Adrian Chime gazed at the battered Hanging Realm cultivator who had landed before him, his eyes slowly rising to meet Quinn Shepherd’s face. Then his gaze drifted past Quinn, sweeping over the plaza—everywhere, deep craters filled with fallen Hanging Realm experts, planted upright like broken saplings.
Many hadn’t been thrown into the pits, but most were badly wounded—some had broken bones, others had snapped arms or legs, lying scattered and groaning across the plaza.
A few hadn’t suffered serious harm, but were instead transformed by Quinn’s creation arts into sheep, now wandering the plaza aimlessly, bleating and stumbling about.
If this were a battlefield, the younger generation of the Hanging Realm would have been slaughtered—a civilization tempered through ages, severed in an instant.
Adrian rose, walked past Quinn without so much as a glance, and stepped to the stairs, ignoring him completely as he turned to face those below.
“The Chiming Divine Dynasty endured two eras: Crimson Emperor rose from the wilds, building an empire from nothing; Bright Emperor answered chaos and saved our people from destruction. For a hundred generations, my Chiming kin fought fiercely, forging a radiant age!”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it weighed heavy in every ear: “But ever since we hid in this Hanging Realm, everything changed. Those who retreated here gradually forgot the enemies who destroyed our home, forgot the spirit of Crimson and Bright, forgot that we were war gods—the descendants of war gods! Sheltered in a little tower, indifferent to the seasons—wrong! You hid, and so you brought defeat and humiliation upon yourselves!”
His voice grew louder and louder, and shame swept across the plaza—no one dared look up at him. Even Chi Creek and the other old gods of the Chiming Era bowed their heads in embarrassment.
“I used this outsider’s hand to shame you, to break you, to wake you up!”
Adrian’s voice trembled with anger: “I let him do this to warn you, to show you that you’ve forgotten tradition, forgotten hatred, forgotten the spirit of our Chiming Era! Without that spirit, our age is truly dead—not slain by the Heavenly Court, nor by gods and demons who died for you, but by your own hands, by the hands of you survivors!”
His voice softened again, heavy and tinged with sorrow: “Do you know why I only dare call myself Divine Son? Do you know why I insisted on sending people out of the Hanging Realm to learn what’s happening beyond? Do you know why, three thousand years ago, I was determined to contact Kaihuang—even if it meant pledging allegiance? It’s because I couldn’t bear it…
I couldn’t bear to see you sink further, to let the Chiming Era be destroyed by your own hands, to watch you become the villains of our age…
I want you to return to the real world, to revive the spirit of the Chiming Era, to regain your fighting will and rise again—not to watch you fade away.
He paced slowly at the foot of the stairs. “I dare not call myself emperor, only Divine Son, only ‘Your Highness’—not because I am less than the emperor of a small country like Everpeace, but because my ministers are unworthy! If you are unworthy, then so am I!”
Is the Everpeace envoy strong? Yes—he can fight six of you at once! But think—wasn’t it always just six? Out of thousands, at any moment, only six could attack him!
He paused, letting his words hang in the air, giving them time to think.
The defeated Hanging Realm cultivators below looked bewildered. Then someone muttered, “That’s true. After he charged into the crowd, only six of us could reach him at a time.”
More and more nodded, whispering to each other. A moment ago, their faith and pride had been shattered by Quinn, leaving them convinced he was unbeatable.
But now, a flicker of hope began to stir among them.
Quinn could defeat six at a time—but he wasn’t truly invincible!
Adrian’s voice rang out again, cold and sharp: “But in the Chiming Divine Dynasty, any warrior of our era could take on six from the Heavenly Court! One against six—that’s why we were called war gods, why we earned undying renown! And now, you’re crushed by a mere envoy from a newborn nation. Where’s your ancestors’ honor? Where’s the war god’s name? Are you just going to hand it over? You make me ashamed—but you can turn shame into strength!”
In that battle just now, you were scattered as sand—trampling, crowding, chaos, no formation at all. Not even six of you could attack him at once. You didn’t lose to the Everpeace envoy—you lost to yourselves, to your own people! Shameful! Utter disgrace!
He shouted, “How do we wipe away the Chiming’s shame?”
He paused, then roared, “Fight back! Only by fighting back can you erase this shame, only then can you hold your heads high! Today the Everpeace envoy beat you—one day, you’ll beat him! The Heavenly Court once crushed Chiming—one day, we’ll bring down the Heavenly Court!”
Below, countless Hanging Realm cultivators felt their blood ignite. Many, despite their pain, shouted out—at first a chaotic clamor, but gradually their voices merged into a single, thunderous torrent. The roar shook the heavens, deafening and wild!
Tens of thousands of voices merged into a flood so overwhelming, so earth-shaking, that even Quinn and Lynn turned pale in awe.
Quinn turned to look down. The Hanging Realm’s cultivators were linked in spirit—like wildfire racing over grasslands, like spring surging through the earth, like a flood breaking its banks.
“United as one—that’s the spirit of the Chiming Era, revived…” Quinn murmured.
From behind him, the First Human Emperor spoke: “That’s what a true leader does. Emperor Evan is such a man, and so is the Divine Son. The Imperial Preceptor and you—you’re not. You can’t say words that stir the blood like this. Only leaders like these can bind people’s hearts together.”
[This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!]
Quinn nodded. “A true leader can turn disaster into opportunity, can twist hearts into a single rope. I’m not there yet.”
Lynn murmured, “With just a few words, that Divine Son turned your feat—beating ten thousand—into beating only six. Then he said even those six couldn’t fight at full strength, so he cut your prestige down another notch. He’s shrewd.”
Quinn laughed. “He’s not wrong. Beating ten thousand Seven Stars cultivators head-on—no way I could do that. If they’d formed proper ranks, even a hundred could’ve blasted me to bits in one volley. My method was to break their formation, scatter them, throw them into chaos, then dive into the melee. Only six could reach me, and even then, with everyone crowding in, only three or four could really attack. That’s how I won.”
Lynn smiled. “Still, he only did it to kill your momentum.”
“He did it for his people. Can’t blame him for that.”
Quinn said, “My goal was to use this battle to buy fifty years of peace between Everpeace and Chiming.”
He smiled. “The gods and cultivators of Hanging Realm are proud. Even if they ally with Everpeace, they’ll look down on us. Arrogance breeds prejudice, and prejudice leads to bullying. They’d end up tormenting our people and cultivators, and eventually, disaster would follow. By beating them now, I’ve made sure for fifty years they won’t dare stir up trouble.”
Lynn was surprised. “I didn’t think you were planning that far ahead. What about after fifty years?”
“Then I’ll beat them again.”
Quinn looked relaxed. “That’ll buy another fifty years of peace.”
Adrian dismissed the excited cultivators to tend their wounds, then turned and returned to his seat with a smile. “Envoys from Everpeace, please sit.”
Quinn, Lynn, and the First Human Emperor each took their seats. Adrian’s eyes gleamed as he studied them, then he addressed the First Ancestor: “Are you from the Kaihuang era?”
The First Ancestor replied, “A remnant of Kaihuang.”
“I sent Chi Creek out to meet Kaihuang, planning to pledge allegiance and join forces against the Heavenly Court.”
Adrian sighed. “But times change—by the time Chi Creek arrived, Kaihuang had already fallen. Their era lasted twenty thousand years, but for us in the Hanging Realm, that’s only three thousand. Regretful, truly regretful. At least Everpeace remains.”
His gaze shifted to Lynn, and he smiled. “Princess Lynn herself graces the Hanging Realm—what an honor. I’ve read the alliance Chi Creek signed with Everpeace’s emperor. If my disciples had won today, I might have renegotiated for better terms. But since they lost, I won’t change a single word.”
Lynn gave a slight bow and smiled. “Your Highness is most magnanimous. If we have offended, I hope you’ll forgive us.”
“No need for such formality, Princess. I meant to give you a taste of our strength—but it was I who got thrown off the horse.”
Adrian laughed heartily—bright and open, though he still didn’t look at Quinn. “I’ve agreed to these alliance terms. Please, Princess and Envoy, wait a few days while I make preparations. Then some of my people will set out for Everpeace.”
Thus, the negotiations ended in apparent harmony.
Back at their lodgings, Lynn said quickly, “That Divine Son gives me a really unsettling feeling. What kind of person is he, anyway? I just can’t see through him! Would he really back down just because a cowherd gave him trouble? I don’t buy it.”
Quinn stretched and grinned. “He’s ambitious, no doubt. But right now, his goal is to get his people out of this isolated realm and back into the competitive world. He won’t risk everything—he’ll only send some of his people to Everpeace. That way, there’s no danger to Everpeace, and in fact, it’s a huge opportunity for us—a powerful ally.”
Lynn mused, “But once he’s truly established in Everpeace, that’s when he’ll become a threat.”
Quinn replied, “By then, Everpeace should be stronger too, right? That’s a problem for the emperor to worry about, not us. While we’re here, I’m planning to explore the Hanging Realm. Lynn, want to come?”
Lynn shook her head. “I need to think some things through.”
She put her mind to work, pondering: If I were Emperor Evan, what would I do to win this game?
Adrian is a terrifying opponent—his talent, vision, and methods rival Father’s. To beat him in the future, I’ll need to be smarter, bolder, broader in spirit, and sharper in strategy! she thought to herself.
Quinn wandered through the city, taking in the Hanging Realm’s customs, architecture, and daily life, with the First Ancestor trailing silently behind.
The Hanging Realm was no smaller than Everpeace, but its population was much less—likely because prosperity had dulled any desire for children.
It was a strange phenomenon: when people face hardship, they strive to have children, but when life is easy, they lose interest in growing their families. In places like the Hanging Realm, with no war or want, the population actually shrank.
“Adrian was right—if the Hanging Realm keeps hiding here, it’ll eventually die out,” Quinn murmured.
The divine city was built atop a vast, towering mountain—far larger than Everpeace’s Mount Sumeru. From the ramparts, Quinn could gaze out over the Hanging Realm, the sky’s radiant light seeming almost within reach.
Quinn looked around, feeling refreshed—until something caught his eye. The highest point in the city wasn’t the imperial palace, but a magnificent, sprawling hall behind it.
From within the city, this place was easy to miss.
“What is that place?”
Intrigued, Quinn descended from the ramparts, skirted the imperial palace, and approached the hall. The First Ancestor followed, slow and dejected.
They arrived before the hall behind the imperial palace—its stone steps stacked endlessly upward, daunting and seemingly without end.
Quinn began to climb, nearly reaching the top when several three-headed, six-armed gods poked their massive faces over the edge. “Envoy of Everpeace, this is a sacred forbidden ground. Turn back!” they bellowed.
Quinn stopped. Suddenly, a familiar voice called down, “Jinwu Guard, let them come up.”
“Adrian’s here too?” Quinn blinked and stepped forward.
Adrian stood before the grand hall, dressed in purple-red robes, gazing at its magnificence. “Envoy of Everpeace, this is the very brow of the Crimson Emperor. Inside this hall lies his divine brain-light.”
Quinn hesitated. “If this is the Crimson Emperor’s sacred ground, perhaps I shouldn’t enter.”
[Four thousand words, big chapter. Happy birthday to Night Owl, our forum moderator!]