The Woodcutter Sage studied carefully, his heart stirring slightly. “I recognize him. His name is Nate Jin, one of the many gods I sent to investigate the source of the darkness. I branded him with a Heaven-Forging Demon Art seal to ensure he wouldn’t be devoured by monsters in the dark. Is he still alive?”
Quinn Shepherd said, “Neither alive nor dead, Teacher. He has already fulfilled his mission.”
The Woodcutter Sage’s eyes held emotion, though he did not show it. He nodded slowly and asked, “Do you have a way to wake him?”
Quinn shook his head. “When night falls, he will come alive in the darkness. Then, Teacher, you’ll be able to see him.”
At that moment, a wave of darkness surged forward. Lord Hades moved, his body dragging shadows along, enveloping them. The human skin instantly fluttered like a paper doll; beneath it, flesh began to grow, and soon the Pioneer Divine stood before them, whole and alive.
“He can live in Nether City.” Lord Hades’s voice was muffled beneath the cloak of darkness.
The Pioneer Divine raised his hand, staring at it over and over in disbelief. He murmured, “This feeling of being alive… This is what it means to be alive… After twenty thousand years, it’s the first time I’ve felt alive…”
Quinn couldn’t help but say, “Senior, you’re actually already dead. It’s Lord Hades who brought the Realm of the Dead to you, letting you feel alive.”
The Pioneer Divine was overwhelmed with emotion and didn’t hear him. Suddenly, he saw the Woodcutter Sage, and his eyes reddened. He dropped to one knee, clasped his hands, and raised them high above his head, his voice ringing out strong and clear.
“Greetings, Celestial Teacher! Nate Jin of the Heaven-Code Unit, returning to report after twenty thousand and six hundred years!”
“Report: Fifty-eight members of the Heaven-Code Unit were sent by Celestial Teacher to investigate the source of the darkness. Fifty-seven have died, their souls scattered. Only I remain. I have fulfilled my duty and uncovered the truth of the darkness. Requesting permission to return to my unit.”
The Woodcutter Sage was silent, light flickering in his eyes, but it never overflowed. After a moment, he stepped into the darkness, lifted Nate Jin’s arm, and said, “Soldier of the Heaven-Code Unit, your mission is complete.”
“Thank you, Celestial Teacher!”
Nate Jin rose, standing ramrod straight like a soldier awaiting inspection. He called out loudly, “Nate Jin requests to return to the Heaven-Code Unit!”
The Woodcutter Sage smiled and said softly, “The Pioneer Age has ended. I’ve let you all down, and the Heaven-Code Unit is disbanded. Nate Jin, you are free now…”
Nate Jin was bewildered, eyes wide, struggling to accept the truth. With great difficulty, he said, “Celestial Teacher, I’ve waited twenty thousand years to return… Celestial Teacher, Nate Jin reporting back, requesting to return to the unit!”
The Woodcutter Sage frowned. “The Kaihuang Heaven Court is gone. There’s no Heaven-Code Unit anymore. You’re free, Nate Jin…”
The Pioneer Divine’s voice trembled, hoarse and ragged. “Nate Jin requests to return to the unit!”
The Woodcutter Sage was silent for a long time. His voice, too, trembled. He rarely showed true emotion, but now he could barely hold it in, doing his utmost to steady his Dao heart, and said, word by word, “Soldier of the Pioneer Age, Nate Jin of the Heaven-Code Unit—I grant you permission to return to your unit!”
Nate Jin smiled, then broke into sobs.
The Woodcutter Sage patted his shoulder, his gaze complicated, and said nothing more.
Quinn Shepherd watched them, thinking, What kind of emperor could inspire such soldiers? The Pioneer Emperor?
But the Pioneer Emperor has hidden away in Carefree Haven for twenty thousand years. He’s probably long forgotten that he ever had such loyal followers.
The gods of the Pioneer Age never owed the Keane clan, never owed me anything. It’s the Keane line that owes these loyal and righteous men and women a great debt. Quinn thought to himself.
Victor Bloom asked curiously, “Cult Master Quinn, why have you called us here this time?”
Quinn briefly recounted his experiences in the Umbral World. “You’re all far smarter and more talented than I am. I can’t solve Lady Umbral’s dilemma, but maybe you can think of a way.”
Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief. The Woodcutter Sage knew Quinn had gone fishing for suns and moons with the Fishing Elder, but he hadn’t expected the Elder to vanish—and this brat to end up in the Umbral World!
“Back then, I sent fifty-eight gods of the Heaven-Code Unit to explore the Umbral World. Not one returned alive, and yet he just barged right in.”
The Woodcutter Sage secretly shook his head. He thought, This brat is just like my eldest disciple—fearless of heaven and earth. My disciple did it to become a sage, but what about him? Is it just curiosity driving him?
He truly had no way to deal with Quinn. The dangers of the Umbral World were obvious, yet Quinn managed to return alive—and even resurrected Lady Umbral, who’d been dead for countless millennia.
Even for him, such experiences, encounters, and problem-solving methods were hard to believe.
“Did Cult Master Quinn just say we’re smarter and more talented than him?”
Victor Bloom, rarely seen smiling, grinned and said, “Could you repeat that, Cult Master?”
The Imperial Preceptor coughed and said, “I’d like to hear Second Brother repeat it as well.”
The First Human Emperor laughed. “Me too. Quinn, just repeat what you said earlier.”
Lord Hades’s voice echoed from afar, as if coming from Nether City. “To hear such a proud man admit he’s not as clever as us—my life is complete.”
They’d all been thoroughly bested by Quinn before. The First Human Emperor, of course; Victor Bloom had been convinced by Quinn, and the Imperial Preceptor was stunned by Quinn’s creation of the Primordial Spirit Guidance and the Threefold Primordial Spirit Assembly, not to mention the Eighteenth Sword Form.
As for Lord Hades, there’s no need to mention it—being beaten in the Hall of King Qin is his lifelong trauma.
Quinn’s face darkened, and he sneered, “Only four of you are smarter than me. Figure out for yourselves which one isn’t.”
At his words, everyone fell into deep thought.