"Where did you get this thing?" Quinn Shepherd looked away from the chest and asked.
The young Aiden Starr let out a breath of relief and said, "When the Origin World was unsealed, I found an ancient ruin filled with divine radiance. I went in to search and obtained this item."
The Chiming Divine Son, Butcher, and the others all stepped forward, but the chest was already closed, so they couldn't see what was inside.
However, there are very few treasures in this world that can truly move Quinn Shepherd. Ordinary Emperor's Throne techniques rarely catch his interest, so whatever is in that chest must be extraordinary.
Dragon-Qilin came forward, rubbed against the chest, and whispered, "Good buddy, what's inside? Let me take a look?"
Lina the Spirit Fox tried to pry open a crack in the chest, but it was tightly shut and wouldn't let them see inside.
"Where exactly is the ruin where you found this?"
Quinn Shepherd said in a low voice, "This thing isn't of much use to me, but that ruin is extremely important. If you want me to save you, then tell me where it is."
"There's a map inside the chest."
Aiden Starr said, "Save me, and both the item in the chest and the map are yours. If you still don't trust me, I can personally take you there."
Quinn Shepherd gave him a long, searching look, then nodded and said to Libationer Barrett, "Senior brother, lend me a place. I'll perform a ritual to rebuild this fellow's soul."
Libationer Barrett immediately cleared out the main hall, River Lee Hall. Quinn Shepherd picked up the chest, entered the hall, and set it down beside him.
Aiden Starr walked into the hall and glanced at the chest.
The chest could move on its own, but Quinn Shepherd stubbornly insisted on carrying it. Clearly, whatever was inside was extremely important to him, proving that bringing this treasure to Quinn was the right decision.
Inside the hall, the Gate of Bearing Heaven manifested behind Quinn Shepherd, and he began the ritual to gather Aiden Starr's shattered soul.
Aiden Starr, though a once-in-five-hundred-years 'saint' with extraordinary talent, was limited by his era and could never become a true god.
Unlike the Imperial Preceptor of Everpeace, a contemporary saint who poured his heart and soul into reforming Everpeace and realized his ambitions without regard for his own life, Aiden Starr devoted all his efforts to prolonging his own existence.
He took a twisted path, slaughtering many near-god experts and stitching together their bodies—already cultivated to true god level—to keep himself young.
Later, his research went even further—he began cutting apart his own Primordial Spirit and soul, grafting in the spirits and souls of others to patch his own.
Over time, Aiden Starr became lost, unable to tell which part was truly himself.