Quinn Shepherd gazed at the endless field of graves, a strange sense of absurdity rising in his heart.
All along his path, the thirty-three heavens of Carefree Haven felt like three different worlds: the Pioneer Emperor’s old ministers full of resentment and self-destruction, the new generation lost in indulgence and revelry.
Meanwhile, the Keane Clan fights and dies for the peace of Carefree Haven, shedding blood and sacrificing themselves.
It was all just too absurd.
"Carefree Haven has already become deformed—or rather, it’s split apart," Quinn reflected inwardly.
A torn Carefree Haven: the elders’ Dao-hearts shattered from abandoning the people they once swore to protect, while the new generation drifts in a worryless paradise where every wish is granted.
The Keane Clan, feeling guilty toward the people and the elders, still strives to uphold the Pioneer Emperor’s honor and defend Carefree Haven’s peace—even if it means nearly destroying themselves in the process.
"You won’t let me return to Carefree Haven—are you afraid I’ll end up like the Keane Clan Ancestors buried here?"
Quinn shook his head. In truth, the Carefree Haven in his heart had long since collapsed—crumbled to dust, no longer existing. He only felt it was unworthy that the Keane Clan Ancestors sacrificed themselves to protect Carefree Haven and uphold the Pioneer Emperor’s honor.
“Back then, the Pioneer Emperor carved out half the Beyond-Shore World to create Carefree Haven, offending the Creators. Now, it’s also a Keane descendant who built the Beyond-Shore Netherworld, reconciling the two races.”
"From now on, Keane descendants no longer need to throw their lives away fighting the Creators for the Pioneer Emperor's honor."
"Even in the future, Keane descendants will still fight for the Pioneer Emperor’s honor and for coming wars. That’s how it is in Carefree Haven, but even outside, the world is just another Carefree Haven."
Quinn followed Hansen onward, passing grave after grave, his heart tranquil yet hollow. The deaths of generation after generation of ancestors and the endless war with the Creators made him want to laugh but he couldn’t, want to cry but the tears wouldn’t come.
He could only shake his head.
Ever since he could remember, Quinn had searched and searched for Carefree Haven, but in the end, it was always just flowers in the mist, the moon in the water.
If you’re not in his place, it’s hard to understand his feelings and state of mind right now.
Prince Hansen’s Manor was close now; ahead, the graves thinned out, and some young men and women were training with all their might.
They should be Keane clan juniors, about Quinn’s age—some older, but not by much, and some younger too.
There weren’t many Keane clan youths, only a dozen or so. Their training was far more rigorous than anywhere else in Carefree Haven—ascetic, grinding their bodies, vital qi, and divine sense.
Most of Carefree Haven’s new generation now lives for pleasure; it’s rare to see such disciplined cultivation anymore.
Quinn stopped to watch, then asked Hansen: "Is this all that’s left of the Keane clan?"
Hansen nodded. "Only these are left. After a hundred generations, who still thinks of you as royalty? Only you keep that pride in your heart. If we don’t work hard, when the Creators attack, we’ll die horribly. We finally breathed easier when Fenix came back."
Quinn watched for a moment; Hansen called over a little girl. "Celine, this is your cousin."
The girl, sweaty from training, evaporated her sweat with vital qi, looked at Quinn with curiosity, and laughed: "He’s the Creators’ Saint Baby, super fierce! He scared so many people into tears—I cried too!"
Quinn smiled, took out a drop of Origin-Root Primordial Essence, visualized a pearl, sealed the essence inside, and handed it to her. "Wear it around your neck—it’ll help you cultivate."
The girl accepted it and ran back out to train.
"Celine is the youngest Keane, your uncle’s posthumous daughter—not even ten yet. I’m teaching her now," Hansen explained.
"Let’s go home—I’ll take you to the ancestral hall to honor our forebears," Hansen said.
Quinn nodded. Prince Hansen’s Manor wasn’t large, nothing like the wild luxury of Dragonshift Heaven, but the ancestral hall was sizable. Princess Consort Hansen and Shu Jun waited outside. Hansen led Quinn inside; the spirit tablets were neatly arranged, piled up like a grand altar.
The atmosphere was solemn and heavy.
Quinn followed Hansen inside, bowing and offering incense.
Hansen took out the Keane Clan Genealogy and asked, "Should I add your name?"
Quinn hesitated, then shook his head. "I’m about to challenge the Pioneer Emperor. Before that, I can’t be in the genealogy; after, I won’t belong in it either."
Hansen was stunned.
To challenge the Pioneer Emperor means to fight the Keane clan’s founding ancestor; Quinn cannot do so as the 107th-generation grandson—it’s an unforgivable act.
After fighting the Pioneer Emperor, Quinn would be a traitor who has betrayed his ancestor and teacher—he must be erased from the genealogy, both emotionally and by tradition.
"Do you really have to go this far?" Hansen asked.
Hansen couldn’t help but say: "After you fight him, you’ll never enter the ancestral hall again! When you die, your grave won’t join the ancestors—you’ll be a lonely ghost, with no one from the Keane clan to honor you!"
Quinn smiled. "If I don’t challenge the Pioneer Emperor, Carefree Haven will never awaken. He wants me to fight him, to drive him out of this Carefree Haven. I can’t let him down."
He joked, "I’m the catfish Pioneer Emperor threw into Carefree Haven on purpose—not to stir up trouble, but to revive the stagnant waters, wake up the disappointed, and rouse the numb. I must do my part as a catfish."