But the situation you faced back then was a hundred times worse than now!
Wei Liao said, "Human Emperor Quinn led everyone through the destruction of High-Emperor Heaven, seeking a way out. As bad as things are now, they're nothing compared to the terror at the end of the Pioneer Era. He models himself after you—just like you, in that dreadful age, led countless old, weak, and sick through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, braving deadly danger, even fighting to the death, all to find a path to survival and to Everpeace."
The First Human Emperor stared blankly, lost in thought.
Wei Liao continued, "If not for you, there would be no Everpeace now, no reforms for future generations, and none of these vibrant youths. Your Highness, even the fiercest in Everpeace respect you as their ancestor. Even the most powerful are your subjects and honor you as Human Emperor. You only see yourself as a deserter, but you haven't considered your achievements. I've noticed that Human Emperor Quinn always calls you First Ancestor, and the Imperial Preceptor treats you with deep respect. You should know how much they honor you."
The giant skeleton laughed, "They treat you like family. Even Human Emperor Quinn, leading tens of thousands through the destruction of High-Emperor Heaven, is following in your footsteps!"
They keep discussing the Everpeace Reform, but without you, there would be no Everpeace or Everpeace Reform.
Your Highness, you left behind the roots for the Pioneer Era, but the Everpeace Era was also started by you!
You've only focused on the blemish in your life and forgotten that behind you, the roots you planted have grown into towering trees and lush forests. Your Highness, look forward.
Your blemish is small, but your achievements are greater than the heavens!
Wei Liao laughed, "All us old brothers who died are watching you from above. Your classmates from Jadebright Palace are watching too—they hope you'll move forward, not keep sinking into despair."
Eamon Firth gritted his teeth, dipped more divine blood from his severed fingers, and was about to write the Imperial Preceptor's name again when Lowell Yunch raised a hand to stop him. Shaking his head, Lowell said, "Junior Brother Eamon, this man is a master of divine arts. To him, the secrets of Mingdu's magic are already laid bare. The more you experiment, the more he learns about our Mingdu techniques. Now that he holds the Book of Life and Death, using it against him is pointless."
Eamon Firth snapped, "So my blood was spilled for nothing?"
Quentin Kain frowned, "Of all the world's magic, Mingdu's arts are the most mysterious—how could they possibly be unraveled? Even if the Imperial Preceptor led the Everpeace Reform, he can't possibly have such heaven-defying talent to see through our Mingdu divine arts at such a young age!"
Lowell Yunch sighed, "Maybe that's the effect of the origin land of the Five-Dynasty False Heavenly Court. All five dynasties trace their roots to that place, so of course it has unique qualities. I've heard that only this ancestral land has the legend of producing a sage every five hundred years—nowhere else in the heavens shares that story. Perhaps the Imperial Preceptor is simply favored by fate."
Eamon Firth sealed the wound on his severed fingers with cultivation, stopping the bleeding. Frowning, he said, "Just losing four fingers isn't enough for me to dissolve and reincarnate. Damn it, if he'd killed me outright, at least I'd have a way out—but he only cut off four fingers! I'll go kill them myself and use the chance to dissolve and return to Mingdu!"
Lowell Yunch watched Quinn Shepherd and the others depart, smiling, "What's the rush? Let them go. Our goal here is to blood-sacrifice High-Emperor Heaven, drive the demon race into Everpeace, and force them to fight. The more divine cultivators and gods die in Everpeace, the more god-statues will awaken—and when the gods rise, they will destroy the world. Aren't we close to achieving that already?"
Quentin Kain said, "Our second goal is to record insights from the Everpeace Reform and present them to Master. All the fruits of the reform are embodied in the Imperial Preceptor, so the simplest way is to capture him."
Lowell Yunch added, "Our third goal is that Master wishes to meet the Netherworld Divine Son."
He smiled, "I think all three objectives can be accomplished together. Let them keep moving forward—once they reach Taeming Heaven, they'll realize that no matter how clever or powerful they are, they're always within our grasp. Be patient, Junior Brother Eamon; we'll simply wait."
The three Mingdu demon gods hovered in the air, making no move to pursue.
At last, tens of thousands were roasted down to skin and bone—even the beautiful Granny Sue had become gaunt and skeletal in this apocalyptic world. When none of the gods or mortals could hold out any longer, the First Human Emperor's injuries finally stabilized, and with Quinn Shepherd and Apothecary's careful care, his cultivation recovered somewhat.
The First Human Emperor used his creation arts to conjure water from the void, producing some clean drinking water and saving everyone's lives.
Finally, the First Human Emperor no longer needed Pang Yu to carry him—he could just barely walk on his own. Watching everyone drink, this prince of the previous dynasty still carried a hint of melancholy.
When he saw Seven-Kill Star Lord Wei Liao, the melancholy only deepened.
Wei Liao recognized him and said, "I once reported to court and met Your Highness. While I was alive, I met a man who claimed to be the Cult Master of the Heavenly Saint from the lower world—a gentle-looking but truly wild man. From his mouth I learned of Your Highness's deeds, how you led all races to carve out a path from a hellish world in times of crisis."
The First Human Emperor replied sadly, "The Pioneer Era is gone—there is no 'Your Highness' anymore. I am a deserter, and so was the Pioneer Emperor. General, you are noble; please, let the past rest."
Wei Liao was stunned, then suddenly laughed. "Your Highness, what do you think of Human Emperor Quinn leading tens of thousands of divine cultivators to survive this time? Isn't that a feat?"
The First Human Emperor's melancholy faded. He glanced back at Quinn Shepherd and smiled, "He's excellent—a good kid. I've never seen anyone keep such optimism in dire straits, and he has great wisdom and courage. Whatever the challenge, he charges forward. He has many gods by his side, but it wasn't the gods or demons who led everyone out of despair—it was him, only him!"
Wei Liao laughed, "But the one he models himself after—is you!"
The First Human Emperor was taken aback, then shook his head, "Don't be ridiculous. I'm just a deserter. Ha—at the battle of Jadebright Palace, I ran away..."
"But the situation you faced back then was a hundred times worse than what we're dealing with now!"
Marshal Lyle Wei said, "Human Emperor Quinn led the people through the destruction of Taeming Heaven, searching for a path to survival. Though Taeming Heaven was dire, it was nothing compared to the terror at the end of the Pioneer Era. He was following your example—just like you, in that age of horror, you led countless old, weak, sick, and disabled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, dodging countless dangers, even risking death to fight. Only then did you carve out a road for the living, and find the way to Everpeace."
The First Ancestor stared, lost in thought.
Marshal Wei continued, "If not for you, there would be no Everpeace now, no reforms in later generations, and none of these vibrant youths. Your Highness, even the most ruthless in Everpeace hold you in respect and call you Ancestor. Even the most powerful are your people, honoring you as Human Emperor. You only remember yourself as a deserter, but you never consider the merit you've achieved. These days, I've noticed Human Emperor Quinn never calls you by name, only 'First Ancestor.' The Everpeace Imperial Preceptor treats you with utmost reverence. You should know how deeply they respect you."
The giant skeleton laughed, "They treat you as their dearest kin! Even now, when Human Emperor Quinn leads tens of thousands of divine arts practitioners into the destruction of Taeming Heaven, he's following your footsteps!"
"They keep discussing Everpeace's reforms, but without you, could there even be an Everpeace or any reform at all?"
"Your Highness, you planted the roots in the Pioneer Era, but the Everpeace Era was also opened by you!"
"You've only focused on one stain in your life, forgetting that behind you, the roots you left behind have grown into towering trees and lush forests. Your Highness, look ahead."
"Your stain is small, but your achievements are greater than the heavens!"
Marshal Wei smiled, "We old brothers who've died are watching you from above. Your classmates from Jadebright Palace are watching you too. They want you to step forward, not continue sinking like this."
Suddenly, tears streamed down the First Ancestor Human Emperor's face.
Ahead, a sheer cliff appeared, packed with shattered fragments of space. Quinn and the Everpeace Imperial Preceptor stepped forward to look; here, the fragments were countless, densely packed, shimmering in every color.
Some fragments were pure, flawless blue sky drifting silently by; some were sapphire-like seas, others were fire, or earth, or mountain peaks.
But these fragments had no thickness at all—if you fell in here, you’d be sliced apart before you even felt a thing.
Quinn peered out—the cliff stretched so far he couldn’t see the end, and even with their eyesight, they couldn’t make out what lay on the far side.