Quinn Shepherd emptied his mind, using his own vital energy to sense the power of Heaven and Earth, gathering that force to open the Celestial River Treasury.
This was a method he'd learned from Heaven-Guide Venerable. The hardest part of opening the Celestial River Treasury was figuring out how to build this treasury inside the Heaven Palace.
Relying on one's own strength alone was impossible—even someone as powerful as Quinn Shepherd didn't have enough vital energy. For others who had reached the Life-and-Death realm, it was even more out of reach.
Only the power of Heaven and Earth could create something out of nothing in the void—could forge a Celestial River that pierced through the Heaven Palace and all the Divine Treasuries!
Personal power was limited, but the power of Heaven and Earth was beyond imagination. For example, before opening the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasury, Heaven-Guide Venerable had no cultivation or realm—his vital energy was shallow, and he was just a martial artist.
Yet once Heaven-Guide Venerable drew upon Heaven and Earth power, he could open the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasury within himself, build the Spirit Platform, and refine his spirit embryo from nothing.
If you relied purely on cultivation, your strength would have to be at least at the Heaven-Man realm, and your creation arts at their peak, just to attempt this step—and even then, success was far from certain.
Quinn Shepherd drew on more and more Heaven and Earth power; the aura grew increasingly terrifying. A vortex spun wildly above the mansion, while beneath everyone’s feet, a massive whirlpool of darkness kept expanding.
The crowd studying the divine blessings behind Heaven-Guide Venerable’s head had long grown used to Quinn Shepherd’s strange experiments, but this time, they sensed something different.
Previously, Quinn Shepherd often borrowed Heaven and Earth power to open various Divine Treasuries. At first, they were shocked, but eventually got used to it—at most, they’d curse him as a freak.
But this time, the vortex was swelling much faster than before—it had already overflowed the mansion, stretched into the streets, and engulfed several neighboring blocks.
The Everpeace capital’s guards were alarmed, dispatching officers to investigate, thinking some old monster was stirring up trouble in the city.
Emperor Evan sent them away, saying, “It’s Minister Quinn Shepherd.”
The officers suddenly understood and withdrew, telling the demon-subjugation troops to stand down: “It’s just Cult Master Quinn Shepherd, that old monster.”
The dark whirlpool on the ground kept expanding, gradually covering the Imperial Academy, and even invading most of the Imperial City. The whole capital was thrown into panic.
People walked over the darkness, afraid they’d fall through—yet when they didn’t, they relaxed a little.
Children playing in the street saw the darkness spreading underfoot and burst into tears. Mothers rushed to scoop them up, darting into their homes, slamming doors and bolting them tight.
From many houses in the capital came the muffled sounds of children crying, and parents warning: “If you keep crying, the big demon with a blue face and fangs will jump out and grab you!”
The vortex above the capital wasn’t nearly as frightening—it was made of swirling colors, expanding wildly, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling inside.
At last, the two giant vortices sandwiched the whole capital between them. Fierce winds howled overhead, lightning crashed down like rain, and one bolt shot straight for Quinn Shepherd’s mansion.
At that moment, the two giant vortices shuddered—a pitch-black column of light erupted from underground, while an impossibly bright pillar shot down from the sky. With a thunderous boom, the two collided!
Both giant vortices spun madly, the beams clashing even fiercer—black growing blacker, light shining even brighter!
At the heart of their collision, Quinn Shepherd gathered Heaven and Earth power inside his body, channeling it into his brow. His hands shifted through countless mudras, and suddenly, more arms sprouted behind him, all weaving seals in a frenzy—opening the Celestial River within.
Suddenly, he froze for an instant, sensing a strange power from far away.
This force seemed to be the true power of the Celestial River—vast, deep, and endlessly surging.
Quinn Shepherd’s heart stirred. This power came from the south, from the direction of the Yong River.
"Could the Yong River really be the Celestial River?"
He continued weaving seals while carefully sensing the source of this power, his divine sense flowing upstream, tracing it to its origin.
His divine sense was incredibly strong—a gift of the Crimson Emperor’s legacy, the Indestructible Divine Sense Canon. It was resilient beyond compare, able to reach far-distant places.
Back then, the Crimson Emperor died in the Hanging Realm of Chiming. His consciousness endured—some fragments of his divine sense even scattered through the universe, sensed by the Bright Emperor, who then discovered the Hanging Realm.
That shows just how formidable the Indestructible Divine Sense truly is.
Soon, Quinn Shepherd’s divine sense soared across countless miles, and from afar he saw a mighty river surging and roaring—its currents matched the Yong River exactly.
"So the Yong River is the Celestial River. Those who come after me will have a much easier time opening the Celestial River Treasury."
Quinn Shepherd was overjoyed. He’d always felt the Celestial River Treasury was the best seventh Divine Treasury, but simply relying on Heaven and Earth power to open it would eliminate most practitioners—only a handful could succeed.
"Luckily, since the Yong River is the Celestial River, they can simply come here and borrow its power to shape the Celestial River Treasury. No need for all this trouble."
Just as Quinn Shepherd was about to withdraw his divine sense, he froze again—his Indestructible Divine Sense "saw" mists swirling over the river.
Quinn Shepherd immediately halted his divine sense and gazed from afar. In the mist, a woman’s silhouette flickered.
Her clothes were simple and ancient: a leopard-print skirt, short jacket, straw sandals, and a peachwood hairpin stuck casually in her hair.
"Venerable Skysoar..."
Quinn Shepherd was stunned, then instantly urged his Indestructible Divine Sense to chase after the woman on the river.