True Heaven Matron only felt a dull ache in her head as Quinn once again pressed the Black Tortoise Pearl into her hands. If he was just searching for someone, would he really need the Black Tortoise Pearl?
This was clearly another test!
"Is this kid part fox or something? He’s already tested me five or six times, and he’s still at it!"
True Heaven Matron returned the Black Tortoise Pearl to Quinn, her gaze gentle and a faint smile on her lips. "If you’re just searching for someone, there’s no need for such a treasure. Cult Master Quinn, do you have a portrait of Ben Coates?"
Quinn acted like a blind man, completely ignoring her charming, seductive smile. He quickly sketched Ben Coates’ portrait and handed it to her.
True Heaven Matron was very patient, casting spirit-summoning arts to awaken the clouds above, the rocks and trees below, questioning each one in turn. After a while, she finally found Ben Coates’ whereabouts.
"True Heaven Palace’s arts aren’t bad at all. If they were used for law enforcement, they’d be the best detectives around."
The Imperial Preceptor pondered, "Maybe we should let True Heaven Palace’s disciples enter Everpeace as female constables."
True Heaven Matron replied softly, "Preceptor, your insight is extraordinary."
The Imperial Preceptor remained expressionless. "It’s just a rough idea, not worth mentioning."
Along the way, True Heaven Matron tended to Quinn and the Imperial Preceptor’s daily needs—serving tea, pouring water, washing clothes, cooking meals. She always wore a smile, the picture of a gentle, caring attendant.
But Quinn and the Imperial Preceptor took it all as a matter of course. Quinn even had her feed Bruno the Dragon-Qilin, tending to that fat beast as well.
True Heaven Matron never uttered a word of complaint, always gentle and attentive—but inwardly, she felt far from confident.
Quinn acted innocent and naive, his words sweet as honey, calling every woman ‘sister’. Yet he was as dense as a log—no matter how she tried to entice him, he just stood there blankly, utterly lacking in romance.
As for the Imperial Preceptor, he was even more hopeless—this man seemed utterly devoid of emotion, focused only on his work, completely unmoved by her charms.
And Bruno the Dragon-Qilin was the worst of all. He stared at his food basin, solemnly counting every single spirit pill—if even one was missing, it was unacceptable.
When he wasn’t eating, Bruno constantly worried about his fur never growing back, his scales scorched black and riddled with tiny holes from lightning strikes. He complained that he wasn’t as good-looking as before, scheming how to swindle more food, and sparred with True Heaven Matron in a battle of wits—so much so that her head nearly exploded from the noise.
"I swear I’ll kill them all one day!"
Several times, True Heaven Matron couldn’t help wanting to make a move, but in the presence of the Imperial Preceptor, she never had a chance.
The Imperial Preceptor never revealed a single flaw. Even at night, he lay there with his eyes wide open, refusing to sleep.
It was the sound of breaking through the Divine Treasury barrier—so violent, it was like the shattering of the Heaven-Man Treasury itself!
Buzzzzz—
Radiance burst from Quinn, forming seven stars swirling around him. Pure yang blazed like a burning sun, pure yin shone like a bright moon, Mars glowed like a brazier, Saturn spread heavy yellow earth, Venus flashed white light, Mercury billowed with water vapor, Jupiter radiated Azure Dragon qi—thunder rumbled all around.
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Atop each of the seven stars stood a deity, each bizarrely shaped: ox-headed, human-bodied; three-legged, bird-headed; tiger-headed, leopard-tailed. Seven Star Lords, each with a unique form.
Quinn's body shuddered. Behind him, a Primordial Spirit five or six zhang tall appeared, hands raised in a gesture of support, the seven stars floating between his palms.
True Heaven Matron gasped, "Such a powerful Primordial Spirit! He's at the Heaven-Man realm—how can he manifest the Seven Stars phenomenon?"
"Did you hear how terrifying the sound of his breakthrough was?"
The Imperial Preceptor exhaled heavily, looking dejected. "I used to think I was a straight line, with no weaknesses. Now I realize I'm not—he is the straight line, I'm a triangle. Is the Overlord Body really this strong?"
True Heaven Matron was shaken, stunned by Quinn's Seven Stars breakthrough. Normally, breaking through the Seven Stars wouldn't be so earth-shattering, nor would the aura be this intense.
But even more shocking was the Overlord Body.
She had never heard of such a physique existing in the world!
"Preceptor, what is the Overlord Body exactly?" True Heaven Matron asked earnestly.
"The Overlord Body comes from an ancient legend."
The Imperial Preceptor perked up. "A senior once told me the story—let me explain. The tale goes, there can only be one Overlord Body in the world..."
They tracked their target for four or five days. Quinn stabilized his Seven Stars realm, his cultivation growing ever deeper, activating Spirit Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Directions, and Seven Stars Treasuries—his power rivaled even Bruno the dragon‑qilin.
Bruno grew anxious, a strong sense of crisis welling up: "Damn! If Cult Master Quinn catches up to my cultivation, I’ll be useless! Where will I ever find such a generous master again?"
True Heaven Matron breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "We're not far from Grand Venerable now."
Quinn looked ahead—the Flame Desert was just before them. He marveled, "Ben Coates actually made it out of the Western Lands. No wonder he's called Grand Venerable, his escape skills are unmatched. If not for Sister Siyu, he’d have slipped away again."
Flames roared in the desert. As Quinn approached, strange markings crawled across his skin, covering him from head to toe.
True Heaven Matron's eye twitched, concern in her voice: "Cult Master Quinn, those markings on your body..."
"Probably some kind of curse."
Quinn seemed unconcerned. "Last time I came here, these markings showed up too. They spread all the way to the soles of my feet, impossible to remove. Only after leaving the Flame Desert do they disappear on their own."
"Even the soles of your feet?"
True Heaven Matron's heart leapt, nearly bursting into excitement: "Royal blood! He's of the imperial line!"
She’d killed countless nobles among the Great Ruins outcasts, but never a royal—those carried the blood of the Keane imperial line, and not one had ever fallen to her!
"He’s not just a noble among the Ruins outcasts—he’s royal!"
True Heaven Matron felt a rush of satisfaction—the humiliation of the past days vanished. "I searched high and low, only to stumble on it without effort! The higher‑ups only fear the royals among the Ruins outcasts. If I kill him, I’ll soar to glory, leave this godforsaken lower realm, and live the good life in the upper world!"
Her eyes gleamed. "This kid may be the easiest to deal with, but he’s worth the most! His life is far pricier than the Imperial Preceptor’s. But first, I have to take out the Preceptor! Elsewhere, he’d be hard to handle—here in the desert, I have a way. Sorry, Grand Venerable, but you'll have to bear the brunt."
She gathered sand, cast her spell, and awakened giant sand dune spirits—asking each for Ben Coates’s whereabouts.
Bruno sped up, racing forward in pursuit.
By dawn the next day, Bruno reached a desert ruin—surprisingly intact, with a massive Solar Ark beside it, and half a buried sun in the red sand.
True Heaven Matron smiled, "With this Solar Ark, the Imperial Preceptor won’t escape death."
Quinn’s spirits lifted. He grinned, "Preceptor, Sister Siyu, stay here and hold the line—don’t let him escape again. I’ll go hunt down Ben Coates myself!"
The Imperial Preceptor gazed at him. "You don’t need my help?"
"No need!"
Quinn dashed forward, leaping atop a ruined palace. He called out, "Ben Coates! A friend from afar has come—aren’t you going to come out and die?"
"Quinn, you just don’t give up!"
A figure shot into the sky from the ruins, sand exploding everywhere. With a boom, he landed at the far end of the hall—a youth, brimming with confidence. Ben Coates laughed, "You’re just in time! I’ve grown much stronger lately. Today, I’ll finally fulfill my lifelong wish—arrange your corpse into a giant ‘submit’ character!"
Meanwhile, True Heaven Matron fixed her gaze on the Imperial Preceptor’s back. At last, he showed a flaw!