They burst into the room, the Old Man in the Painting never pausing, slipping straight into another chamber. Quinn Shepherd hurried after him, and just as he rounded the corner, someone rushed toward him—both nearly collided, and they quickly sidestepped each other.
The moment their bodies brushed past, both caught a clear look at the other's face, and were startled.
"Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon!"
"Wild Di Kingdom soldier!"
Quinn Shepherd reacted faster. As they passed, his palm was already raised—breaking the sound barrier in a thunderous boom as he stamped his hand on the man's back.
Nine-Dragon Thunder Rush!
His palm struck the man's back, the force barely released before the soldier could react. The saber orb had just begun to float up, but Quinn's move exploded forth: the dragon-shaped force crashed in five waves—the first shattered his protective qi, the second twin dragons tore apart his back muscles, the third crushed his bones, the fourth ground his heart to pulp, and the fifth burst out through his chest as a blood-dragon clawing its way free!
The Wild Di soldier's saber orb floated up, its curved blades ringing as dozens of tiny scimitars split from the orb—just as Quinn Shepherd lifted his other hand, sword in grip. The Worryless Sword's blade met the saber orb, slicing it apart in a single stroke.
The saber orb instantly shattered, scattering a hundred broken scimitars across the floor with a metallic clatter.
The Wild Di soldier's qi dispersed, his body collapsing lifeless to the ground.
Ben Coates arrived a step too late, unable to save his soldier before Quinn Shepherd killed him at close range. Furious, he snapped, "Quinn Shepherd, that was my man!"
Quinn Shepherd slid his Worryless Sword back into its sheath and shook his head. "Your man tried to kill me the moment he saw me. I only acted in self-defense. If I'd hesitated, I'd be the one lying here. If you don't like it, why not walk in front? That way, your men will see you first and won't attack."
Ben Coates hesitated. Walking ahead would mean exposing his back to Quinn Shepherd, who had just killed a Wild Di soldier with ruthless efficiency. If Quinn ever wanted to kill him, it would be even easier.
He didn't dare show Quinn Shepherd his back.
Besides, Quinn Shepherd only mentioned one scenario. What if the next people they met weren't Ben's soldiers, but Quinn's White Bat Demons or Dragon-Qilin? If Ben got caught in the middle, he could already imagine his fate.
Still, following Quinn Shepherd's random wandering wasn't a solution either. He was barging around everywhere, clearly having no idea how to crack the ship's 'matching-rhyme' spatial structure. If they kept rushing from room to room like this, Ben himself might lose his bearings and have to recalculate the layout to figure out the ship's true arrangement.
"I can't let this brat lead the way," Ben Coates thought.
With that, Ben Coates pushed open a door. "This way!" he called.
The sound of another door opening came from behind—Quinn Shepherd had darted into a different room. Ben Coates cursed and chased after him; after all, the silver control helmet for the ship was still with Quinn.
The two entered the room and suddenly stopped. Quinn Shepherd lifted his foot—his shoe sole had gotten stuck in some kind of slime.
The room was covered in green slime—on the floor, the walls, even smeared across the tables. The stuff was revolting.
Quinn Shepherd glanced around and spotted the Old Man in the Painting, tiptoeing through the room and carefully avoiding the slime, sticking to the clean patches.
As a being of paint, the slime could actually harm him—if it stuck, he'd be trapped, so he had to dodge every patch.
Ben Coates spotted the Old Man too and, startled, quickly waved his Ten-Thousand Locust Banner. Metallic buzzing filled the air as Quinn Shepherd summoned his flying swords to block Ben's locust swarm.
Ben Coates glared at Quinn Shepherd, his voice cold: "Quinn Shepherd, care to explain yourself?"
Quinn Shepherd answered coolly, "My surname is Keane. That's explanation enough."
Ben Coates's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly grasped the underlying pattern.
That terrifying entity with eyes over 260 zhang apart was waiting for someone named Keane—and Quinn Shepherd and Ben Coates had both drawn its attention because they each claimed the name.
Ben Coates was sharp—he'd survived this long for a reason. Could it be that the ship's owner is also named Keane? Is this kid part of the owner's clan? If so, he's from Carefree Haven! No wonder he's here... Wait! Sixteen years old—the entity is waiting for a sixteen-year-old Keane, and this kid is sixteen! The ship crashed here sixteen years ago. What's the connection?
Ben Coates forced down his shock, shook his Ten-Thousand Locust Banner to recall the locusts, and Quinn Shepherd also recalled his flying swords.