Crippled Joe placed Quinn Shepherd on Annie's back, urging the Dragon-Sparrow to fly even faster.
Lila Swallowfeather is a disciple of the Ancient-God Heavenly Emperor; even when stopped for inspection, she can pass smoothly without hindrance.
Annie carried them at full speed toward Everpeace. Dragon-Qilin carefully examined Quinn's injuries and shook his head, saying, "Cult Master’s surface wounds are nothing serious. His Overlord Body Three-Pillars Art is strong, full of innate vitality; his physical injuries will heal. No need to worry, Old Joe."
Crippled Joe retorted coldly, "Since when did you know medicine?"
Dragon-Qilin quickly shook his head, replying carefully, "I don’t know medicine. But last time, after Cult Master fought the Heaven Court’s Guide Venerable in the Black Palace, he was gravely wounded—even his soul source was hurt. He slept in the Moon Palace and basically recovered. Sword Saint Supreme knows about this. If you don’t believe me, ask Sword Saint Supreme."
Crippled Joe was half-convinced, half-doubting. He looked at the sleeping Quinn and saw he was no longer coughing blood, and his faint breath was slowly growing steadier.
He could see Quinn’s eyeballs moving beneath his eyelids—he must be dreaming.
Dragon-Qilin said, "When Cult Master was talking with Sword Saint Supreme, I was pretending to nap in the back, so I overheard some things. Sword Saint Supreme said that when the Woodcutter Saint checked him while he was wounded and sleeping, he found Buddhist dharma circulating in Cult Master’s dreams. Later, Cult Master said it might be the Immeasurable Kalpa Sutra of Great Brahma King Buddha."
Crippled Joe examined Quinn closely and snapped, "Where’s the Buddhist dharma? I don’t see anything!"
Dragon-Qilin hesitated, "Great Brahma King Buddha’s Emperor’s-Throne True Sutra is really powerful. Maybe Old Joe just isn’t as skilled as Woodcutter Saint, so he can’t see it."
Crippled Joe flew into a rage and suddenly coughed violently, spitting blood.
Dragon-Qilin quickly said, "Old Joe, you’ve been running too fast, pushing for days without rest. You’ve hurt your soul and your lungs. I don’t know how to treat souls, but for the body, just take some dragon saliva—it’ll heal you up. I’ve got plenty of it…"
"I’m not drinking your spit! My Creation Art is strong enough—I’ll heal up without your saliva!"
Crippled Joe cursed and grumbled, but his gaze fell again on Quinn. He saw that the sleeping Quinn had a socket-shaped wound at his brow, but the eye was gone—only shriveled eyelid remained.
The more Crippled Joe looked, the more his heart ached. He tried to smooth Quinn’s forehead, but couldn’t.
Just then, flesh and blood began to grow at Quinn’s brow, slowly filling the empty socket, the eyelid knitting itself closed and merging into one.
His forehead swelled like a mosquito bite, forming a little bump.
Crippled Joe touched the bump—it felt hard inside. He couldn’t tell if it was flesh or an eyeball.
Lila Swallowfeather was also carefully checking Quinn’s injuries, her expression odd. She said, "There really is Buddhist dharma circulating inside him."
Crippled Joe snapped, "You can see it too?"
Lila Swallowfeather said, "I’ve studied Buddhist dharma. It’s the only postnatal Dao that Dao Ancestor couldn’t deconstruct with numerology, so I once went to the Buddha Realm to learn, trying to grasp its mysteries."
Crippled Joe’s expression softened. He’d always greeted people with a smile, but since Quinn was injured, his usual grin had vanished—he had no kind face for anyone.
"But the strange thing is…"
Lila kept examining Quinn’s wounds, her face growing odder. "He has no soul! His Primordial Spirit is gone, only the Spirit Embryo remains. It’s strange—he should be dead, soul scattered, but somehow he’s still alive."
Crippled Joe watched Quinn, seeing his breath grow steadier, and slowly relaxed.
His old eyes grew gentle, a smile at the corner. "As long as he’s alive, it’s fine. Since he’s getting better and Buddhist dharma is working, there’s no need to find Apothecary in Everpeace—he doesn’t know Buddhist dharma anyway. Let’s go to Great Thunderclap Temple; Grandpa Mark will know what to do."
They changed course toward Sumeru Mountain.
With the Origin World’s seal broken, the full Sumeru Mountain reappeared. Twenty Buddha Realm heavens spiraled upward around it, layer on layer, making the sacred mountain all the more grand.
The part of Sumeru Mountain in the Origin World was Great Thunderclap Temple; the other twenty heavens lay beyond. Since this was the domain of Great Brahma King Buddha, no one dared trespass. Hundreds of thousands of Everpeace people hid here, waiting for the calamity to pass.
"This is the Immeasurable Kalpa Sutra—Cult Master Quinn’s life is not in danger."
Inside Great Thunderclap Temple, Grandpa Mark summoned Demon Ape Battle-Void and Brother Brightheart to examine the comatose Quinn. Only these two had studied Great Brahma King Buddha’s Emperor’s-Throne True Sutra.
Brother Brightheart said, "But Cult Master Quinn has no soul or spirit, only a Spirit Embryo. I’ve rarely seen such a case. Senior Battle-Void, your Buddhist dharma is profound—what do you think his condition is…?"
Demon Ape said, "Good (Shan)."
Grandpa Mark frowned. "Disciple, what does ‘good’ mean?"
Brother Brightheart replied, "Teacher, Senior means ‘misfortune turns to fortune’—there’s no threat to his life."
Grandpa Mark was still uneasy. "Great Brahma King Buddha is in Great Brahma Heaven. I’ll take Quinn up there to seek his help. He’s powerful—he’ll have a solution."
Crippled Joe nodded, about to agree, when Demon Ape bent down and whispered a word in Quinn’s ear, very softly. Quinn slowly woke, opening his eyes.
Demon Ape put his hands together and smiled. "Good (Shan)."
Brother Brightheart sighed, "Senior has great wisdom."
Quinn still looked pale, but struggled up, saluted Grandpa Mark, and said, "I was lucid even in my dream—I heard what you said. I know my injuries well; no need to see the old Buddha. He’s already transmitted dharma to me, so meeting him won’t change anything. I need to return to Everpeace."
He saluted Demon Ape and Brightheart; they returned the gesture.
"Quinn, do you really want to return to Everpeace?"
Grandpa Mark suddenly took off his kasaya and prayer beads, smiling: "Years ago I promised my teacher I’d pass on the dharma and keep Great Thunderclap Temple alive. Now, Battle-Void and Brightheart have surpassed me in Buddhist dharma. I’ve fulfilled my promise—now it’s time to return to myself. From today, I’m back to being Grandpa Mark, Ma the Divine Catcher. Brightheart, help your senior put on the kasaya and beads."
Demon Ape bowed; Brightheart unfolded the kasaya and draped it over him, hanging the prayer beads around his neck.
Grandpa Mark smiled: "Brightheart sees his true nature; Battle-Void subdues the heart-ape. Brightheart, help him tame his heart-ape. Battle-Void, from now on you are Tathagata. You two monks stay here—our Buddhist fate is over."
Demon Ape rose, pressed his palms together, and said, "Farewell, benefactor."
Grandpa Mark returned the gesture, then followed Crippled Joe, Quinn, and the others down the mountain.
Everpeace Imperial Capital.
More and more Everpeace citizens arrived from all over, even remnants of the Chiming Clan. Camps near the capital were packed, and over two hundred Everpeace gods nervously guarded the people.
But with so many people, food supply became a massive problem.
Scholars skilled in Creation Art opened new farmland, using Creation Dao to make crops grow quickly and harvest grain.
But each field could only yield three or four harvests before its fertility ran out, turning barren. They had to keep clearing new land.
Outside, war and chaos reigned. Heaven Court gods and demons prowled everywhere; working the fields was deadly, and many scholars lost their lives.
Inside and outside the capital, fear and sorrow hung heavy.
One day, fleets of Heaven Court warships sailed across the sky. Countless golden-armored gods stood in ranks, weapons gleaming, divine might suffocating the Everpeace people below.
Though the Heaven Court army arrived, they did not attack; instead, they restrained the scattered Heaven Court gods and demons, forbidding them from harming Everpeace’s people. Discipline was strict.
Inside and outside the capital, many commoners burned incense and bowed to these lofty gods, praying for peace.
"In times of suffering, people’s worst submissive instincts resurface."
The Imperial Preceptor stood atop the city wall, gazing at the Heaven Court army and the countless citizens bowing and praying below. He gave a bitter smile: "Your Majesty, I fear we’ll never change this in our lifetime."
Emperor Evan stood behind him, breathing heavily, voice hoarse: "Every age’s revolution and reform has been bloody. Chiming’s two dynasties—the Crimson and Bright Emperors—were destroyed. The Supreme Sovereigns mostly met tragic ends. The Pioneer Emperor’s Kaihuang Heaven Court was destroyed, its thirty-three heavens ruined, its ruler forced to hide in Carefree Haven. Everpeace Reform faces even greater resistance. If blood must be shed…"
The Imperial Preceptor smiled, "Let it begin with us."
Emperor Evan laughed heartily, then sighed. "I only worry there’ll be no successors after we’re gone. Most people are ignorant; the gods want them ignorant, afraid to resist or change, and the ignorant accept it, unwilling to resist or change. Look, even now, there are those who bow to gods and demons. The greatest obstacle to reform often comes from such people."
The Imperial Preceptor was sorrowful. "Is it worth dying for such people?"
"It is!"
Emperor Evan declared loudly, "Break the gods in ruined temples, break the gods in your heart. Some will hesitate, but there are those who never kneel!"
His eyes shone brighter, and he smiled. "Some may stand only to kneel again, but others will never kneel. Even if we become sacrifices for reform, others will follow our path until the world changes! That’s worth it!"
In the sky, a towering god flew to hover over Everpeace’s capital.
He was so immense he warped space, Heaven Court warships circling him like stars around the sun.
It was the Azure Emperor of East Heaven.
He towered into the clouds, his face level with the sky, white clouds adorning his waist.
This righteous, radiant deity possessed unmatched power; the capital and its millions of citizens below seemed as fragile as a snap of his fingers.
A divine official flew into the Azure Emperor’s palm, knelt, bowed respectfully, then presented an imperial edict. Bowing again, he raised the edict overhead and flew backward.
"There’s never been such a rule in my court."
Emperor Evan smiled, "Heaven Court’s rules are far too strict."
The Imperial Preceptor smiled, "Your Majesty forgets—when the reformers impeached me and Cult Master Quinn, they kowtowed like pounding garlic, their heads bleeding."
Emperor Evan’s face darkened. "I ought to behead you. I’ll remember this."
"You’ll never get the chance." The Imperial Preceptor smiled. He saw his wife and daughter in the city, pain flashing in his eyes before he turned away, face calm.
"Everpeace sinners, receive the edict!"
The divine official held the edict, his voice thunderous, echoing through the clouds.
As his words faded, countless citizens knelt, some cultivators too. Emperor Evan and the Imperial Preceptor felt another pang of sorrow, but seeing many remain standing eased their hearts.
The divine official glanced at the two of them, sneered, unfurled the edict, and read aloud: "By Heaven’s command: The natives of Everpeace do not appreciate Heaven’s grace, act against Heaven, and disrupt the Dao with their reforms, causing Heaven’s wrath and the people’s suffering. Yet Heaven is merciful; by imperial decree, only the main culprits will be punished, the rest spared. Thus, Heaven’s will is as follows:
"First: All reform texts from Everpeace’s academies must be collected and publicly burned; no reforms in the future.
"Second: Everpeace shall restore ancestral customs, keep the emperor’s throne, rule by sects, all sects and people must revere the gods and pray for blessings.
"Third: Everpeace’s right to mint currency is ceded to Heaven Court. Heaven Court mints coins for circulation; Everpeace may not compete for profit with the people.
"Fourth: Everpeace may not forge heavy divine weapons; violators and their clans will be executed.
"Fifth: Everpeace must follow ancestral laws, and may not alter divine arts or Daoist methods without permission.
"Sixth: The Everpeace emperor must hold a grand sacrifice every year to express gratitude to Heaven.
"Seventh: Any strange or ingenious objects in Everpeace homes must be destroyed; none may be kept in private.
"Eighth: Emperor Evan and the Imperial Preceptor, for spreading heresy and disorder, are to be taken to the Execution Platform, their bodies and souls destroyed as a warning to others. Thus decreed—"
Uproar swept through the capital; gods, demons, and cultivators alike showed humiliation and rage, longing to storm the heavens.
Emperor Evan laughed, bowed, and said, "The sinner accepts the decree!"
The Imperial Preceptor ordered: No one is to act rashly.
Several Heaven Court warships flew in, dragging the Execution Platform with them. Blood light soared from the stage, two blood blades intertwining endlessly.
The divine official said, "Please, both of you, step onto the Execution Platform."
A hush fell over the capital; countless eyes stared blankly at the platform in the sky.
"If beheading is the sentence, so be it."
Suddenly, laughter broke the silence. The furious crowd and cultivators turned to see Quinn, pale and sickly, standing atop Dragon Qilin’s head behind the Heaven Court fleet.
Dragon Qilin strode through the fleet, treading fire clouds, then turned to look up at the lofty Azure Emperor of East Heaven.
"The Execution Platform is quite scary."
Quinn looked at the platform and snorted with laughter. "As if, once they’re dead and their souls scattered, I couldn’t bring them back to life."
He didn’t look at the Azure Emperor, but waved to the Imperial Preceptor and Emperor Evan, saying weakly, "Go ahead, Preceptor, Your Majesty—if you really die, I’ll admit defeat."
Behind him, the Azure Emperor raised a hand, stopping the Heaven Court gods and demons from acting in anger. He said calmly, "This is Heavenly Lord Mu—give him some face."
—A few minutes late, but at least it’s a 4,000-word chapter!