Quinn Shepherd's eyes widened. The Ancient Heavenly Emperor still has a soul that hasn't dissipated—and that soul is actually serving as an elder of the Heaven Alliance?
Doesn't that mean the Ancient Heavenly Emperor still holds a high position in the Heavenly Court?
All around him are the very people who once killed him—who nearly shattered his soul completely!
These people even seized his throne as Heavenly Emperor and stole his physical body.
His authority, his consorts—none of it belongs to him anymore.
He still has to keep up the charade with these people, call them brothers, plot and scheme with them against the ancient gods, and even help them become rulers of the entire universe.
It’s even possible that when the Heaven Alliance killed the old Earth Mother Primordial Lady, he was among them—he might have helped eliminate her, and even cultivated a new Earth Mother to take her place!
Only this can explain why, after the Heaven Alliance wiped out the Earth Mother Primordial Lady, the Origin-Root Tree ended up in the Heavenly Emperor’s hands.
Because he himself is inside the Heaven Alliance—protecting its interests is protecting his own!
And he still has to scheme, still has to plot resurrection, to reclaim his power and status, to use the Heaven Alliance’s strength to restore his rule—and to destroy his enemies within the Alliance!
This was stranger than anything Quinn Shepherd had ever encountered—more bizarre, more surreal, more unbelievable!
Quinn couldn’t help but burst out laughing, his laughter echoing louder and louder throughout the vast Tianyin Palace.
He laughed until he was out of breath, coughing between chuckles. “Old foxes... cough! This is exactly what Village Chief meant by ‘old foxes’! All that talk of justice and vengeance—just power games! All your so-called order is nothing but a toy for you! And ‘justice’ is just something for you to trample underfoot!”
He reined in his laughter, half-smiling, half-serious: “Now I find the Heavenly Court so unspeakably ugly. Everpeace, this tiny place caught between life and death, is the only true human world—where you can actually feel warmth and cold. The Heavenly Court is just a cesspool.”
The shabby old Daoist said nothing, as if lost in meditation.
Lady Umbral’s expression shifted slightly as she cautiously eyed the Heavenly Emperor’s shadow in the soul-black sand.
The figure in the black sand remained impassive. “So, Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, why did you come to see me?”
“Because Everpeace hasn’t had time or opportunity to grow.”
Quinn said, “Everpeace needs time. The Pioneer Era lasted twenty thousand years and still couldn’t change heaven and earth—it was destroyed because it didn’t last long enough. Everpeace has only existed a few hundred years and is already on the verge of extinction. I need help from someone like Your Majesty to share the burden. And Your Majesty needs me to help you, to rebuild your god-soul.”
The shadow in the black sand smiled. “We’re just using each other. I have great power in the Heavenly Court and can buy time for Everpeace. I’m pitting the new and old Earth Mother Primordial Ladies against each other, so Everpeace has a chance to survive. But I think, if I ever reclaim the throne and Everpeace grows strong, Everpeace will become my greatest threat.”
Quinn replied earnestly, “Does Your Majesty have any other choice?”
The shadow in the black sand laughed. “None.”
“I didn’t think so.”
Quinn said calmly, “Your Majesty, rebuilding your god-soul will require another condition: I’ll need to borrow the power of Heaven Duke and Tu Bo.”
The black sand trembled—the figure within fell silent.
Quinn smiled. “I don’t know about Heaven Duke, but Tu Bo is tricky. If I borrow Tu Bo’s power to resurrect Your Majesty, Tu Bo will definitely kill me.”
The shadow in the black sand continued to stay silent.
Lady Umbral found herself in a dilemma, unsure whether to speak up.
Back then, in order to control Tu Bo, the Heavenly Emperor took advantage of Tu Bo’s reincarnation and let his own son lead the demigods against the reincarnated Tu Bo.
Tu Bo’s reincarnation was called Ugly Ox. He had three children—his son and eldest daughter were killed, leaving only his youngest daughter. When Ugly Ox stormed the Heavenly Court, the girl fell into the Heavenly Emperor’s hands and became his leverage over Tu Bo.
Though they called each other ruler and subject, hatred had already taken root between them.
The shabby old Dao Ancestor slowly opened his eyes. "Tu Bo’s daughter is still alive. She holds a high position in the Heavenly Court—there’s room to negotiate."
The shadow in the black sand said, "And then there’s Heaven Duke. He may not lend his power to resurrect me either."
Quinn’s heart skipped—had the Heavenly Emperor done something similar to Heaven Duke too?
No wonder both Heaven Duke and Tu Bo were reluctant to mention the Ancient Heavenly Emperor, and looked down on his actions.
Heaven Duke wouldn’t even talk about that part of history.
“You reap what you sow.”
Quinn said, “Your Majesty, you seem to control all the power, standing alone at the top—but in truth, you’re abandoned by everyone. When you fell into crisis, not a single person came to save you.”
The shadow in the black sand snorted, but didn’t argue.
Quinn said, “Then please, Dao Ancestor, persuade Tu Bo’s daughter—and let her persuade Tu Bo. As for Heaven Duke, I’ll find another way. And for the pressure on Everpeace, I’ll ask Your Majesty to let the new Earth Mother Primordial Lady bear it.”
The shadow in the black sand snorted again, clearly displeased.
Quinn’s eyes flashed. “There’s one more thing: Heaven-Guide Venerable. I want the last fragment of his soul.”
“Impossible!” The shadow in the black sand shook its head firmly.
The shabby old Dao Ancestor also shook his head. “Impossible. Heaven-Guide Venerable’s soul fragment is hidden in the Fragrant Hall—no one can extract it. This matter...”
He glanced at the shadow in the black sand and said no more.
Quinn frowned. The fragment of Heaven-Guide Venerable’s soul was connected to the Ancient Heavenly Emperor. Back at the Jade Pool Assembly, Heaven-Guide Venerable was ambushed and killed; the Ancient Heavenly Emperor ordered a search for his soul, but Tu Bo never found it.
Quinn could guess that Heaven-Guide Venerable’s soul was shattered, but the fragment carrying his memories was actually taken by the Heavenly Emperor—only he could hide it from Tu Bo.
When the Heavenly Court changed hands, the soul fragment was hidden in the Fragrant Hall, likely involving many factions—beyond the control of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor or Dao Ancestor.
Quinn gritted his teeth. Would Heaven-Guide Venerable always remain a fool?
“Then the Heaven-Guide Venerable who came down from the Heavenly Court—whose doing was that?” he suddenly asked.
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The shadow in the black sand asked, “Which Heaven-Guide Venerable are you talking about?”
Quinn was taken aback.
The shadow in the black sand laughed. “The Heavenly Court manufactured many Heaven-Guide Venerables—most have already descended to the lower world. They’re running an experiment to see if their creations are perfect. Whoever made the Heaven-Guide Venerable you met, I wouldn’t know. Besides, I made one myself.”
Quinn’s eye twitched. He looked at the Heaven-Guide Venerable and felt a wave of sorrow—and an uncontrollable urge to kill.
“Let me ask one more thing.”
Quinn steadied himself and managed a weak smile. “Kaihuang—is he in the Heavenly Court? Has he become one of its rulers? After all, he’s a founding elder of the Heaven Alliance.”
The shadow in the black sand shook its head. “He refuses to compromise, and won’t die, so he’s hiding in Carefree Haven. The Heavenly Court has been searching for Carefree Haven’s location, but hasn’t found it yet.”
Quinn was stunned. Suddenly, a weight lifted from his heart—his eyes grew moist with emotion.
“That’s Kaihuang...” he chuckled softly, letting his tears evaporate.
Kaihuang once said, the more you learn about the Outer Heavenly Court, the more hopeless it feels. Now Quinn could finally understand how Kaihuang felt when he said that. But Kaihuang never compromised, never chose to become one of those lofty rulers.
All along, Kaihuang had been Quinn’s motivation and role model. Despite many misunderstandings, Quinn’s admiration never waned.
If Kaihuang were in the Heavenly Court, the blow would be devastating—Quinn might never recover.
Feeling much lighter, Quinn stood up and smiled. “That’s all for today, Your Majesty. I’ll try to handle Heaven Duke, but Tu Bo is up to you. As for the pressure from Everpeace, I’ll leave that to the new Earth Mother Primordial Lady. Your Majesty, I have many matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. Heaven-Guide, let’s go.”
He led Heaven-Guide Venerable out, but suddenly the shadow in the black sand called after him, laughing: “Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you came to talk and asked so many questions. I have one question for you.”
Quinn stopped in his tracks.
The shadow in the black sand asked in puzzlement, “I don’t understand—what are you after? You possess extraordinary talent, terrifying aptitude, boundless curiosity, and you work hard. You’re skilled in strategy and have the title Shepherd Heavenly Venerable. Your status is exalted. You don’t need to do anything for the mortal world to earn the Heavenly Court’s favor. If you wished, you could go to the Heavenly Court and become a lofty Shepherd Heavenly Venerable. Yet you run around the mortal world, even making enemies of the Heavenly Court—a power so great it made Kaihuang despair.”
He repeated his question: “So, what are you after? What do you want?”
Quinn turned, his eyes shining, a pure smile on his face.
“Your Majesty, you were born the pillar of the universe, the Tian Kui—you’re not a mortal, never lived among mortals, and never lived in Everpeace.”
He smiled, “I grew up in the mortal world. There are so many people here who love me, and whom I love. They all have their little flaws, but they’re people—lovable people. They’re not gods, not high and mighty.”
When I learned the gods of the Heavenly Court feared these lovable mortals, severing their divine bridges and cutting off their futures, I realized it’s not mortals who fear gods—it’s gods who fear mortals.
The shadow in the black sand was slightly stunned.
The shabby old Dao Ancestor closed his eyes to rest, then opened them again.
When I peed on a god statue with Grandpa Blind in the village, I lost all reverence for you gods. As a child, I herded cattle by the Yong River—I was just a cowherd, with no grand ambitions or shocking schemes. I only wanted to herd the gods, so they wouldn’t be so high and mighty.
Quinn walked out of Tianyin Palace, laughter echoing behind him: “A cowherd must give his herd rules, so they don’t run wild. To herd the gods, you must give them rules too—so gods serve people. When they do evil, rules will punish them, and new gods will replace them. And new gods are born from mortals, not from the power plays of gods. That’s what the Everpeace reforms are about.”
The shadow in the black sand fell silent for a moment, then sighed, “Bargaining with a tiger for its skin—a deadly threat.”
Quinn turned at the palace gate, his smile radiant. “Yes. But that’s the future. For now, we still need to cooperate.”
The black sand receded and vanished.
The shabby old Dao Ancestor stood, came outside, and walked past Quinn. “You will fail. You will die. Many have shared your ideals—Southern Supreme Emperor, all the Supreme Emperors of past ages, Pioneer Emperor, Venerable Ling—they all failed.”
Quinn watched him go and called out, “Someone has to do it! Some things must be done, some things must not—you can’t just do nothing!”
The old Daoist stamped his foot and vanished.
“Someone has to do it.”
Quinn murmured, turning to the Heaven-Guide Venerable beside him. “Isn’t that right?”
Heaven-Guide Venerable looked lost.
Quinn forced a smile and pressed, “Isn’t that right?”
Heaven-Guide Venerable couldn’t answer.
Quinn looked confused, murmuring, “Isn’t that right?”
The Dragon-Qilin, crouched before the palace, got up, shook himself off, and walked over. “It is.”
Quinn smiled, feeling truly happy.
Annie glanced at the Dragon-Qilin and whispered, “Why did you say yes?”
“When the Patriarch was still alive, the Everpeace National Preceptor often came to see him.”
The Dragon-Qilin said gruffly, “The Everpeace National Preceptor often felt lost and helpless, and would ask the Patriarch, ‘Are we doing the right thing?’ If the Patriarch didn’t answer, the National Preceptor felt empty inside. If the Patriarch said yes, the National Preceptor would smile. The Sect Master needs someone to support him, but sadly he doesn’t have anyone. I don’t want to see him sad.”
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