Kira Bear wrapped both hands around the Azure Dragon Pearl. The pearl was so large—about the size of an adult’s fist—that, for such a small child, holding it was a struggle.
Quinn Shepherd saw Lily Willow’s reaction and instantly knew his guess was correct: only a pure, innocent little girl could unleash the full power of the Azure Dragon Pearl.
No wonder the Western Lands valued the Little Princess so highly.
Lily Willow hid her face behind her sleeve, revealing just one eye—pale as death, with a tiny black pupil the size of a soybean. It was disturbingly eerie.
“Cult Master Quinn, don’t misunderstand.”
Behind Lily Willow, the constant thumping sounds continued as coffin-like ‘corpses’—neither truly dead nor fully human—fell into coffins, their lids snapping shut by themselves.
Lily Willow leapt into her own coffin, lay down inside, and giggled, “We only wanted to check if the Little Princess was unharmed. Now that I see she’s perfectly fine, I can rest easy. Farewell!”
The coffins sprouted legs again, preparing to scramble back up the cliff.
Quinn Shepherd suddenly called out, “Wait, Clan Head Lily!”
Lily Willow was just about to close the coffin lid when she heard him, paused, sat up, and forced a smile. “Cult Master Quinn, give us a way out—don’t drive us to extinction.”
Her voice quivered with fear—she was clearly terrified to the extreme.
Quinn Shepherd was puzzled. Wasn’t it just the Azure Dragon Pearl?
Kira Bear gripped the Azure Dragon Pearl. Even though she could wield its power, Quinn figured it couldn’t be that terrifying—was it really enough to make Lily Willow and the rest so afraid?
“Clan Head Lily, did you come here on True Heaven Palace’s orders?”
Quinn Shepherd smiled warmly, “If True Heaven Palace sent you, then surely their expert is still here among your clan? I’d like to meet this True Heaven Palace master. Would you introduce me, Clan Head Lily?”
Lily Willow hesitated slightly. Quinn’s expression was as gentle as a spring breeze as he smiled, “Clan Head Lily, you may not know—I came to the Western Lands with no ill intent, just to see the local customs. As for bringing the Little Princess, it’s only natural; she’s a native of the West and knows the land well.”
“Knows the land well?” Lily Willow blinked.
Kira Bear was only five or six years old and had lived her whole life in True Heaven Palace. The only place she might know well was the palace itself; as for the Western Lands, she probably had no impression at all. Having Kira lead the way was like asking a blind man to feel an elephant.
“This Cult Master Quinn from the Central Plains is quite the liar.”
Lily Willow said warily, “Cult Master Quinn, a mighty dragon shouldn’t trample the local snake. You may have a grand reputation, but House Willow isn’t easily bullied. Be careful, or it’ll end with both sides destroyed.”
Quinn Shepherd was surprised. “Clan Head Lily, what are you saying? I just want to meet your True Heaven Palace senior and clear up the misunderstanding between us—no malice intended. If I really wanted trouble, I’d have had the Little Princess activate the Azure Dragon Pearl long ago. Do you think you could have escaped then?”
Lily Willow’s expression shifted unpredictably, but Quinn was endlessly patient, standing firm and waiting for her reply.
He kept silent, and the half-human, half-corpse ‘bodies’ in the other coffins didn’t dare move either.
After a moment, Lily Willow giggled, “With Cult Master Quinn asking, how could I refuse? Please, enter my coffin—I’ll take you to meet those True Heaven Palace seniors in House Willow. Do you have the guts to step inside?”
Quinn Shepherd laughed heartily. “Why not?” he said, then picked up Kira Bear and jumped down from Dragon-Qilin’s back, heading for Lily Willow’s coffin.
He peered into the coffin and was stunned. Though it looked small from the outside, the interior was astonishingly spacious—over ten zhang in length and width, with a ceiling five or six zhang high. It was like a grand house.
Inside were tables, chairs, jade beds, and several partitions for living and dining, even quarters for servants. It was hardly different from a miniature palace.
Quinn Shepherd clicked his tongue in amazement. Earlier, when Lily Willow leapt out of the coffin, he’d been startled, thinking a zombie had jumped out—only to realize this was simply Lily Willow’s home.
He glanced at the other black coffins and thought, “Are all these coffins the same—residences for House Willow disciples? These legged, self-moving coffins are just like Ivy’s mobile city.”
“Bruno, you can come in too!” Quinn called back with a smile.
Bruno hesitated, shook his head, and said, “Cult Master, I’m a bit superstitious. I’d rather not go in.”
Quinn Shepherd laughed and scolded him, then jumped into the coffin with Kira Bear, leaving Bruno outside.
With a bang, Lily Willow closed the coffin lid. Instantly, the whole flotilla of coffins sprouted legs and raced away, some even floating through the air, all clustering around Lily Willow’s coffin as they sped over mountains into the heart of the range.
Bruno hurried after them. After crossing several peaks, he saw a colossal tomb appear among the mountains. House Willow’s black coffins floated like black boats, gliding in single file through the enormous entrance into the mausoleum.
Bruno shivered several times, uneasy, but steeled himself and followed the coffins into the tomb.
Inside the coffin, Quinn Shepherd sat down with Kira Bear in his lap. Lily Willow sat across from him. They faced each other in silence for a moment—the atmosphere was heavy.
Suddenly, Quinn Shepherd smiled and asked, “Clan Head Lily, who leads House Willow?”
Lily Willow’s bean-sized black pupils spun and then returned to normal. She smiled, “Cult Master Quinn, you’re a newcomer—you wouldn’t know about House Willow. I’m the clan head myself.”
Quinn Shepherd was astonished. “So I was right to call you Clan Head Lily. Elder Sister Lily, your House Willow’s cultivation is truly unique. When I saw you all earlier, I thought you were corpses. Would you tell me the story behind this?”
Lily Willow felt a warm flush in her heart and shot him a delighted glance. “You really do have a sweet tongue. Outsiders, especially men, never dare speak to me like that. Most are scared out of their wits, some even lose their souls! But Cult Master Quinn can joke and call me sister—how rare!”
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Please click to the next page to continue reading the exciting story!
Kira Bear was puzzled. “Big Brother seems to call every woman he meets ‘sister’…” she thought to herself.
The corpse-qi around Lily Willow faded a little. She smiled, “Our House Willow’s cultivation is indeed unique. In life, we did not bear the surname Willow—only in death did we take it.”
Quinn Shepherd was shocked. “You’re all…?”
Lily Willow said, “Our House Willow in the Western Lands has ancient origins. We are ‘corpse-born spirits’—consciousness awakened in a corpse. It’s said our ancestor was buried beneath a willow tree after death, and over time, a spirit gestated within the corpse, so we took the surname Willow. Because we’re born from corpses, our bodies are dead and can’t reproduce, but our spirits still have lifespans. When our allotted time ends, our souls disperse. People say House Willow is eccentric and avoids outsiders, but that’s a misunderstanding. It’s not that we dislike outsiders—it’s that our bodies are made from corpses, so we fear being captured and refined into spirit weapons.”
Quinn Shepherd said calmly, “But when True Heaven Palace’s expert asked you to move against me, you agreed. Does True Heaven Palace really have the power to destroy House Willow and refine you all into spirit weapons?”
Lily Willow’s expression changed slightly.
Quinn Shepherd burst out laughing, then smiled kindly. “Elder Sister Lily, you’re the head of House Willow and your cultivation far surpasses mine—yet I managed to bluff you? I’m just waving a tiger skin as a banner to scare people; honestly, I don’t have much confidence.”
Lily Willow let out a sigh of relief and laughed. “You really did give your sister a fright. Cult Master Quinn, what’s your cultivation level?”
Quinn Shepherd replied honestly, “I’m only at the Six Directions Realm. You can rest easy now, Sister.”
Lily Willow did relax, though she still worried about the Azure Dragon Pearl in Kira Bear’s hands.
The Azure Dragon Pearl was House Willow’s greatest nemesis. If its power was unleashed, no matter how strong House Willow’s experts were, they’d stand no chance against it!
House Willow submitted to True Heaven Palace because of the Azure Dragon Pearl’s overwhelming power.
Quinn Shepherd asked again, “Elder Sister Lily, who did True Heaven Palace send? What’s their cultivation level?”
“True Heaven Palace sent an elder of the Yu family—Jade Ruyi.”
Lily Willow replied, “Jade Ruyi is a Life-and-Death Realm master—her cultivation is formidable.”
Quinn Shepherd nodded lightly. Here in the Western Lands, cultivation realms weren’t everything. The Divine Nature Art wasn’t about raw power, but about attuning to nature and the world. The purer one’s heart, the stronger their connection to nature—and the greater their power.
Of course, high cultivation and powerful divine arts were important too, but for the people of the West, sensing and harmonizing with nature mattered most.
“So Elder Sister Lily, you can rest easy now, right?”
Quinn Shepherd smiled, “Jade Ruyi is at the Life-and-Death Realm, while I’m just Six Directions Realm. If she wants to kill me, you’ll have to protect me, Sister Lily.”
Lily Willow looked troubled. “I do have some friendship with Jade Ruyi, so I can make sure she won’t act against you inside God-Burial Valley. But outside the valley, I can’t guarantee your safety, Cult Master.”
Quinn Shepherd let out a breath of relief and thanked her. “Thank you, Sister. What is this God-Burial Valley where you live?”
Lily Willow smiled, “We’re already in God-Burial Valley. Cult Master Quinn, please step out of the coffin!”
The coffin lid opened. Lily Willow led him out, and Quinn Shepherd looked around. They stood in a vast underground world, its ceiling painted with sun, moon, and stars. Countless passageways connected tomb chambers of all sizes, and black coffins moved in and out like boats on a river.
A small coffin floated over. Its lid flipped open, and a little girl tumbled out, sitting on the lid. “Mama, who’s this?” she asked.
Quinn Shepherd looked at Lily Willow in confusion. Lily Willow’s face clouded as she whispered, “This is my daughter—she died with me. The elders here awakened us together, so we live here now… But let’s not talk about that. You wanted to meet Jade Ruyi? I’ll go fetch her and introduce you. Nannan, keep our guest company.”
The little girl answered sweetly and studied Quinn Shepherd with curious eyes.
Quinn Shepherd didn’t dare underestimate her. Though she looked like a child, she’d died and been awakened alongside Lily Willow. Her cultivation was likely just as high—probably Life-and-Death Realm or even Divine Bridge Realm!
He looked toward the center of God-Burial Valley, where a golden coffin was chained and sealed with yellow talisman papers covered in runes.
Quinn Shepherd asked curiously, “Who’s inside that coffin? Why is it locked up?”
The little girl said, “Mama told me there’s a god inside. The god’s corpse has awakened a spirit, but they’re afraid he’ll do evil, so they keep him locked up.”
“I see.”
Quinn Shepherd smiled, “Nannan, Kira, let me show you a magic trick.”
He reached into his gluttonous bag and took out a huge jade eye, grinning. “Watch—this eye can shine.”
Nannan’s eyes lit up. “How does it shine?”
Just then, Lily Willow’s voice rang out, laughing, “Ruyi, that’s Cult Master Quinn. If there’s any misunderstanding, let me mediate…”
Another woman’s voice laughed, “Resolve our feud? Fine—hand over the Little Princess and we’ll call it even.”
Suddenly, a blazing beam of light sliced through the gloom of God-Burial Valley and vanished in a flash.
Quinn Shepherd’s voice rang out, laughing, “See? It shines, doesn’t it?”
Lily Willow was stunned. Then she saw Jade Ruyi beside her split neatly in two—cleanly cut down the middle.