

"Truly terrifying!"

"Being harsh to others is nothing; being harsh to oneself…… tsk!"

(End of chapter)