The three followed the lantern and once again approached the ancient warship’s building. Suddenly, a blinding light flashed—its source unknown—and the entire ship was engulfed in a brilliant glow so intense that Quinn Shepherd, the Village Chief, and the others could see nothing at all!
The light came and went in an instant. When it faded, Quinn looked around, startled to find that the ship, which had been traveling beneath the Celestial River, was now floating on the river’s surface.
Mist shrouded everything, but gradually, warm sunlight broke through as the warship sailed out of the fog.
Outside, the sun blazed high in the sky.
Quinn peered outside and saw the ship drifting atop the river, while the Celestial River itself floated high in the heavens.
“Lin Hawk, what just happened?” Quinn asked the thumb-sized figure inside the lantern.
Inside the lantern, the bird-headed, human-bodied Lin Hawk’s wings buzzed as he replied, “No need to panic, Commander. It’s just another time-space reset.”
“Time-space reset?”
The Village Chief cautiously probed, “What exactly do you mean by ‘time-space reset’?”
Lin Hawk, the thumb-sized figure in the lantern, explained, “The divine art within the mist is discontinuous. Every so often, this strange power erupts, and we’re transported to a fixed era. I’ve calculated it—the ship is carried by that power through thirty-six different eras. Right now, we should be…”
He shone the lantern outward, revealing smoke and raging battle everywhere.
“This is the Bright Emperor era, though I can’t recall the exact year.”
Lin Hawk said, “The Bright Emperor’s son, Crown Prince Redsky, is about to board.”
No sooner had he spoken than a young general, locked in fierce combat on the battlefield, soared over. From afar, he raised his hand, and a beam of mirror-light shone from his palm, illuminating the ship.
Riding the light, the young general flew toward them—three-headed, six-armed, and awe-inspiring.
“Crown Prince Redsky?”
Quinn shivered and whispered, “Wasn’t Crown Prince Redsky one of the faces in the shattered black coffin when we first boarded? That face called itself the Bright Emperor’s crown prince, Redsky…”
The Village Chief’s expression changed. He muttered, “It can’t be him. He was swallowed by the coffin, drained of divine blood, and died. Whoever’s boarding now can’t be the real Crown Prince Redsky—must just be someone with the same name…”
“This is…the Celestial River Ghost Ship!”
The young general’s voice echoed, both shocked and delighted: “This legendary treasure appears at such a moment—could it be Heaven’s favor? I’ve heard this ship holds the bravest gods and demons of the ancient Heavenly Court. If I could command them…”
He waved his banner, summoning a host of three-headed, six-armed gods and demons who flew over and landed on the ship.
The young general shouted, “Search every inch! Find the ancient Feather-Guard Corps hidden on this ship!”
“Your Highness, there are seals on this ship!”
“Break them open!”
...
Moments later, one black coffin after another sprouted from the deck, black qi billowing out, while inside came the panicked cries of the young general and his gods and demons.
At last, the black qi dispersed. The young general and all the gods and demons of the Bright Emperor era had vanished, leaving only rows of black coffins standing on the deck.
Slowly, the black coffins sank down and disappeared.
“When they reappear, Crown Prince Redsky will die when a black coffin is shattered.”
Inside the lantern, the thumb-sized Lin Hawk fluttered his wings and said, “Commander, let’s go see the Empress’s coffin. Follow me.”
Quinn and the Village Chief exchanged glances, both a little dazed. Suddenly, the Village Chief asked, “General Lin Hawk, when you first saw Quinn, you said the Commander looked younger. What did you mean? Have you met him before—was he older than now?”
A chill ran down Quinn’s spine; he quickly looked toward the little figure in the lantern.
The lantern’s tiny occupant fell silent.
The wrinkles on the Village Chief’s face twisted; his voice trembled. “So this isn’t our first time on board! We’ve boarded this ship many times, maybe even stayed here for ages! Isn’t that right?”
The little figure sat on the lantern’s threshold, wings buzzing as the lantern drifted ahead. “On this ship, every time is the first time. This way, please.”
Dragon-Keeper Lord collapsed to the floor, bawling, “It’s over, we’re doomed! Commander, we’re finished…”
Quinn’s face darkened. He grabbed the dragon’s horns and dragged him forward.
They rounded the pavilion and saw that the old dragon, once fused into the building, had turned to stone—its face frozen in terror.
Quinn looked up at the stone dragon and joked, “This crazy old dragon—could it actually be Dragon-Keeper Lord?”
Dragon-Keeper Lord shuddered repeatedly, his body growing even softer.
“Quinn, don’t scare him!”
The Village Chief’s face grew solemn. He said gravely, “I’ve seen more bizarre things over the years than I can count, weathered countless storms—I won’t be trapped by a single ship! Don’t worry, I’ll get you all out. Let’s go!”
Behind the building was a grand hall. Lin Hawk’s lantern led them through winding palace corridors, past rockeries and council chambers, until they reached another vast hall at the rear.
The first thing they saw were eight enormous red dragons, their bodies hanging across the beams of the spacious hall. Half their bodies dangled down, coiled around copper pillars, claws on the floor, necks arched high, heads bowed toward a floating coffin.
The eight dragons were positioned at the eight cardinal points around the coffin, guarding the suspended imperial coffin from all directions.
Yet their bodies had turned to stone, as if carved from translucent red gemstones—dazzling and magnificent.
Ancestral Dragon King and the others were already there, having circled past the red dragons. They approached the coffin, and Ancestral Dragon King unleashed his divine power, trying to force it open.
But the floating coffin was impossibly heavy and covered in seals. Even with his power at the Lofty-Sky Realm, he couldn’t budge it.
“The Feather-Guard Corps is one of the Heavenly Court’s ten elite regiments—Left and Right Feather-Guard, Left and Right Dragon-Warriors, Left and Right Divine-Warriors, Left and Right Divine-Tacticians, Left and Right Divine-Guard. The Feather-Guard is personally commanded by the Heavenly Emperor. What does ‘Feather-Guard’ mean? It’s the nation’s wings, as dense as a forest—hence the name.”
Prince Autumnshade said, “If the Feather-Guard Corps belongs to the Heavenly Emperor, only the strongest in the world would be chosen. You dragon-folk, do you really think you can break their seals?”
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Ancestral Dragon King’s face flushed. He sneered, “If I can’t open it, do you think you can?”
Prince Autumnshade’s robes fluttered as he strode forward, laughing, “The Feather-Guard Corps is the Heavenly Court’s own regiment—its legacy runs deep. I once studied within their ranks. My cultivation may not match yours, but opening a Dragon-Han era seal is no trouble for me.”
His hands danced, molding vital energy into intricate runes that pressed one after another onto the coffin—his divine arts were exquisite.
The crowd watched, awed. “The Heavenly Court’s divine arts truly are unfathomable!”
Quinn felt a chill in his heart—Prince Autumnshade’s attainments were extraordinary, his strength immense.
“The Heavenly Court has collected all sorts of emperor’s throne arts over the years—their elite really are remarkable!”
After a moment, sweat beaded on Prince Autumnshade’s brow and his frown deepened. Suddenly, he stepped back, shaking his head. “Strange, strange—these seals aren’t just Feather-Guard Corps seals. There are others I’ve never studied…”
Autumn Cloud Phoenix sneered, “You Outer Heaven bumpkin prince—full of bluster and nothing else. Let me try!”
She set down the imperial coffin, drew the Earth-Primordial Sword, and with a flash of wood-light slashed at the Empress’s coffin, intent on breaking the seal by force!
Though she was Earth Mother's attendant, Autumn Cloud Phoenix was also the phoenix clan chief—a powerful Lofty-Sky Realm master. With the Earth-Primordial Sword, breaking the seal should have been easy.
But Autumn Cloud Phoenix thrust her sword dozens of times, and halos of light swirled around the floating coffin. Various seals emerged, blocking both her and the sword’s power.
The seals surrounding the coffin formed countless circular star systems, absorbing the powers of both her and the Earth-Primordial Sword.
Autumn Cloud Phoenix frowned, sheathed her sword, and returned to the imperial coffin.
Prince Autumnshade laughed, “Earth Mother may be strong, but she’s nothing compared to the Heavenly Court. Anyone else want to try?”
Quinn’s expression grew strange. Most of the seals were unfamiliar, but the one integrating them all was the Founding Patriarch’s seal.
He had seen the Founding Patriarch’s star-river seal arts more than once—and broken them more than once too.
By the Far Shore Ark, in the canyon suppressing the old dragon, he’d encountered it. On the Chiming Star’s execution platform, he’d broken it as well.
Suddenly, he felt a pair of eyes on him. Following the gaze, he saw Zechariah Lee.
Quinn smiled faintly. Back when he broke the star-river seal on the Chiming Star’s execution platform, Zechariah Lee and Young Master Cyrus Qi were right there—and he’d tricked them both.
Clearly, Zechariah Lee hadn’t forgotten.
“Only Cult Master Quinn can break the seal.”
Zechariah Lee suddenly spoke. “Why not give it a try, Cult Master Quinn?”
All eyes turned to Quinn. He burst out laughing, tossed away Dragon-Keeper Lord’s horn, and the dragon’s massive head thudded to the ground, bouncing several times—still too weak to get up.
Quinn stepped forward to the Empress’s coffin and studied the seals closely. Suddenly, he chuckled. “Someone’s already broken this seal before. Unlocking it won’t be hard.”
“Already broken?”
The crowd was stunned. Before they could react, Quinn’s robes fluttered as he circled the Empress’s coffin, casting seal arts. Star-river galaxies spun and unwound, layers of cosmic seals retreating.
Soon, all the stars drew back, merging into marks on the coffin’s surface—a dazzling star-river pattern.
Crack.
The Empress’s coffin gave a soft click.
Quinn stepped back and joined the Village Chief. “Mission accomplished!”
The coffin lid slowly floated upward, hovering above the coffin. Inside, rosy light soared and Daoist melodies swirled—a song sung by a wondrous woman, the harmonies lingering in the air.
The music was the rhythm of the Dao itself, enchanting all who heard it.
No one bothered to wonder how Quinn had opened the seal—they rushed forward to peer inside. The Chiming Divine Son cried out, “What a beautiful woman!”
The others were tongue-tied, faces flushed as they gazed at the woman in the coffin, unable to speak.
A demigod roared, tore off his clothes, and tried to leap into the coffin. “To be buried with such beauty—my life would be complete!”
Slash—
Logan Cross cut the demigod down with a single stroke. “Anyone who dares defile the Empress’s corpse will end up like this! Ancestral Dragon King, keep your men in line!”
His hand trembled on the blade—he too was shaken by the woman’s beauty, his Dao-heart wavering.
“Empress?”
Ancestral Dragon King’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he stared into the coffin, his voice hoarse. “There are two women in here—which one is the Empress?”
Quinn and the Village Chief were stunned. “Two women in the coffin?”
The Village Chief whispered, “Quinn, when you opened the coffin, didn’t you look inside?”
Quinn shook his head and whispered back, “You told me to keep a low profile, so I stepped away as soon as I opened it—didn’t want to draw attention. So I have no idea what’s in there. How could there be two bodies?”
The two exchanged glances.
After a moment’s hesitation, the Village Chief said, “Shall we take a look too?”
Quinn nodded eagerly, unable to suppress his curiosity.
The Village Chief couldn’t resist either. He grabbed Dragon-Keeper Lord’s horn and dragged him along with Quinn to the coffin.
They reached the Empress’s coffin. The Village Chief rose on tiptoe to look inside, the rosy light illuminating everyone’s faces. Within the glow, two women lay quietly.
“So beautiful—even prettier than Granny Sue,” the Village Chief praised.