Empress Lynn of Yanxiu was momentarily speechless, then shook her head and said, "If you say that in front of Sister Elaina Cloud, you'll lose your head for it."
Although she didn't know Elaina Cloud's true identity, she could guess that Elaina must be one of the power-holders in Heavenly Court. After all, on the day the Spirit-Energy Paired-Transfer Bridge linked Yanxiu and Heavenly Court, it was Elaina Cloud who emerged from the bridge.
Anyone who can authorize the construction of a Spirit-Energy Paired-Transfer Bridge in Heavenly Court must be a figure of overwhelming influence. That's why, when Elaina Cloud suggested they swear sisterhood, she agreed immediately.
She was a shrewd woman and knew Elaina Cloud's status in Heavenly Court was extraordinary. No matter what Elaina's true motives were, she had to accept.
This was Yanxiu's only hope for survival.
In fact, Yanxiu's connection to Zaofu Palace also owed much to Elaina Cloud's relationship.
"Elaina Cloud is Her Majesty the Empress's younger sister—Madam Yuanmu."
Quinn watched as Liana Flowersoul, Elaina Cloud, and the others approached. With a ripple of divine sense, he sound-transmitted, "Liana Flowersoul is the Empress."
Empress Lynn shuddered inwardly but kept her composure. She said, "Imperial Preceptor, can we use the rift between the Empress and Madam Yuanmu to keep Yanxiu safe?"
"You can, but you must be careful. These two women will never rest until one is dead. You must keep them neither too close nor too far—always at arm's length."
Quinn laughed heartily as he greeted Elaina Cloud and Liana Flowersoul, but inwardly he was anxious: "I sent Elaina to Earth Mother Primordial Lady—who knows if she’ll stir up trouble over that?"
Elaina Cloud didn’t mention it at all. Instead, she grabbed his arm and quickly recounted how the five women had sworn sisterhood, grinning: "If I die, my four elder sisters have to be buried with me, right, Quinn?"
Quinn’s eye twitched. Elaina was threatening him—if he ever tried to move against her, she’d drag Lynn Ling, Grace Gongsun, and the others down with her.
For her, losing one artificial body meant nothing—no pain, no loss. But for Quinn, the cost would be catastrophic.
Lynn Ling was the successor to Emperor Evan’s reforms, and now the backbone of Everpeace. Unlike Evan, she could let go when needed, and pick things up again without hesitation.
As a woman, Heavenly Court didn’t see her as a threat. She could lower her profile, do business with Heavenly Court and Zaofu Palace, and with her deft touch, mediate between Everpeace and Heaven—keeping Everpeace from becoming Heaven’s public enemy.
Emperor Evan was a formidable ruler, but faced with Lynn’s situation, he’d only have made things worse.
Most of all, Emperor Evan could never have sworn sisterhood with the Empress or Madam Yuanmu.
Grace Gongsun was the local Earth Mother Primordial Lady, a guardian of Everpeace with immense potential—she absolutely could not be lost.
"I’d better leave Everpeace soon. The longer I stay, the greater the danger to this land."
Quinn calmed his mind, chatted idly with the girls for a few moments, watched as dusk slowly deepened, then yawned, feeling the exhaustion of the day, and returned to his room to rest.
Late at night, Empress Lynn came to visit. The two spoke at length, kneeling side by side in deep conversation until the rooster crowed. At dawn, Lynn rose and departed, her figure draped in starlight as she made her way back to the palace.
Quinn sat quietly for a moment, then smiled and called out, "Friend, the night outside is cold and damp—why not come in and warm yourself? My door is open."
The door creaked lightly, and a White Cat squeezed through the crack, settling in front of Quinn. It spoke in a deep male voice: "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, you may have fooled the Ten Heavenly Venerables with your theft of the Heavenly Emperor's treasure, but you cannot fool me. Hand over the half eggshell. If I take it, I’ll leave without harming you."
Quinn asked curiously, "You’ve come here—is Consort Yana aware of it?"
The White Cat replied, "Of course she knows. I’m here on behalf of Venerable Belle to take the item. We’re only three feet apart now—at this distance, I could kill you with a swipe, slice your throat, and sever your Primordial Spirit before anyone could react. Or you could simply hand over the Heavenly Emperor’s eggshell, and I’ll leave peacefully."
Quinn smiled mildly, "I’ve only ever heard Consort Yana call you Little Seven. What should I call you?"
The White Cat flicked its tail, its feline face stern. "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, are you trying to stall for time? I’ve already surveyed the entire Imperial Capital—no one here is my match except Annie, and even she’s barely worth a fight. Even if you summon help, I can kill them all; you’ll die first. But before that, you’ll be dead."
Quinn replied calmly, "Do you know there are two women in this courtyard who are Heavenly Venerables?"
The fur on the White Cat’s tail bristled, its body lowered, and a menacing growl sounded from its throat.
But it wasn’t Quinn he was threatening—the moment he heard there were two female Heavenly Venerables here, his fur stood on end in genuine terror.
Quinn gave a faint smile. "You came here right under the noses of two Heavenly Venerables—your loyalty to Consort Yana is truly impressive. And it’s not just two. Venerable Daybreak is watching from the Origin World. If you leave the city with the Heavenly Emperor’s eggshell, you’ll die before you take ten steps. Believe it or not."
The White Cat’s pupils contracted vertically, its voice hoarse: "You’re bluffing!"
Quinn replied lazily, "Elaina Cloud is Madam Yuanmu, Liana Flowersoul is the Empress. Why would I lie? The Heavenly Emperor’s eggshell is in my Vertical Demon Eye. If you don’t believe me, I’ll dig it out and hand it to you—let’s see if you can walk out of Yanxiu alive."
He actually reached up and gouged out the vertical eye from his brow, presenting it to the White Cat!
The White Cat stared at the eye in his palm, hesitated, then as the rooster crowed and dawn broke, finally gritted its teeth, snatched the eye, and dashed away.
A smile spread across Quinn’s face—his real Vertical Demon Eye was still set in his brow. What the White Cat took was just a divine-sense construct shaped like an eye.
The White Cat slipped out of Quinn’s room, glancing furtively in all directions. Seeing no one, it leapt onto the wall and bounded along the city’s edge, darting outside the capital.
At the same time, Elaina Cloud, her twin ponytails swaying, quietly slipped out the door to follow. The White Cat seemed to sense something and whipped its head around, but Elaina was instantly swallowed by a hidden abyss—he never noticed her at all.
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Elaina Cloud quietly followed the White Cat out of Yanxiu’s city, but sensing someone behind, the cat whipped around—finding no one, she continued her pursuit.
Elaina’s eyes flickered, turning once more, and she kept following the White Cat.
A blossom unfurled in midair, with Liana Flowersoul seated inside, silently watching as the man and cat left the city.
Back at the Imperial Preceptor’s Manor, Quinn immediately woke everyone and began tidying his affairs. He handed Grace Gongsun over a dozen jade bottles of Origin-Root Primordial Essence. "Grace, these bottles hold Origin-Root Primordial Essence. Earth Mother Primordial Lady once relied on this to cultivate her formidable power. This essence will do wonders for you, but use it sparingly—just one drop at a time. And beware, Earth Mother may come to snatch it from you!"
Grace accepted the jade bottles. "I’ll be careful."
Quinn summoned the Nethervault Demon King, handed him a letter, and said, "Nethervault, I’m giving you three Heavenly Dragons. Take my letter to River Lee Academy and find Ariel Skyfeather. Give her the letter and say I sent you, then help her reclaim the Skyfeather Realm."
He selected three Heavenly Dragons, removed them from the Imperial Palanquin, and instructed, "You three, follow Nethervault and protect his life."
The three dragons rolled on the ground, transformed into Jade Capital–stage dragon gods, bowed deeply, and said, "We will obey Heavenly Venerable’s command."
The Nethervault Demon King’s face changed drastically. He hurriedly asked, "Preceptor, could I switch for a different set of dragons?"
He was uneasy; these three dragon gods were the ones he’d whipped most often, especially one who’d suffered the most.
"Time is short, there’s no time to change!" Quinn replied.
Quinn jumped onto the Imperial Palanquin and called out, "Dragon-Qilin, you drive! Annie, get ready—we’re leaving now! If we wait any longer, those two little monsters will catch up."
Langwo was already aboard, sitting quietly under the carriage’s canopy.
Grace Gongsun didn’t know why they were leaving in such a rush, feeling a bit despondent. Quinn laughed, "After a while, I’ll bring you a few phoenixes to nest in your tree!"
Grace was delighted, watching as the Imperial Palanquin rolled out of the manor.
It was still early in the capital, not yet bustling, but street vendors were already preparing breakfast—some frying pancakes, some rolling noodles, steam rising from baskets of buns, and the scent of porridge wafting through the air.
The Imperial Palanquin rumbled hurriedly through the streets, drawing curious glances from the shopkeepers.
Suddenly, Quinn’s voice drifted from inside the carriage: "Stop."
Dragon-Qilin quickly halted. Quinn smiled, "Annie, go buy some bean-milk—I haven’t had any in ages." He handed Annie several Everpeace Coins.
Annie leapt out, transforming into a young girl, and headed to a shop at the roadside to buy bean-milk. "They’ve got piping hot buns too, Preceptor—want some?"
Quinn nodded, smiling, "Get some buns too. God-Queen Langwo has probably never tasted mortal food—today’s a good day to try."
Langwo didn’t understand. "Why does the Saint Baby suddenly stop, after all that hurry?"
Quinn said, "It’s been five years since I tasted hometown food. No matter what, I have to stop."
Langwo thought it over, shook her head—she couldn’t understand this strange nostalgia.
Annie bought bean-milk and buns, saying, "The shopkeeper wished he could give me the whole store—he sent over a ton."
Quinn laughed, "Dragon-Qilin, let’s hit the road."
The Imperial Palanquin rolled out of the capital. Quinn didn’t let it take off, but kept to the main road, eating buns and watching the scenery, tense and alert to the surroundings.
Suddenly, a terrifying fluctuation erupted from the west, near the World Bridge. Quinn’s hand jerked, dropping his bun, and he clapped with delight, laughing, "Venerable Belle’s Little Seven is probably about to die!"
To the west, near the World Bridge, the White Cat raced at breakneck speed, charging toward the bridge. Suddenly, a giant hand reached out from the corridor of light!
The White Cat was struck with terror, unable to dodge in time. It rolled forward, transformed into a white-robed general, sharp-eyed, drawing its spear to meet the incoming hand. The spear shook, unleashing a barrage of spear tips!
In the next instant, the spear shattered. At the same time, the hand seized the back of the general’s neck.
The white-robed general cried out, unable to resist, reverting to his original form—a White Cat, gripped by the scruff, limbs dangling and unable to move.
"Where is the Heavenly Emperor’s eggshell?" demanded the distant owner of the hand, his voice echoing through the World Bridge.
In the next moment, the Heaven-Guide Venerable war-body, far away in the Origin World’s center, suddenly pointed a finger—the World Bridge exploded, shaking the hand that held the White Cat.
Just then, a massive vortex spun open in the Origin World’s sky. A towering god descended, snatching the White Cat away from the first hand and fleeing!
Another vortex appeared overhead—a second towering god struck the first from behind: "Give back my Palace’s cat!"
Almost simultaneously, the Heaven-Guide Venerable war-body uprooted the Origin-Root Tree, sweeping at both gods.
The White Cat was tossed between owners, his heart filled with terror.
Now, with four Heavenly Venerables fighting over him, he could die at any moment in their unimaginable power!
Inside the Imperial Palanquin, Annie fed Quinn a bowl of bean-milk. He drank, watching the battle in the sky, sighing deeply, feeling both defeated and amused.
"Why the gloomy look, Preceptor?" Annie asked, curious.
Quinn took another sip of bean-milk and sighed, "I’ve racked my brains, tried every trick to provoke infighting among the Ten Heavenly Venerables, but none of it worked. Who would have thought, in the end, it’s a single White Cat that sets off the struggle."
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