On this day, Shepherd Heavenly Venerable flipped open the book of history—inside, blood dripped from every page.
Back then, on Yong River, Quinn Shepherd summoned the Ghost Ship with a peachwood hairpin, letting history resurface and the Celestial River reconnect—startling Prince Umbral, who uttered a now-famous line: "Who is digging up old historical debts?"
The reason Dragon-Han Era’s history vanished is because that ledger is packed with blood and conspiracy.
On this day, the Heavenly Emperor fell.
The first ancient god in history—an invincible being who ended the Creators’ internecine wars and unified the primordial cosmos—died in silence, slain by demigods and human Heavenly Venerables.
He could have escaped—his power was so great that even united, they could barely hold him.
Yet when he broke through the siege and tried to flee, an overwhelming god-sense crashed into him, forcing him back.
"Serena Gong!"
Initial Dawn, dazed and battered, was blocked again by Cloud-Venerable, Vast-Sky Venerable and the others—his chance to escape gone!
"Serena Gong, heh... so it’s you!"
Initial Dawn burst out laughing, fighting off his attackers. Looking at Absolute Dust charging in, he felt a growing sense of absurdity.
He never imagined the ones who’d corner him for the kill would be two women he once loved!
Serena Gong did not appear in person—she watched coldly from the shadows, witnessing how the man who betrayed her met his end.
Driven nearly mad, Initial Dawn unleashed divine arts more powerful than any Emperor’s Throne expert present. Though just a reincarnated body, one-on-one his fighting power still far surpassed them all.
He broke through the encirclement again, shouting, "Earth Mother Primordial Lady, save me—any condition, I’ll agree!"
The Origin-Root Tree flourished, branches swaying. Around Earth Mother Primordial Lady clustered ancient gods born of the Origin World—phoenixes, dragons, qilin, and more.
Those ancient gods all looked to Earth Mother. She acted as if she neither saw nor heard, watching coldly—and even smiling a little. She said to the phoenix beside her, "Back when I first awakened in the Origin-Root Tree, it was the Heavenly Emperor who pulled me out. When I was born, I hadn’t even put on clothes—how shy I was."
Her face then frosted over. "But once Heavenly Court was founded, he immediately tried to seize my Origin World!"
Initial Dawn, desperate, tried to break through the Origin-Root Tree’s blockade and reach the sky.
Behind him, the pursuers closed in.
"Great Sun Star Lord!"
Initial Dawn cried, "Great Sun Star Lord! Hurry and save me!"
But his voice could not penetrate the Origin-Root Tree’s crown.
"Tu Bo! I know you’re watching—Tu Bo!"
Initial Dawn grew frantic, shouting, "I know I was wrong! Please, for the sake of old times..."
Youdu remained silent.
Initial Dawn fought his way upward with the others, battling toward the Celestial River and trying to reach Heavenly Court. The river’s waters turned crimson with his blood.
Whoosh—
Dodging attacks mid-flight, Initial Dawn glimpsed a youth with a qilin’s head and human body, a chubby girl, and six dragon-headed, human-bodied gods standing on the Celestial River.
They were holding lanterns, looking in his direction.
Initial Dawn opened his mouth, dazed, and glimpsed a tree growing in the halo behind that chubby girl's head, with a young man seated beneath it.
"Shepherd Heavenly Venerable..." he murmured, momentarily lost.
Boom!
Cloud-Venerable unleashed the Purple Firmament Throne Art, blasting him down. Initial Dawn crashed into the Celestial River, then burst out of the water, surrounded by flickering figures.
In the distance, within Annie's halo, Quinn sat beneath the Dragonblood Treasure Tree, watching the scene unfold with complicated emotions.
The Celestial River fractured, mighty figures darting like lightning, divine arts flaring in dazzling succession—a spectacle to behold!
By the late Dragon-Han Era, the power of Dao-arts and divine abilities had reached astonishing heights. Nearly all Dao-entering elites had gathered here, fighting for the future of demigods and postnatal beings!
Quinn's blood boiled; he wanted to stand and join the battle, but his divine sense was scattered—he could only watch them fade into the distance.
Initial Dawn fled, breaking through the encirclement, but suddenly another surge of god-sense forced him back.
Quinn instantly sensed this unfamiliar pulse, urgently rallying his remaining god-sense: "Annie, Queen Serena Gong is nearby!"