Little Jade Capital in the heavens?
The Imperial Preceptor's wife looked up at the sky. "Such a beautiful name."
Jade Capital—a city of jade, where immortals dwell. There is no trace of mortal smoke, no sign of the ordinary world.
"Once, a mysterious sage named Zane the Hermit emerged from Little Jade Capital. He came to stop me, but unfortunately failed."
The Imperial Preceptor of Everpeace looked puzzled, his voice soft: "Before he died, he told me I must visit Little Jade Capital. He said there were things inside that might change my mind. Now, I've come."
Before them, a paradise straight out of myth appeared, floating in the drifting clouds and mist.
Quinn Shepherd's treasure-ship docked in Liquorford Prefecture. Quinn and Lina the Spirit Fox disembarked to buy New Year's supplies, piling the cabin full. Liquorford was still relatively peaceful—the prefect was gathering local divine-ability users to forge spirit weapons, sending tower-ships into the sky to collect clouds.
In some places, sunlight was already breaking through, melting the snow and ice—though the air felt even colder.
Liquorford is famous for its strong spirits. Locals rely on fiery liquor to keep out the cold, but the chill is so severe that many villagers still head into the mountains to chop wood for warmth.
Prices had skyrocketed—everything was far more expensive than before. Quinn, flush with cash, hardly noticed, but Lina carefully tallied up the bill and said to Quinn, "Master, prices have doubled."
Quinn was startled and said, "It's happening sooner than I imagined. Price stabilization is the Finance Minister's job, not ours. As long as the clouds disperse and the court provides disaster relief, there won't be major chaos in the north—unless someone deliberately stirs up trouble."
Unable to buy enough New Year’s supplies in Liquorford, Quinn’s treasure-ship docked again in Liezhou. Prices here had risen even more, with many merchants hoarding goods to sell at higher prices for big profits.
The stern deputy prefect of Liezhou began cracking down on merchants. In troubled times, harsh laws were enforced—many hoarders were dragged out and beheaded.
After two or three days, Quinn’s treasure-ship reached Jingzhou, not far from the Great Ruins—still ten thousand miles to go. The clouds were thick, but looked like white paper cut with holes, sunlight streaming through the gaps.
This was a remote area, sparsely populated, and chaos was brewing. Mountain bandits roamed in gangs, plundering wealthy households; the roads were lined with frozen corpses, slumped beside dead campfires, their bodies stiff with cold.
Refugees trudged through the snow, bundled tightly, leading their families across the frozen river toward the south, hoping to find warmth.
These people did not speak a word. Occasionally, someone would fall behind and squat to warm themselves, but once they squatted down, they never got up again.
Where the river had accumulated silt, huge icebergs and glaciers had formed, creaking and groaning. From time to time, massive blocks of ice would break off and slide down the mountainside, terrifying all who saw it.
Quinn saw that some refugee groups were led by young spell-users, helping them migrate. Landing his ship on the ice, he asked about them and learned these youths were disciples of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
"Tell them not to go anywhere else—all regions are frozen." Quinn said.
"They won't listen."
A disciple of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon pulled off the mask shielding his face from the cold, revealing cheeks reddened by frost. In the howling wind, he shouted to their young Cult Master and Holy Teacher: "If these people stop, they've lost hope. Only by pressing on do they feel hope remains—maybe they'll find warmth someday."
Quinn, stunned, unloaded some of his New Year's supplies for warmth and handed them to the cult disciples to distribute among the refugees. He said, "It's freezing—the demons and monsters will come out to hunt. Be careful out there."
He did not linger in Jingzhou; his treasure-ship took to the air and sped toward the Great Ruins.
Everpeace's winter was brutally cold, and it grew colder by the day. Quinn's treasure-ship was covered in icicles, slowing it and burning through medicine stones. Every few thousand miles, they had to stop and knock off the ice to pick up speed again.
Lina tended the pill furnace, tossing in medicine stones from time to time. Quinn steered the ship, flying low. He transformed his yuanqi into Vermilion Bird fire, his body wreathed in flames to keep from freezing.
The farther west they went, the more desolate it became. More refugees, more frozen corpses along the roadside.
In remote places, there were few divine-ability users. Many regions had no sun, just thick clouds and even colder weather.
The snow disaster was far worse than he had expected. The death toll exceeded his predictions, and the cold snap kept intensifying.
Suddenly, flames erupted in the sky—a giant serpent burst from the clouds, spewing fire and driving back the cold.
The giant serpent, wreathed in demonic energy, slithered out from the clouds.
Quinn’s heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly urged his treasure-ship upward, plunging into the clouds.
The serpent glanced around. On its head stood a flamboyant man, puzzled: "I just saw that brat’s ship—where did it go? Sister Qiu, release the bugs!"
Countless insects burst from the clouds. A woman stood amid the swarm, pointing—a tide of bugs scattered, burrowing into the clouds.
Quinn’s ship darted through the clouds. Suddenly, a golden bug flew straight at him, startled by the vessel and freezing in midair.
Quinn jabbed with sword fingers, his yuanqi forming sword energy. With a clang, he struck the bug.
But the bug didn’t die—it howled, grew to over ten feet long, and lunged at him!
Quinn sent his yuanqi into his gluttonous pouch; the Young Protector Sword rang out, flying forth and slicing the giant bug in two. Just then, a voice cackled: "So the Demon Cult Master of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon is here!"
Quinn turned toward the sound. The clouds behind him suddenly glowed red; sensing danger, he shouted, "Lina, all three pill furnaces—full power!"
Boom—
A massive blast of fire swept out from the clouds, striking the stern of the treasure-ship. Quinn grabbed the helm to keep from being thrown off.
The ship rocked violently, nearly knocked from the sky by the attack. Then the bronze beasts beneath the hull spewed fire, the stern engines flared to full, and the tower-ship surged ahead—bursting from the clouds and streaking through the sky in seconds.
"So cold!"
The freezing wind blasted his face; Quinn shivered, his Vermilion Bird fire blown cold. Frost quickly formed on his face and hands.
With a thunderous boom, the treasure-ship broke the sound barrier, streaking away.
Lina shut down the pill furnace belowdeck; the bronze beasts at the stern spat shorter flames. She said, "Young Master, we're running low on medicine stones from the capital!"
Quinn glanced back. Fire blazed in the clouds; the giant serpent soared out, followed by a golden tide of insects, all chasing after them—but much slower than the treasure-ship.
The treasure-ship had slowed, but their pursuers couldn’t catch up.
Relieved, Quinn bound the helm with threads of yuanqi and went inside: "How many medicine stones are left?"
Lina was busy feeding medicine stones into the pill furnace, her lips pursed in concentration.
Quinn frowned. All but one and a half baskets of medicine stones were gone—the rest had been used up. Everpeace tower-ships came stocked with medicine stones, wrapped in oxhide paper. Tossing a packet into the pill furnace kept the ship flying.
They’d bought over ten baskets of medicine stones in the capital—enough to reach the Great Ruins. But with all the stops to melt the ship’s icicles, many had been used up.
Lina said, "It’s too cold. If we keep the furnace at full power, we won’t make it to the Great Ruins."
Just then, the ship shook violently. Quinn rushed out of the cabin, poked his head out, and slammed the door shut—a barrage of swords struck, embedding themselves in the door.
Quinn pushed the door open. Above the ship, a sword pellet hovered, spinning; swords were embedded in the deck and walls, now vibrating and pulling free, flying back into the pellet.
Sword-Splitting Technique!
Quinn struck, the Young Protector Sword ringing as it split the sword pellet apart—hundreds of flying swords shattered and fell from the sky.
"Good sword!"
A voice called out. Quinn looked up—far above, a scholar was sprinting toward them at astonishing speed.
"Quinn, Cult Master of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon—your identity is exposed. The road ahead will be rough!"
The young scholar bounded through the clouds, propelled by bursts of divine power. His voice rang out, laughing: "Many friends are waiting for you ahead!"
Quinn’s eyes flashed. He pointed, sending the Young Protector Sword streaking toward the scholar. The scholar’s wide sleeves fluttered as he met the blade, but the sword pierced his sleeves—startled, he flicked his fingers, unleashing a spell that conjured flaming sparrows to strike the sword.
Quinn spun his sword fingers, performing the Twining Sword Technique and shredding the sparrows. The Young Protector Sword glowed red-hot but kept swirling around the scholar, stripping him bare in an instant.
"Excellent swordsmanship!"
The scholar stopped, keeping his distance from the ship. Quinn felt his control at its limit, so he drew the sword sheath, which transformed into a fish-dragon. The Young Protector Sword became a streak of light and was swallowed by the fish-dragon.
"Amitabha!"
A Buddhist chant echoed from above. Quinn looked up—sunlight dazzled, and he glimpsed a radiant golden Buddha descending from the sky, falling toward the ship!
Quinn unleashed his yuanqi. The Young Protector Sword shot from the sheath, performing the Drilling Sword Technique and stabbing at the descending Buddha!
"Diamond Unconquered!"
A thunderous shout rang out. Quinn felt the Drilling Sword Technique grind to a halt under immense pressure, which transmitted through his body to the ship. His bones creaked, and the ship groaned, sinking into the clouds.