How to Decide Victory and Defeat, Placing a Stone in Heavenly Court

The winding corridors and pavilions were shrouded in silence.

Magda Quake and the others fell into silence, their expressions complex and their hearts in turmoil.

The Celestial River Treasury had deeply shaken them, but what struck even harder were Quinn Shepherd’s words, each one piercing straight to the heart.

Quinn was not wrong: the reason Heavenly Court opposed reform was not because they feared the lower realm would threaten their rule. With Heavenly Court’s current strength, even if Everpeace had thousands or tens of thousands of years, it would never be their match.

The real reason Heavenly Court resists reform is that those in power gain nothing from it; supporting or ignoring reform would shake the very foundation of their rule!

If Heavenly Court’s rulers accept reform, they themselves might fall, or be seized upon by their political enemies.

Even if they don’t reincarnate, they’ll have to revise and re-understand their own cultivation methods—essentially starting over from scratch!

Reform demands immense effort and time—what if some junior surpasses them during this period? What if a newcomer replaces them?

How could they possibly be willing to hand over their power and status?

But if they ignore reform, new gods will replace the old, and these new deities will be stronger, more driven, and will eventually overthrow the old order—just as they themselves once overthrew the ancient gods!

So, the simplest solution is to brand reform as treason, label reformers as heretics, and treat them as enemies to be eradicated!

Only this way can they ensure they’ll never fall, their rule will last, and no successors will get the chance to replace them.

Yet even knowing all this, Magda Quake and the others still faced a painful dilemma.

Should they cultivate the Celestial River Treasury? Should they accept the Everpeace Reform?

If they refused, they would die on the battlefield—the advantages of the Celestial River Treasury far outstripped those of the traditional Divine Bridge Treasury. If they ever faced someone who had opened the new treasury, they would be killed for sure!

But if they accepted reform, their sects would never tolerate them; their former elders would immediately turn on them, killing them on sight—and might even implicate their families!

Young Master Cyrus Qi walked in from outside, silently sat down, and said nothing.

There was a faint scent of blood on him.

The others in the pavilion were startled. Just now, Cyrus Qi had said he would see off those who were leaving. Now, with the smell of blood on him, it was clear those people had likely met a grim fate.

Quinn Shepherd gave him a questioning look. Cyrus Qi replied calmly, "It’s been handled. Heavenly Court sent them here for one reason—to kill Shepherd Heavenly Venerable. So, naturally, they died at Shepherd Heavenly Venerable’s hand."

Quinn Shepherd frowned and said, "Why did you have to kill them? You could've just let them go."

Cyrus Qi sneered, "Let them go? Cult Master Quinn, you want to use their words to stir up Heavenly Court, don’t you? You underestimate them. If those people left, every young person who came to Jade Pool today would die mysteriously—none would survive, including me!"

Magda Quake and the others felt a chill in their hearts, suddenly afraid.

Quinn Shepherd asked with concern, "Did you handle it cleanly, Cyrus?"

"Their souls are scattered—very clean."

Cyrus Qi’s tone carried a trace of pride: "Cult Master Quinn, don’t doubt my abilities. Ever since I opened the Celestial River Treasury, I’m not the same as before! Their techniques and divine arts are all outdated—maybe I wasn’t their match before, but now they’re no threat at all."

Behind him, nine-headed phoenixes soared above the Celestial River. The nine-headed phoenix Primordial Spirit was wild and fierce: "They were killed by Shepherd Heavenly Venerable. They challenged Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, but he was ruthless, destroying their Primordial Spirits outright! Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you don’t mind this charge, do you?"

Quinn Shepherd smiled, "I don’t mind. I can bear it."

Cyrus Qi glanced around, his gaze growing more vicious. "Rest assured, everyone—they’re dead. Even if you cultivate the Celestial River Treasury, no one will know."

A young man asked trembling, "What if someone among us doesn’t cultivate the Celestial River Treasury?"

Cyrus Qi fell silent. The nine-headed phoenix behind him spread its wings, flames blazing.

The young man said in despair, "Once we open the Celestial River Treasury, there’s no way to hide it from our fellow disciples, let alone our masters! My master is a Heavenly King of Heavenly Court!"

Liam Cloud suddenly said, "You could go to the Primordial Realm."

Everyone was stunned, not understanding why he said that.

Liam Cloud continued, "Going to the Primordial Realm is a way out, avoiding sect inspections. Plus, the lower realm has the Everpeace Reform, so you can learn even more from it. After seeing Shepherd Heavenly Venerable’s skills, I want to visit the lower realm myself. Staying in Heavenly Court is like being a frog in a well, never seeing the true world. We’re seekers of the Dao, after all. Since Heavenly Court is stagnant and the gods cling to power without progress, there’s no hope for us here. We might as well go to the lower realm!"

Magda Quake stood up to leave, laughing, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, Liam Cloud, and you, the savage with nine heads—let’s meet again in the Primordial Realm!"

Suddenly, she stopped and turned, looking playfully at a silent young man in yellow robes in the pavilion. "Prince Jaden, you’re of the royal family—you can’t possibly support reform, right? And you can’t cultivate the Celestial River Treasury either, can you?"

The young man’s face changed dramatically. He hurried to his feet, alert. "Sister Quake, what are you saying? Even if my cultivation is high, I’ll never sit on the throne! The Heavenly Emperor is immortal—I’d have to rebel. I support reform!"

"Well said! But I still don’t trust you."

Magda Quake laughed, "Fellow Daoists of the Azure Glory List and Divine Splendor List, we all need to stain our hands with a little blood, just to be sure. Otherwise, if word gets out about us cultivating the Celestial River Treasury, none of us will survive!"