Lila Swallowfeather burst out laughing, her eyes glinting with mischief. Marcus Autumnwhite, standing beside her, looked distinctly displeased. "Junior Sister, how can you joke around with Quinn Shepherd like that?" he scolded. "He's insulted His Majesty and deserves to be punished. Don't get too friendly."
Lila Swallowfeather just smiled, unfazed. "His Majesty still needs Quinn Shepherd alive for a few tasks," she replied lightly, turning to Marcus. "Don't be so eager to hand down judgment. Besides, the last time we fought, he left me with injuries that took ages to heal."
Marcus Autumnwhite sneered, his voice cold. "He insulted His Majesty—there's no escaping punishment. No matter what tasks remain, Quinn Shepherd must be taken back under Heaven's control."
Quinn Shepherd grinned, undeterred. "I know I have to keep my guard up against the Heavenly Emperor," he said, then glanced at Lila. "By the way, what happened to that clever black wild boar?"
Lila Swallowfeather rolled her eyes, a hint of amusement in her voice. "His Majesty was furious. He spent half a day chatting with the pig before realizing he'd been tricked. When he finally understood, he nearly exploded with rage and sent people to capture the boar, but it escaped with its whole family. Now His Majesty is convinced that pig will grow up to be a great figure—and remain a stain on his record." She looked at Quinn, curious. "But what brings you to Fallen-God Valley today?"
Quinn Shepherd glanced around at the mist-shrouded ruins. "Is this place called Fallen-God Valley?" he asked, his tone light but his eyes sharp.
Lila Swallowfeather smiled, watching Quinn mark the name on his map. "Looks like you didn't know the valley's name until now," she teased. "Here, let me help you out." She pointed to a spot on his map, then asked, "How is Earth Mother Primordial Lady's injury these days?"
Quinn Shepherd blinked, surprised by her question. Before he could answer, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled, mountains rising and godly corpses looming out of the mist.
A distant voice echoed from the dragon king's entourage. "Earth Mother Primordial Lady is doing well," came the polite reply. "She misses Quinn Shepherd and hopes he'll return soon."
The old Heavenly Dragon King rumbled, his voice echoing through the valley. "Earth Mother misses you, Quinn Shepherd. Come back and help recast her soul."
She burst out laughing, but the young man beside her looked anything but amused. He said coldly, "Junior Sister, this scoundrel has insulted His Majesty—the crime is unforgivable. And you’re still joking with him?"
Lila Swallowfeather lowered her voice and said, "Senior Brother Marcus, His Majesty still needs him for certain matters. He has to stay alive for now."
Marcus Autumnwhite's face remained sour. He sneered, "To insult His Majesty is a crime that can’t be escaped."
Quinn looked smug. He grinned and said, "If His Majesty wants to control me, of course I have to be on guard. By the way, how’s that black wild boar doing?"
Lila shook her head. "His Majesty was furious and sent people to catch the pig demon. But that pig was clever—it ran off with its whole family. His Majesty even sighed, saying this crafty pig will probably use his blessing to become someone important one day, and it'll be a stain on his record. So, Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, what brings you to Fallen-God Valley?"
"This place is called Fallen-God Valley?"
Quinn’s eyes lit up. He immediately pulled out Aiden Starr’s map and scribbled the name ‘Fallen-God Valley’ at the right spot. Grinning, he said, "Thanks, Sister Lila. By the way, how’s Earth Mother Primordial Lady’s injury?"
Only then did Lila realize he hadn’t even known the name of this place. She hadn’t had time to answer when, all of a sudden, the ground heaved—a chain of mountain ranges burst out of the earth, and more than a dozen gods and demigods stood atop one of the peaks, whistling toward them.
"Thank you for your concern, Shepherd Heavenly Venerable. Earth Mother Primordial Lady is doing very well these days."
A booming voice cracked like thunder. Quinn looked up at the afforested mountain peak, where an old dragon king stood at the head of the group—his whiskers drooping, his eyes cloudy with age, but every movement still shot with divine light. The dragon’s voice rumbled deep as a drum: "Earth Mother misses you dearly, and she’s waiting for you to come back and recast her soul!"
Quinn felt a chill run down his spine. That old dragon was none other than the Heavenly Dragon King who’d guarded Earth Mother’s underground palace—a being on par with Autumn Cloud Phoenix!
Autumn Cloud Phoenix had been taken away by the Ghost Ship and hasn’t been seen since. Earth Mother Primordial Lady was first wounded by another Earth Mother, then by Scholar Zixi, and later, after fighting her way to Everpeace’s capital, was struck again by Martial Dao Celestial Master Zhuo Cha and Netherworld King Tian Shu. She’s been quiet ever since.
Dragon-Qilin perked up, delighted. "Heavenly Dragon King, do you remember your little brother?"
The old dragon’s face darkened. He pretended not to see him at all. Dragon-Qilin had bribed him with spirit pills and called him brother, swindling countless benefits in the underground palace. It was a stain on the dragon king’s record—no wonder he didn’t want to bring it up.
Heavenly Dragon King said, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, Fallen-God Valley isn’t a place you should be. For your own safety, you’d better come with me—I’ll take you to see Earth Mother."
Marcus Autumnwhite’s gaze sharpened like a blade. He looked at the dragon king and said, "Shepherd Heavenly Venerable must come back with us. Heavenly Dragon King, you should leave."
The old dragon’s cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with killing intent—his aura turned murderous.
Quinn laughed. "You all want me to see Earth Mother, but there are two of her now—which one should I visit? I’ll wait until they settle things, then I’ll make my choice."
Heavenly Dragon King snorted.
Marcus Autumnwhite said, "Heavenly Dragon King, do you serve the Heavenly Emperor or Earth Mother first?"