Quinn Shepherd stood there, lost in thought.
One was Absolute Dust, a peerless beauty who had suddenly appeared, born in the Earth-Mother Origin World.
Another was Victor Vastsky, the leader of the demigods and Emperor of the Demigod Heavenly Court.
Another was Cloud-Venerable, leader of the postnatal beings, master of the Heaven Alliance, and Emperor of the Human Heavenly Court.
At the height of the Heavenly Emperor’s invincibility, when the war between demigods and postnatal beings was at its bloodiest, they laid a trap for the Heavenly Emperor.
Heaven Duke, Tu Bo, and Earth Mother Primordial Lady do not come off well in this story.
What was even more chilling was that the Heavenly Emperor’s reincarnation—a secret—had been discovered!
What truly terrified Quinn Shepherd was that Cloud-Venerable and Victor Vastsky, sworn enemies, had actually joined forces!
Them joining forces was the least likely thing imaginable. The hatred between their factions ran deep—how could they possibly put aside such a grudge to unite against the Heavenly Emperor?
The enmity between postnatal beings and demigods was that of prey and predator, slave and master.
As both sides rose and clashed, their hatred only deepened.
Beyond the racial enmity, the deep hatred between Cloud-Venerable and Victor Vastsky stemmed from the murder of Imperial-Venerable; under normal circumstances, Cloud-Venerable would never have joined forces with Victor Vastsky.
And yet, these seemingly impossible things happened.
What terrified Quinn Shepherd most was that they had clearly been plotting all along, joining forces long ago. The so-called war between demigods and postnatal beings was all for show, meant to lower the Heavenly Emperor’s guard.
During that time, how many postnatal beings and demigods died because of it?
The number of lives lost is probably beyond reckoning.
On either side of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood were the faces of Cloud-Venerable and Victor Vastsky—cold, utterly devoid of warmth.
"Those two... they inspire terror..."
Quinn Shepherd shivered and steadied his mind.
Heaven Duke’s voice came: “...In that battle, the Heavenly Emperor died, wiped out by their combined assault. I don’t know why Earth Mother did it, or whether she even acted; honestly, we all had our own agendas at the time. Heh, people say ancient gods are selfless, but that’s just a flattering illusion mortals hold. The more you learn about us, the more you’ll see our selfishness. We ancient gods aren’t as glorious as you imagine. Quinn, knowing how we operate, you’d do well to keep your guard up around us.”
Quinn Shepherd let out a long breath and muttered, "No wonder—no wonder Lila Swallowfeather warned me to beware the Heaven Alliance, to be wary of Heaven Duke and Tu Bo, and to guard against Earth Mother Primordial Lady. So that's how it is..."
He finally understood.
Lila Swallowfeather’s backer was the Heavenly Emperor; the Emperor’s death involved the silent complicity of Heaven Duke, Tu Bo, and Earth Mother Primordial Lady, while the Heaven Alliance were the ones who struck directly.
"Then, if Earth Mother herself claims to have died at the hands of the Heaven Alliance, why did her Origin-Root Tree end up with the Heavenly Emperor?" Quinn Shepherd wondered, puzzled.
Suddenly, Heaven Duke continued, "After the Heavenly Emperor died, something strange happened. It’s precisely this event that leaves me unsure who was the final winner among the three Dragon-Han Heavenly Courts."
Quinn Shepherd hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Heaven Duke said, "After the Heavenly Emperor was killed, Cloud-Venerable and Victor Vastsky both raced toward the Heavenly Court. Their speed was astonishing; by then, their cultivation was already extraordinary. What puzzled me was that Cloud-Venerable had transformed to look like Victor Vastsky, and both seemed desperate to arrive first. Later, I realized..."
He gave Quinn Shepherd a strange look and whispered, "They were fighting to seize the Heavenly Emperor’s flesh body."
Quinn Shepherd’s body trembled violently.
The news of the Heavenly Emperor’s death was kept secret because, although the Heavenly Emperor was dead, there was still an Emperor alive in the Heavenly Court.
Heaven Duke’s gaze grew distant. He said, "Cloud-Venerable and Victor Vastsky sped toward the Heavenly Court, naturally to seize the Heavenly Emperor’s flesh body. With it, they would hold the Emperor’s power and authority, making it easy to suppress their rival. Think about it—is there any easier way to seize power? Yet, I never saw who ultimately claimed the Emperor’s flesh."
Quinn Shepherd was dumbstruck. After a moment, he asked, "Cloud-Venerable transformed into Victor Vastsky’s likeness? How did he do that?"
Heaven Duke did not answer.
Great Brahma King Buddha sighed, his brow furrowed. "I taught him. He was the leader of the humans, master of the Heaven Alliance. He wanted to boost their confidence, so he took on the forms of the vanished Shepherd-Venerable and Qin-Venerable. He came to me, and of course I was happy to teach him. The humans were suffering terribly at the time..."
Quinn Shepherd pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "So, was Cloud-Venerable really human?"
Great Brahma King Buddha paused, understood his meaning, and shook his head. "I’m not sure."
Quinn Shepherd looked to Heaven Duke. Heaven Duke also shook his head. "I don’t know if he’s human or demigod. He’s always appeared as a human. But..."
He paused. "Victor Vastsky has also always appeared as a human."
A heavy silence fell around them.
Heaven Duke said, "All I know is that the Emperor sitting on the Dragon-Han Heavenly Court’s throne was no longer the true Heavenly Emperor, but I don’t know which of those two took his place. After that, chaos only grew. Eventually, the Dragon-Sky Heavenly Court was destroyed, and the Dragon-Han Heavenly Court didn’t last much longer before meeting the same fate. The ancient Heavenly Court kept rising higher, drifting away from Profound Capital, which became the Great Ruins after the war, until the Crimson Emperor rose from Profound Capital’s ruins..."
Crimson Emperor stared blankly. "Back then, the Great Ruins were chaotic and extremely dangerous. I survived countless close calls. When I was young, I liked to wander and saw many relics from the two Heavenly Courts. One day, I found a statue of a three-headed, six-armed god—its face was too worn to make out. I felt something stir inside me and sat beneath that statue for a long time, until I finally comprehended my own path."
Quinn Shepherd’s mind rang. He asked hoarsely, "Was it my statue?"
"I couldn’t see the face clearly," Crimson Emperor replied, shaking his head.
Quinn Shepherd’s mind was in a haze; Heaven Duke and the others had revealed so much information, it crashed over him in a torrent he couldn’t digest all at once.
Suddenly, he remembered something and blurted, "What about the Empress Sisters? Weren’t they still in the Heavenly Court? Whether it was Victor Vastsky or Cloud-Venerable who took the Emperor’s flesh, surely the Empress Sisters would have seen through it! Why didn’t they expose the truth?"
Heaven Duke said, "Quinn, aren’t you curious how news of the Heavenly Emperor’s reincarnation was leaked? The Empress Sisters would have seen through the theft of the Emperor’s body, and the reincarnation would not have escaped their notice either."
Quinn Shepherd pressed his right hand to his forehead and paced around the stone table, making Great Sun Star Lord dizzy.
Suddenly, he stopped. "Then the winner must have been Victor Vastsky! If it were Cloud-Venerable, the Empress Sisters wouldn’t have let it slide—Cloud-Venerable had no connection to them!"
Suddenly, Tu Bo said coolly, "Are you sure Cloud-Venerable had no connection to the Empress Sisters? He might well be their son—after all, many ancient gods were experimenting with reincarnation back then."
Quinn Shepherd was stunned, feeling as if his mind couldn’t keep up.
Heaven Duke hesitated. "Actually, before all this, there was the Empress Ambush Incident. Little Bird mentioned it before—he said there was something strange about it..."
Great Sun Star Lord wore a mournful expression.
Heaven Duke was about to speak when Tu Bo suddenly cut in, "Friend, you’ve said enough. The matter of the Heavenly Emperor is settled; there’s no need to stir up more trouble."
Heaven Duke came to his senses and urged, "Quinn, you should go. Stop disturbing our peace. You know enough; learning too much will only harm you."
Quinn Shepherd said anxiously, "There’s one more thing I don’t understand! If Heaven Duke can clear this up for me, I won’t bother you further."
Heaven Duke patiently replied, "Go ahead."
"Since the Heavenly Emperor is dead and his flesh body taken, what about Lila Swallowfeather?"
Quinn Shepherd spoke rapidly, "Lila Swallowfeather is clearly the Heavenly Emperor’s successor, mastering all kinds of Daos—even possessing Dao One divine arts. Plus, she came here because the Origin World’s seal broke, bringing the Origin-Root Tree and the new Earth Mother Primordial Lady. Obviously, neither the Origin-Root Tree nor the new Earth Mother could have been cultivated by her—they must be the Heavenly Emperor’s doing. So, is the Heavenly Emperor really still alive?"
Heaven Duke glared and snapped, "How should I know? I’m just as baffled by all this—you’re asking me, but who should I ask? Go on, get out. If you don’t leave, I’ll release your brother and have you suppressed here!"
Big-headed Baby cheered, clapping his hands in delight.
Quinn Shepherd’s face darkened. He knew he wouldn’t get any more answers and withdrew his undying divine sense.
By the stone table, Heaven Duke and Tu Bo sat down again. Great Sun Star Lord hurriedly made way and stood aside.
Heaven Duke said, "The Empress Ambush Incident shouldn’t be too closely connected. Why wouldn’t you let me explain it, friend?"
Lava Tu Bo replied, "If you tell him too much, you’ll only bring him more danger. In this era, the more you know, the sooner you die." With that, he glanced at Great Sun Star Lord.
Great Sun Star Lord fell silent. He touched his back, opened his beak, but said nothing.
"Besides, friend, what you know is your leverage."
Tu Bo continued, "Look at my Youdu—the Heavenly Court’s forces have been wiped out thanks to his power. Friend, you only care about talking, but have you considered how many Heavenly Court forces are still entrenched in your Xuandu? Don’t you want to use his power to root out these hidden threats?"
Heaven Duke was speechless for a long moment, then sputtered, "You call yourself an honest man? Friend, if you’re honest, I’ll punch a hole in the sky!"
Lava Tu Bo’s face was all stone, unreadable. He said softly, "I am master of Youdu, source of the demonic Dao. Naturally, I know a few tricks."
Heaven Duke laughed, "Looks like I need to invite him to Xuandu too. Hahaha..."
Quinn Shepherd sat atop Dragon Qilin’s head, healing his wounds. Soon most of his injuries were gone. Suddenly, he remembered something: "Tu Bo is hard to talk to, but Heaven Duke is easy. I forgot to ask Heaven Duke—this halo formed by Earth Mother Primordial Lady’s blessing, is it actually a way for her to monitor me?"
He’d already been driven out by Heaven Duke and couldn’t go back to ask, so he gave up. "I’ll return to Yankang and have Teacher Forester check it. His knowledge far surpasses mine—he’ll see through it right away. If it really is a monitoring method, then all those blessings from Celestial Venerable Yu and the other gods will need to be removed..."
He rummaged through his Taotie Bag and finally found the Celestial Venerable Shepherd’s token and the Heavenly Emperor’s imperial edict in a corner.
Quinn Shepherd hesitated. Lila Swallowfeather said the Emperor’s blessing was hidden in the Celestial Venerable Shepherd’s token and the imperial edict. Should he open the edict and accept the Emperor’s blessing?
If it was a monitoring method, wouldn’t his whereabouts be exposed to the Heavenly Emperor, whose state of life or death was uncertain?
He pondered for a moment, then stuffed the Celestial Venerable Shepherd’s token and the imperial edict back into the Taotie Bag. "I’ll wait for Teacher Forester to check the Earth Mother’s blessing before deciding! Receiving the Emperor’s blessing would be a lifeline, but the Emperor’s intentions are unpredictable. Who knows if it’s a blessing or a curse? After all, there’s Celestial Venerable Yu’s example as a warning."
He activated the Three Pillars Overlord Technique, and suddenly six thunderous booms sounded inside him—Spirit Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Directions, Seven Stars, Celestial Being, and Life-and-Death Divine Treasury all burst open!
His primordial spirit stood atop the Six Directions Continent. Beside him was Jianmu, towering as high as the sun and moon, and beneath his feet stretched darkness—Youdu.
The Life-and-Death Divine Treasury connected life and death, and this treasury led straight to Youdu!
"A person stands between Heaven and Earth, with the sky above and the ground below—ascending, one becomes a god; descending, a demon. People naturally possess both divine and demonic aspects. Then... the counterpart to the Life-and-Death Divine Treasury is the Xuandu Divine Treasury!"
Quinn Shepherd’s primordial spirit reversed course, and suddenly he heard a thunderous roar as the demonic Dao treasuries burst open, reaching all the way to the Celestial Being Divine Treasury. Then another barrier gave way, and boundless heavenly light shone from that treasury, illuminating and reflecting with the Life-and-Death Divine Treasury in Youdu!
Quinn Shepherd looked down and saw himself standing in Xuandu. Suddenly, his expression froze as he thought of something extremely important.
"People naturally possess both divine and demonic sides. Doesn’t that mean anyone can open both the Dao of gods and the Dao of demons treasuries?"
He was stunned, then his body trembled with excitement. "Has anyone ever pioneered the demonic Dao treasury before? If not, am I the first? Right, right! Treasuries can be inherited—if I have a child, I’ll know for sure! Hmm, how does one go about that... National Teacher had a child, I’ll go ask him!"
[Author’s note and webnovel platform prompts skipped as irrelevant.]