Imperial Capital, Imperial Preceptor’s Manor.
Steward Foster hurried in to report, "Master, His Majesty has arrived!"
The Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire rose to greet him. The two titans of Everpeace met once again, with Lynn Ling following close behind. Emperor Evan gave the Preceptor a long, searching look; the Preceptor understood and waved Steward Foster away.
“Your Majesty, you have just arrived in the capital and came straight to me before even entering the palace. Something major must have happened.”
The Imperial Preceptor looked inquiringly at Lynn Ling, then said, “There are only three of us here. Your Majesty can speak freely.”
“Preceptor, did you sense it?”
Emperor Evan said, “Five days ago, the disturbance in Heaven and Earth.”
The Imperial Preceptor nodded. “A most peculiar fluctuation—the laws changed, the Dao shifted, something in the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth transformed. Someone is reforming the system. It struck me deeply.”
Emperor Evan produced the male and female volumes of Primordial Spirit Guidance and handed them to the Preceptor. “Take a look, Preceptor.”
The Imperial Preceptor read through them carefully, his expression growing ever more grave. At last, he closed Primordial Spirit Guidance and said, “The handwriting is Lynn Ling’s and Cult Master Qin’s. The Sixfold reform has altered the structure of Seven Stars, Heaven-Man, Life-and-Death, and Divine Bridge. No wonder the disturbance was so great. Princess Lynn is truly remarkable—her future achievements will be no less than ours.”
He was exceptionally astute; even without Emperor Evan spelling it out, he knew it was the work of Qin Mu and Lynn Ling, and could already foresee the consequences that the appearance of Primordial Spirit Guidance would bring.
Emperor Evan nodded. “The source of the reform is precisely these two volumes. I rushed here without pause because the situation is dire. For now the impact is minor—only true grandmasters who enter law from technique can sense it. But for those who enter Dao from law, the effect is far greater. You said it struck you deeply; it seems you’ve already stepped into the Dao ahead of me.”
The Imperial Preceptor replied, “I’ve only just entered the Dao, so it’s not entirely clear yet. But the fluctuation felt like a tide surging from all sides, and I stood in the midst of it, sensing the subtle shifts in the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.”
Emperor Evan pondered the meaning behind his words and praised, “The Dao Realm is truly wondrous. It’s affected you deeply—what about the gods?”
“Even greater!”
A glint of unreadable light flickered in the Imperial Preceptor’s eyes. “Your Majesty, while you were away from the capital, official memorials have been flying in like snowflakes from all over the realm. Please take a look.”
He produced dozens of memorials—reports from county magistrates and prefects across the land.
Emperor Evan opened one. The magistrate of Qini County reported that an earthquake struck Grandma Qiyue Temple there; nowhere else felt a tremor, yet the temple alone collapsed, killing more than ten worshippers.
When the Qini magistrate and his officers cleared the rubble, they found the mountain temple split open by a massive crack. From within the fissure, a giant divine statue emerged, half its body exposed, faintly tinged with living flesh and covered in flowing runes.
Emperor Evan frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then handed the memorial to Lynn Ling before picking up another.
Emperor Evan said, "Preceptor, we must investigate the origins and purpose of these statues."
The Imperial Preceptor said calmly, "I recall the incident two years ago when the Nethervault Demon King descended. Back then, it was Quinn Shepherd's ritual that summoned him, requiring an altar to call the Demon King from another world. Only a fragment of the Demon King's awareness and power appeared in Everpeace; his true body needed much more death and flesh-sacrifice to fully descend."
Emperor Evan and Lynn Ling listened quietly, not interrupting. What the Preceptor was about to say was extremely important and demanded their full attention.
This shows that traversing worlds requires immense energy—the stronger the being, the greater the energy needed to cross into another world.
The Imperial Preceptor continued, "This time, the Great Dao has changed again and these divine statues have arrived; it seems only their stone bodies have crossed over, but their true power has yet to come. They will need countless flesh-sacrifices before their true forms can descend."
Emperor Evan and Lynn Ling were both struck by a terrifying thought, which the Preceptor voiced for them: 'They need a disaster that causes mass death among the common people before their true bodies can descend upon Everpeace!'
Emperor Evan and Lynn Ling felt a chill run down their spines.
The last disaster had already claimed countless lives, and the Everpeace Empire’s vitality still hadn’t recovered. Another disaster would mean national ruin and endless suffering!
The Imperial Preceptor said gravely, “There are similar statues in the Great Ruins. Rumor has it these are fossilized bodies of gods, sleeping and waiting for a chance to transform into their true forms. If these statues in Everpeace have come from other worlds, their timing is truly uncanny.”
Based on my guess, it won’t be long before the gods of High Heaven receive word and descend disaster upon Everpeace.
Emperor Evan said, "Preceptor, we must investigate the origins and purpose of these statues."
The Imperial Preceptor said calmly, "I recall the incident two years ago when the Nethervault Demon King descended. Back then, it was Quinn Shepherd's ritual that summoned him, requiring an altar to call the Demon King from another world. Only a fragment of the Demon King's awareness and power appeared in Everpeace; his true body needed much more death and flesh-sacrifice to fully descend."
Emperor Evan and Lynn Ling listened quietly, not interrupting. What the Preceptor was about to say was extremely important and demanded their full attention.
This shows that traversing worlds requires immense energy—the stronger the being, the greater the energy needed to cross into another world.
The Imperial Preceptor continued, "This time, the Great Dao has changed again and these divine statues have arrived; it seems only their stone bodies have crossed over, but their true power has yet to come. They will need countless flesh-sacrifices before their true forms can descend."
Emperor Evan and Lynn Ling were both struck by a terrifying thought, which the Preceptor voiced for them: "They need a disaster that causes mass death among the common people before their true bodies can descend upon Everpeace!"
Emperor Evan and Lynn Ling felt a chill run down their spines.
The last disaster had already claimed countless lives, and the Everpeace Empire’s vitality still hadn’t recovered. Another disaster would mean national ruin and endless suffering!
Based on my guess, it won’t be long before the gods of High Heaven receive word and descend disaster upon Everpeace.
The Imperial Preceptor said gravely, "This disaster will be no less than the previous snow disaster—it could be an earthquake, a volcano, a tornado, a flood, or even another snow or drought. As long as it kills tens of millions or even billions of commoners, any disaster will do!"
Emperor Evan’s voice was hoarse as he rasped, “You mean…?”
“Destroy High Heaven.”
The Imperial Preceptor said coolly, “We must destroy all the gods of High Heaven and prevent them from descending disaster. If I’m correct, the gods and demons responsible for disasters in this world are those of High Heaven. If we eliminate High Heaven, the stone statues across the empire will not transform into gods and demons, and the common people will be spared. We must strike first and wipe out every god in High Heaven!”
Emperor Evan felt his head splitting, clutching his forehead and gritting his teeth. “High Heaven is in the Western Lands, and who knows how many gods and demons are inside? How do we have the power to destroy High Heaven? If only we could wait a few more years for our experts to complete the Divine Bridge and reach the god realm…”
The Imperial Preceptor remained calm. “Your Majesty, they won’t give you that time. If I’m not mistaken, the treasures mentioned in these memorials are Celestial Phenomenon Weapons!”
Emperor Evan and Lynn Ling shuddered in horror.
Celestial Phenomenon Weapons—a concept Quinn Shepherd proposed—use natural phenomena as weapons: rain, snow, wind, hail, tornadoes, floods, volcanoes, earthquakes. These phenomena are collected in gourds; normally, the weapons regulate weather for prosperity.
If attacking an enemy nation, the Celestial Phenomenon Weapons can be used to annihilate enemy armies.
Last time, when the Imperial Preceptor attacked the grasslands, Ben Coates ordered the shamans to spread poison everywhere. The Preceptor needed to eliminate the poison and save the herders, so he used Celestial Phenomenon Weapons to bring ten days of rain, diluting and washing away the poison.
But many herders drowned in the floods and rain, and countless people died. The Imperial Preceptor was fiercely criticized and impeached by the reformist faction.
If the Preceptor’s guess is correct and the treasures unearthed this time are all Celestial Phenomenon Weapons, then once the gods of High Heaven arrive, they can unleash these weapons’ power, triggering disasters that will kill countless commoners!
With so many deaths, the statues will receive enough flesh-sacrifice to let the gods’ power flood into the world, turning statues into living gods and unleashing mass slaughter to destroy this world!
“I will immediately order that these statues and treasures be heavily guarded—they must not fall into the hands of High Heaven!”
Emperor Evan broke out in a cold sweat, pacing back and forth, his voice hoarse. “We absolutely cannot let them find these… Why do they have to do this? Why can’t they let the common people live better lives? I don’t understand!”
“Reform touches the interests of gods and demons. Reform is the changing of the Dao; when the Dao changes, if gods and demons cannot adapt, they will no longer be tolerated by the Dao.”
The Imperial Preceptor said, “There must be deeper reasons, but with so little information, it’s hard to analyze the truth. Your Majesty, I need the Human Emperor to step forward personally.”
Emperor Evan looked at him.
The Imperial Preceptor gazed into the distance and murmured, “Only if the Human Emperor steps forward can all holy lands and powerhouses obey and wipe out High Heaven! Only the Human Emperor, respected by all sects and schools, can win their wholehearted allegiance!”
Lynn Ling was stunned. The current Human Emperor—isn’t that Quinn Shepherd?
The Human Emperor Seal—isn’t it in Quinn Shepherd’s hands?
So that means Quinn Shepherd must go to war against High Heaven?
“I’m going to see the Human Emperor!” The Imperial Preceptor rose and left.
Meanwhile, at the mountain estate, Quinn Shepherd was accompanying Serena Yunxiang in cultivating their Primordial Spirits. Their spirits roamed the world, and at one point, a beautiful mountain suddenly split open, and a colossal statue slowly rose from within.
“What’s happening? Is this the Great Ruins?”
The two were startled and then smelled a familiar fragrance. “We just lit the Soul-Guiding Incense to roam, but it shouldn’t have burned down so quickly. Someone must have blown it out in one breath!”
Their Primordial Spirits were rapidly summoned back by the Soul-Guiding Incense, returning to their bodies. Quinn Shepherd opened his eyes to find Village Chief, Butcher, the Mute Smith, and even Grandpa Mark all present!