Chapter 2417: Who Is Scheming Against Whom?

"The current coalition of ten thousand races is far weaker than it was during the last cataclysmic war! These fellows are utterly incapable of putting up a fight!"

Atop a high mountain, Tianhe stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the scene with an air of authority.

Just moments ago, the divine army had once again routed the coalition, sweeping all before them.

Standing there, gazing into the distance, he took in the entire panorama, his spirits soaring with pride.

Three months ago, the two sides had officially declared war!

In those three months, they had fought dozens of battles, large and small, and the coalition of ten thousand races had been utterly unable to halt the divine army's advance.

The divine army had pushed steadily eastward, now nearing the boundary between the Western and Central Realms.

The coalition fought while retreating, unable to mount any semblance of an organized resistance.

"But my lord, Ye Yuan has yet to show his face. I fear he dares not appear. If we continue pressing forward and breach the Central Realm, I worry we may alert the various Dao Ancestors!" Yuqin said with concern.

At this moment, both sides were extremely sensitive.

Once the Dao Ancestors entered the fray, it would be a fight to the death.

Most critically, the supreme experts of the divine race were not absolutely certain they could contend with the Dao Ancestors.

The earlier battle between Tianqing and a Dao Ancestor had indeed instilled great fear in the human race.

But the divine race had also come to realize the immense power of the Dao Ancestors!

Tianhe laughed heartily at this. "Hahaha... Yuqin, you underestimate me! Look—what lies ahead from here?"

Yuqin was taken aback. "Ahead lies the Eight Emptiness Mountain Range! My lord, do you have a clever plan?"

Tianhe smiled. "Yuqin, your grasp of the overall situation still falls short! Take another look—what shape does our divine army form now?"

Yuqin, puzzled, swept his gaze into the distance.

With the keen eyesight of a powerful cultivator, he could discern the army's formation at a glance.

He suddenly started. "My lord, our army looks like a... sack!"

At that moment, the divine army had indeed formed a massive sack, enveloping the coalition of ten thousand races from all sides.

From afar, it appeared as if a sack had scooped up the coalition.

Ordinarily, the divine race's numbers would not have sufficed to achieve this.

But the coalition's forces were not as numerous as imagined.

With the support of the Abyssal Beasts, the divine race now matched the coalition in numbers.

"Hahaha, you're right—it is a sack!"

Tianhe's face beamed with pride. "I have deliberately suppressed the three flanks, driving them toward the Eight Emptiness Mountain! Ten billion years ago, the Grand Array Ancestor single-handedly sealed off our divine army! Today, I will use his own work to trap the coalition like turtles in a jar! When they realize that the formation laid by their own ancestor has become the barrier blocking their last escape route, won't they be utterly despairing?"

At the height of his triumph, Tianhe laughed without restraint.

His personal combat prowess was, of course, formidable.

But winning a great battle between armies brought an even greater sense of achievement.

Yuqin's eyes lit up as he exclaimed in admiration, "Magnificent, my lord! Over these three months, you have imperceptibly driven them into a dead end! Even if they realize it now, it's too late to change course! But if that brat still doesn't show, what then?"

Tianhe smiled. "Rest assured, they will come out! When they do, I will deliberately leave a gap, offering them a sliver of hope. This army is highly formidable; Ni Xuan will surely send them to breach that weak point. And then, we will wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant! Lord Tianhe's flawless planning is a blessing for our divine race!"

Yuqin did not stint on praise; he was genuinely impressed.

Tianhe had orchestrated everything with meticulous strategy, waiting only for the fish to take the bait!

With such a commander, how could he not be amazed?

Tianhe laughed. "It's not that my plans are flawless; rather, the human army gave me the idea! Three months ago, after several consecutive battles, they kept retreating toward the Eight Emptiness Mountain! They were careless, but I took note! Hahaha..."

He had not initially paid attention to the coalition's retreat route.

But after several instances, Tianhe suddenly noticed the Eight Emptiness Mountain Range!

This was a place of disgrace for the divine race from ages past!

In a single night, the Grand Array Ancestor had turned the entire Eight Emptiness Mountain into a mountain of prohibitions, slaughtering countless divine experts.

That battle had been the coalition's most exhilarating victory.

The Grand Array Ancestor's fame had since spread far and wide.

Times had changed; who would have thought that the very prohibitions of Eight Emptiness Mountain, which had once slaughtered countless divine warriors, would now become an insurmountable obstacle for the coalition?

At this thought, Tianhe felt an indescribable satisfaction.

Now that the Grand Array Ancestor had long since passed, no human could possibly cross the Eight Emptiness Mountain Range!

"Pass the order: the army will continue advancing toward the Eight Emptiness Mountain Range!"

...

While Tianhe laughed atop the mountain, the coalition camp was also filled with laughter.

"Hahaha... Tianhe is truly 'clever'! To be honest, I was afraid he might be too stupid to think of the Eight Emptiness Mountain!" Ni Xuan laughed heartily.

Long Yi also chuckled. "You underestimate him. After all, he is the commander of three armies. If he couldn't see that, he'd be too foolish."

"Tsk, tsk, Lord Qingsheng is truly formidable—his plans never fail! What a pity he couldn't stay ten billion years ago; perhaps we wouldn't have to fight this war!" Shi Potian sighed with emotion.

Back then, when Ye Yuan had told everyone about Qingsheng's origins, all were stunned speechless.

Such a thing was too incredible; they could hardly believe it.

It turned out that the human race's orthodoxy from the previous era had been passed down by Ye Yuan!

To verify this, they had even consulted the Heavenly Mechanism Heavenly Emperor.

Once they received a confirmed answer, no one dared to underestimate Ye Yuan any longer.

Compared to this, Ye Yuan's solo venture into the enemy camp seemed trivial.

After all, the human race's present was entirely forged by Ye Yuan!

If so, then the terrifying prohibition arrays of the Eight Emptiness Mountain Range had been created by the orthodoxy Ye Yuan left behind!

Although the Grand Array Ancestor's later strength far surpassed Ye Yuan's, in the end, they shared the same lineage.

Using the grand array of Eight Emptiness Mountain to deal with the divine army—Tianhe would never dream of such a thing, would he?

How could he know that Ye Yuan, as Qingsheng, would travel through time and trigger the array once more?

The mere thought of it was exhilarating.

On one side, Tianhe believed he had the coalition cornered, using the Eight Emptiness Mountain array to block their path.

On the other side, the coalition planned to reactivate the Eight Emptiness Mountain array and once again slaughter the divine army!

"Speaking of which, we are truly ashamed! Our ancestors forged a new world with their blood, yet we are powerless to defend it! Lord Qingsheng, traveling through time to face the divine invasion twice—truly a heavy burden! Qingsheng is a sage for the ages, and he deserves the title!" Ni Xuan sighed.

All present nodded in deep agreement.