God-Queen Langwo's gaze was as clear as autumn water. She spoke softly: "Ancient gods are not to be trusted. None of them. Saint Baby, you carry the hope of the Creator race..."
Quinn looked at her and asked quietly, "Do the Creators truly have the strength to oppose Heavenly Court?"
God-Queen Langwo sat quietly, her eyes fixed on the flood of spirit-energy surging outside the World Bridge. Her gaze was deep and captivating. She said, "Saint Baby, the conflict between ancient gods and the Creators is a feud of annihilation—you cannot mediate it. This hatred is rooted in the Creators' minds and passed down through generations. Likewise, the ancient gods will never let the Creators go."
This World Bridge led to Northern Extremity Heaven. The Four Extremity Heavens had already been connected by the four ancient god emperors, with World Bridges linking all four regions for easier travel.
In the past, gods and demons traveling to the Four Extremity Heavens relied on the Celestial River's waterways, journeying by boat—a trip that took a hundred years or more to reach the extremities from Heavenly Court.
Of course, that was only true for ordinary gods and demons. For powerful throne-level cultivators and Heavenly Venerables, the journey was much shorter.
The shortest route was to pass through Youdu or Xuandu, using those realms to cut the distance. In Youdu, elders of the underworld would ferry travelers on paper boats to the universe's four extremities, saving time and effort.
Xuandu lies at the center of the cosmos, its space twisted and guarded by suns. One could ride golden crows to reach the Four Extremity Heavens.
But with the World Bridges, travel has become even faster and more convenient.
Quinn also gazed out the window, silent for a moment before murmuring, "It's hard for me too, Langwo. It's really hard..."
God-Queen Langwo glanced at him but said nothing more.
After a long silence, Quinn asked, "You've been studying the Artifact-Class Heaven-Guide Venerable for so long—what have you found?"
Langwo's eyes flickered. "The Artifact-Class Heaven-Guide Venerable is truly formidable. For Heavenly Court to produce such weapons is to be invincible, and unlike the Supreme Emperor or Heavenly Emperor, these are controllable. With these artifacts suppressing the heavens, Heavenly Court's rule will be eternal, never to be overthrown. Yet they have a weakness."
Quinn looked at her, probing: "Divine sense?"
Langwo nodded. "A major weakness. The Artifact-Class Heaven-Guide Venerable is not a true body, but a manufactured weapon. A Heavenly Venerable must enter with their Primordial Spirit to wield its power. But we Creators can strike with divine sense—if we act before the Venerable fully takes control, we can seize the war-body ourselves."
Quinn's eyes gleamed. "You haven't tampered with God-Emperor Jadecrest's Artifact-Class Heaven-Guide Venerable, have you? There's something I haven't told you—Jadecrest is the child of the Heavenly Emperor and Queen Gongyun of the Makers, one of the Creator Three Kings. He's half Creator by blood; his divine sense may be just as strong!"
Langwo's eyes widened in shock. "Jadecrest is the Heavenly Emperor's son? That means half the Ten Heavenly Venerables are basically the Heavenly Emperor's family!"
Quinn thought about it and realized she was right.
The Ancient-God Emperor, the Empress, Madam Yuanmu, Venerable Vast-Sky, and Jadecrest—all five are the Heavenly Emperor's kin!
Besides the Heavenly Emperor, there's Supreme Emperor Julius, Galen the Ancestral God-King, Venerable Void, and Flame-Venerable. Of the Ten Heavenly Venerables, only two lack such deep primordial backing—and one of them is Flame-Venerable!
"The Eastern Emperor once told me his bloodline is the finest in all the heavens. But in truth, he only has quantity—while the Heavenly Emperor breeds quality."
Quinn couldn't help but remark, "By the way, Eastern Extremity Heaven isn't the Ancestral Court, is it?"
Langwo shook her head. "No. But Eastern Extremity Heaven does hold treasures from the Ancestral Court—Lingbao Mountain and the Jade Pool, both originally from there."
Quinn's heart leapt—such treasures in the Creators' Ancestral Court?
He grew even more eager to reach the Ancestral Court.
In Eastern Extremity Heaven, Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon returned to the Azure Dragon Palace with his civil and military officials. Crown Prince Rowan Drake asked, "Father, are you really not sending anyone after Shepherd Heavenly Venerable to reclaim Lingbao Mountain?"
The Eastern Emperor shook his head, smiling. "Lingbao Mountain may be precious, but it's just my tooth-grinding stone—not the greatest treasure of Eastern Extremity Heaven. Though I've lost face, I've escorted him nine times; Heavenly Court won't tolerate it now. They'll surely send someone to hunt him down."
Rowan Drake hesitated. "If you need Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, why push him into danger?"
The Eastern Emperor glanced at him and said coolly, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable is too rebellious—impossible to control. He's just a lucky human junior who stumbled into power. If he knew his place, he'd have quietly accepted my two trials. Instead, he tried to turn host into guest, humiliated me, and sought equal standing with the ancient gods."
His voice carried anger, but his tone grew ever more detached. "If he grows unchecked, how will he be any different from the Ten Heavenly Venerables?"
"The Ten Heavenly Venerables of Heavenly Court aim to wipe out us ancient gods and seize absolute power. As for us ancient gods, besides defending ourselves, we also seek to destroy them—not to raise up a new rival!"
He strode forward into the Hall of Supreme Heaven, sat on his throne, his long fingers gripping the armrests, his presence suppressing the Azure Dragon Palace. Coldly, he said, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable never understood this. If he won't learn, let reality teach him! Once he leaves Eastern Extremity Heaven, he'll crash into walls everywhere, battered and broken until he lowers his head and submits to the ancient gods."
His gaze flashed like lightning as he swept a look at Rowan Drake. His voice was cutting: "Ancient gods have ruled this universe since primordial times. Creators, demigods, Ten Heavenly Venerables, humans—all are just transients. It is by our charity that you exist, by our order that you thrive!"
"For postnatal beings to steal ancient gods' authority and reform Heaven's laws is treason of the highest order—an unforgivable crime!"
"This isn't just my view—it's the heart of every ancient god!"
[Irrelevant system message—skip translation.]
Rowan Drake shuddered, bowing his head in silence.
"Long ago, we ancient gods tried to nurture Pioneer Emperor Qin Ye, hoping he'd stand against the Ten Heavenly Venerables. But Qin Ye refused to play along. After all our effort, he led his elites and fled."
The Eastern Emperor snorted, crushing the throne's armrest in his grip. "How much did we invest in him and the Pioneer Era? We hoped he'd fight Heavenly Court, but his Kaihuang Heaven Court was a mess! He saw we meant to throw him out front, so he ran off with the best of his era. Then he passed his sword Dao to Quinn, who now uses it to injure me—repaying kindness with enmity!"
Rowan Drake trembled, cold sweat beading on his brow.