"The so-called Egg-Born Ancient Gods refers to the Ancient-God Emperor."
Loren Shaw said, "Among us Creators, there are many clans, but the strongest is the Juyu Clan. The Juyu Clan controls the best territory in the Ancestral Court, rich in treasures, and even possesses the oldest Taichu Divine-Stone Vein. Our Creators' supreme sacred material, the Taichu Primal Stone, is mined from that vein. But beside the Taichu Primal Stone, they also excavated a colossal egg. When that egg hatched, it became the Ancient-God Emperor."
Quinn Shepherd was shocked. He had heard Shu Jun and Langwo mention this story before, but never with such detail as Loren Shaw now provided.
The egg of the Ancient-God Emperor actually shared its origin with the Taichu Primal Stone—both came from the Taichu Divine-Stone Vein!
So, could there be some subtle connection between the Ancient-God Emperor and the Taichu Primal Stone?
Loren Shaw continued, "The second type of ancient god is Dao-Born. When the first Creator died, the Netherworld appeared. With death came a place for souls to return, and so Tu Bo arose from the Netherworld."
"When Creators used divine sense to manipulate the forces of nature, the stars' trajectories shifted under their power, and so Profound Capital appeared. Heaven Duke arose in response, governing the heavens and myriad worlds, and the star-tracks of countless celestial bodies."
"When souls died, the Umbral realm appeared, and Lady Umbral gathered the shattered spirits."
"When Creators forged objects in the void, creating stars and life in the Origin-Capital Realm, Home’s End Abyss appeared. Home’s End represents both creation and destruction—devouring everything created in the void, then spewing out annihilated matter. In Home’s End, two flowers grow from a single stem: one embodies creation, the other destruction."
Hearing this, Quinn glanced at Hong and Gu Xiao. The two were trying hard to look shocked, but Quinn only sneered inwardly.
Of the four people in the carriage, Quinn actually knew the least; Loren Shaw was second, while the ones who knew the most about the history of the ancient gods were actually Hong and Gu Xiao—those two working so hard to look surprised!
Loren Shaw said, "Ancient gods are born from flowers, yet they are not flowers themselves. Because creation and destruction are one, the two sisters are regarded as a single ancient god. Tu Bo, Heaven Duke, Lady Umbral, and the Home’s End sisters are called the Four Primeval Gods. They are Dao-Born ancient gods. The third type of ancient god is Ritual-Born."
He continued, "Ritual-Born ancient gods came later. They were created when all the Creators of a tribe gathered and pooled their divine sense in grand rites, forging guardian spirits for their clans, also called sacred relics. The Five Calamity Luminary Gods, the Zhou-Tian Constellation Proper Gods, and even Lord Sunstar and the ancient Moon Goddess were all Ritual-Born, originally meant to protect their tribes. We call them spirit gods."
Quinn was slightly moved and asked, "Then what about the Four Ancient God Emperors?"
"The Four Ancient God Emperors were spirit gods visualized and born by the four most powerful tribes of that era."
Loren Shaw said, "In the Primordial Age, all tribes constantly fought and slaughtered one another. A single Creator was not so terrifying, but when an entire tribe of Creators joined together, their power was overwhelming. They visualized and performed rituals together, creating incredibly powerful beings. Among them, the four strongest tribes visualized and created the Four Ancient God Emperors."
"The Nu Xin tribe created the White Tiger, Fangbo created the Azure Dragon, the Juyu Clan created the Black Tortoise, and Yanglu created the Vermilion Bird. This is the origin of the Four Ancient God Emperors. The other, lesser tribes created the Constellation Proper Gods. Because each tribe visualized and desired different powers, the spirit gods they created had differing attributes."
Loren Shaw said, "Every tribe treated these spirit gods as weapons to protect their clans. When tribes went to war, Creators and spirit gods fought enemies side by side. Later, the Juyu Clan grew stronger, forming a system of one Emperor and three Kings: the Emperor was Supreme Emperor Julius of the Juyu Clan, and the three Kings were Fangbo Shu Jun, Nu Xin Queen Serena Gong, and Yanglu Lord Boyang."
Quinn suddenly understood. "So that's how it is."
Gu Xiao and Hong also showed looks of sudden understanding, exclaiming in unison, "So that's how it is. Brother Loren, you really are knowledgeable to know so many stories."
"Our Creator race inherits history and wisdom through divine sense, which is how I know the origins of the ancient gods."
Loren Shaw said humbly, "But much history was lost in the wars. The fourth type of ancient god is Heaven-and-Earth-Born."
Quinn was stirred and said, "Earth Mother Primordial Lady!"
"Earth Mother Primordial Lady is one of them, and the strongest among them."
Loren Shaw said, "This kind of ancient god is born of heaven and earth—like Earth Mother Primordial Lady from the Origin-Root Tree, true dragons from dragon veins, phoenixes from the essences of wind and fire, qilins from mountain spirits. There are many kinds, some strong and some weak."
Quinn fell into deep thought.
Each of the four types of ancient gods has its own strengths.
Even among Ritual-Born ancient gods, there are beings as powerful as the Four Ancient God Emperors, and among Heaven-and-Earth-Born, there are terrifying figures like Earth Mother Primordial Lady.
And among Dao-Born ancient gods, there are also those as 'weak' as Lady Umbral.
Of course, Lady Umbral's 'weakness' is only relative to Heaven Duke and Tu Bo; in truth, she is extremely powerful. And after Quinn resurrected her, freeing her from the shackles of the Dao, her strength has only grown.
Gu Xiao suddenly asked, "All ancient gods are born in connection with the Creators, so why did they exterminate the entire Creator race? Loren, as a Creator yourself, do you know the real reason?"
Loren Shaw shook his head and said, "Our Creator race has endured the War of Annihilation and the Blood-Rust War. Much of our history has been wiped out, and even the Ancestral Court has vanished. My purpose in coming out this time is to search for the lost records of those two wars. At the same time, I want to see if our people still have a chance to return to the Ancestral Court."
Gu Xiao's eyes flashed as he asked, "If you learned the truth behind that destruction and found your people were truly guilty as claimed, what would you do then?"
Loren Shaw's face flushed red. He protested, "I can't speak for others, but the clansmen who raised me are good people; we only opened Taixu to escape the chaos of war, not out of cruelty! I don't believe our ancestors were truly guilty as claimed."
(This chapter does not end here^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!)
Gu Xiao laughed and said, "Whether or not your people are truly guilty, I'm afraid it's not for you to judge, Loren. After all, you know little of those ancient, dark years."
Hong grinned and said playfully, "So, Xiao, do you actually know much about those ancient, shadowy times?"
Gu Xiao quickly replied, "I'm just saying, Brother Hong, don't scare me like that."
The two of them burst out laughing.
Quinn joined in, laughing heartily along with them.
Loren watched the three of them laughing so merrily, unsure what they found so funny, so he could only force a couple of laughs himself.
Quinn's smile slowly faded as he turned to look out the window.
Quinn knew little about the ancient gods and the upheavals of the primordial era. The Beyond-Shore Creators had suffered extinction after extinction, and even their Ancestor-Spirits knew little about those distant ages.
In Loren's era, the Taixu Creators still remembered fragments of ancient history, but even he knew nothing of why the Creators were destroyed by the ancient gods.
Years later, after Supreme Emperor Taidi wipes out the Taixu Creators, those who escape to the Beyond-Shore World are mostly a new generation, and yet another part of their history is lost.
By then, Loren will be dead, turned into an Ancestor-Spirit—half-mad and confused—losing even more of the Creators’ history.
The Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin sped along, and the view outside the window turned into starry sky. Annie ran to the rear, gazing at the Origin World, which had shrunk to a tiny dot.
They passed by a massive red sun, now old and swollen with age. Around the sun floated ancient continents, their ruined cities long abandoned by the gods.
Annie gazed at those cities, a ripple passing through her heart. She had Dragon-Qilin steer the palanquin closer.
The Heavenly Dragon Imperial Palanquin flew toward the continent, weaving through immense buildings.
It was a dead, silent god-city. Its walls were impossibly smooth—far beyond the reach of current forging arts.
Quinn saw the scene too, and felt a pang in his heart: "This is a city of the Creators."
Loren leaned on the windowsill, watching the city outside. His eyes were distant, lost in thought.
The palanquin soared out of the continent. The six Heavenly Dragons revealed their colossal true forms, galloping through the starry sky, dragging the palanquin at ever-increasing speed. The carriage itself grew immense, like a palace of the gods—magnificent beyond compare.
Standing inside, looking up, one could see stars forming a canopy, weaving into the celestial Dao of Profound Capital—dazzling and mesmerizing.
Hong, Gu Xiao, and Loren all marveled, though they had boarded the palanquin, they hadn’t taken a close look until now.
Only after examining the carriage did they realize its magnificence—even surpassing current craftsmanship and standards. Even the Heavenly Emperor’s own carriage paled in comparison!
“Where did Mu Qing get such a luxurious palanquin?” Both men wondered in their hearts, utterly baffled.
Shepherd Heavenly Venerable earned his title for his mastery of divine arts, but could he alone refine such a device to this level?
Hong approached Quinn as he cultivated. Quinn was circulating his technique, unifying yuanqi, divine sense, and primordial spirit, but even Hong could not see into his Divine Treasuries or Heaven Palaces.
Hong thought, If Gu Xiao weren’t here, I might dissect this kid and see why he’s so strong.
Outwardly smiling, Hong said, "Little brother, your divine arts are unmatched. Among all the gods and saints, none surpass you. What cultivation method do you practice?"
"It’s not about the method," Quinn replied.
Quinn opened his eyes, gaze pure and clear. "It’s about physique."
Hong let out an "Oh?" and humbly asked, "May I ask, little brother, what kind of physique do you have?"
"Overlord Body!"
Without meaning to, Quinn radiated powerful confidence. "My physique is called the Overlord Body. Because of this, I can use divine arts to establish Dao and far surpass all other gods and saints. It’s just that my body is better—an Overlord Body, peerless in all the world. Others spend centuries comprehending divine arts and may never master them, but I pick them up easily and, after a little reflection, can step directly into the Dao!"
Hong was startled, then remembered: back at the Jade Pool Grand Assembly, there had indeed been rumors of an ‘Overlord Body,’ supposedly spread by that brute Ben Oxley.
Quinn’s eyes were utterly sincere. "Brother Hong, honestly, I’m not strong at all—it’s just that my body is good. If you had a peerless Overlord Body like mine, you’d be much stronger than me. Unfortunately, only one Overlord Body appears in each era."
Hong was half convinced, half skeptical. "Then, little brother, could you teach me a few powerful Dao-entry divine arts?"
Quinn said with a sigh, "Why not? Honestly, I’ve spent years researching divine sense and divine arts, and I’ve gained a lot. Let me teach you how to use divine sense to execute divine powers. First, I’ll show you how to visualize…"
Hong listened quietly as Quinn walked him through a lengthy visualization framework. "I’ve learned a lot," he said.
Quinn smiled, "Brother, there’s no need to be so formal. Go and ponder it yourself. Without a hundred years of practice, you won’t master this divine sense visualization."
Hong turned and left, but glanced back at Quinn, thinking, This kid seems to know my true level—he’s using divine sense visualization to stall me. As for the Overlord Body... heh, does that physique really exist?
On the other side of the carriage, Gu Xiao chatted with Loren, drawing out stories of Loren’s clan and childhood embarrassments. Gu Xiao laughed heartily.
Quinn glanced over, his head aching.
He was guarding his own secrets, while Loren was almost spilling everything about the Taixu Creators.
Thankfully, Loren hadn’t revealed Taixu’s exact location. Still, Quinn knew that in the future, the Taixu Creators would nearly be wiped out—not by Emperor Aegis, but by Supreme Emperor Taidi.
Quinn refocused on his cultivation, running his Overlord Three-Core Art. Treating his own Divine Treasuries as a miniature cosmos, he didn’t rely on external spiritual energy; the method self-circulated and refined his power.
This time, he attempted to step into the South Heaven Gates of his already-mature Heaven Palaces—especially the main Heaven Palace.
He had to try breaking into the True God realm, even if only halfway, because Hong and Gu Xiao were simply too dangerous.
After all, Hong and Gu Xiao were far too dangerous!
— — — — Happy birthday to book friends Bei Ming Has Fish and Self-Hung East South Branch!