Quinn Shepherd was long used to Grandpa Blind's Heart-Sight powers; though the old man's eyes couldn't see, what he "saw" always surpassed others.
He stood up and looked into the distance. Around the mountain peak, bands of golden light circled and spun.
The Jadehide Ox charged at full speed, drawing closer and closer to the mountain. Soon, those bands of light grew thicker, weaving back and forth like ribbons and completely enveloping the peak.
As they got nearer, Quinn saw that the golden lights concealed many things: Witch Kings' divine arts. Some contained curved sabers, some held golden figures, and in others, golden dragons rolled and twisted.
The Witch Kings' power was terrifying—only those who reached the Heaven-Man Realm could claim the title. But Loulan Golden Palace was a true steppe holy land; most Witch Kings hunting Libationer Barrett were at the Life-and-Death Realm, and one was even a Divine Bridge–level, Cult Master–class existence, their presence overwhelming.
The Jadehide Ox thundered forward, now just ten li from the mountain. Quinn looked again and saw that at each of the eight compass points—east, south, west, north, southeast, southwest, northeast, northwest—a Witch King hovered in the air.
The Witch King to the east had a bird's head and human body, holding a round mirror. The mirror was bizarre, with twelve snow-white bones sprouting from it and resting in his palms. A golden beam shot from the mirror.
The Witch King to the west had a leopard's head and human body, gripping a segmented staff. At the top dangled something like a tail, swaying in the air, almost as long as the staff itself. The tip was a golden skull, its eyes blazing with golden light.
The Witch King to the south was a golden figure with three heads, each one a wolf's.
The Witch King to the north had a human head and bird's body, with twin wings unfurling behind him. From those wings, golden swords constantly emerged, streaming toward the mountain peak in a barrage.