Azurecloud Heaven's Dao Palace was in utter chaos—chickens flying, dogs jumping, Daoists either soaring through the sky or racing along the ground, searching everywhere for the thief Daoist. Only after the uproar in the Dao Institute was exposed did the other palaces and institutes in Azurecloud Heaven realize that it wasn't just the Dao Institute that had been robbed; they too had all been visited by the thief.
But the thief was truly cunning—each palace and institute had its treasure vaults swept clean, yet no one noticed until the Daoists discovered their personal treasures missing. Only then did anyone suspect a thing.
Even the Dao Palace itself had been hit. Many old Daoists hurried to the palace treasury, where a dozen or so god-realm Daoists stood guard outside. The others opened the seals and filed in, anxiously checking whether any treasures were missing.
Dao Lord Lucas Lin watched the pandemonium sweeping through Azurecloud Sect and laughed, "Cult Master Quinn, your old man runs wild in my Dao Gate just the same. Every time he comes, my uncles and elders scour the mountains for him, even raising a few divine dogs just to deal with him."
Quinn Shepherd looked helpless, sighing, "Back when Grandpa Crippled's cultivation wasn't high, you could still catch him. Now that he's reached the god-realm and mastered the Creation Art, even his own scent is hidden—catching him is as hard as reaching the sky."
The two of them acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to climb upward, as if the deaths of the disciples of the Dao Institute's star-lord demigods had nothing to do with them.
Some Daoists rushed off, flying out beyond the heavens, summoning divine dogs, divine mastiffs, and divine mice from the subordinate divine kingdoms, and even calling in a few constables to join the search.
Quinn Shepherd and Dao Lord Lucas Lin chatted idly as they climbed the mountain, not in any hurry. Daoist Chaz, the Dragon-Qilin, and the water kirin followed behind. Some Daoists stopped them for questioning, then let them pass.
"Is Ethan Lan all right?" Dao Lord Lucas Lin asked.
"It's no big deal."
Although Quinn Shepherd said this, he felt his forehead about to split open and groaned, "Ethan doesn't remember anything from his past—he's a blank slate. You could draw the most beautiful picture on him, or scribble all over and make a mess. What I really worry about is him picking up bad habits like stealing."
"Stealing a few things could cause such a big commotion?" Dao Lord Lucas Lin laughed.
"Grandpa Crippled's rule is: a thief never leaves empty-handed."
Quinn Shepherd grew serious. "Whenever he makes a move, he goes for the best stuff. Just now, he robbed us all, and when he got to Ethan Lan and found nothing valuable, he simply stole Ethan himself. I'm not worried for Ethan's safety—I'm just worried he'll learn the wrong things."
"The master thief probably took Ethan Lan and escaped from Azurecloud Heaven by now, right?"
"Escape? Impossible. Grandpa Crippled loves a spectacle—he never shies away from trouble. Right now, he's definitely still in the Dao Palace, disguised and blending in with the Daoists, searching for the thief right alongside them."
At last, the two reached the summit outside the Dao Palace. The Dao Palace was on high alert—Daoists hustling in and out, activating all sorts of magic mirrors and treasures, shining them everywhere in search of the old thief Daoist.
A young Daoist hurried out from the palace, saw Quinn Shepherd and Dao Lord Lucas Lin, and paused, lowering his voice: "How did you get up here? I just informed the Sect Master about your visit, but there's a thief in the Dao Palace now, and the Sect Master is too busy to see you."
This Daoist was none other than Jaden Jadehall.
Quinn Shepherd smiled faintly and called out in a loud voice, "Quinn Shepherd, Everpeace Overlord Body, and Dao Lord Lucas Lin of Everpeace Dao Gate, have come to visit the Azurecloud Sect Master and Heavenly Court envoys! Azurecloud Sect Master, you're just a branch of Dao Gate—aren't you going to come greet us?"
His voice boomed, rising from the foot of the mountain and exploding over the Dao Palace of Azurecloud Heaven, echoing through the palace and all twenty-four halls!
The Daoists searching for the old thief Daoist all stopped involuntarily, turning to look this way; the atmosphere instantly grew heavy and tense.
Daoist Jaden Jadehall's expression changed slightly.
Dao Lord Lucas Lin, meanwhile, simply looked at his nose and then at his heart, utterly calm—as if he'd expected Quinn Shepherd to say all this—and remarked leisurely, "Cult Master Quinn is the Overlord Body of Everpeace, peerless through the ages. With your reputation, I'm afraid there are countless people in the Dao Palace who want to kill you."
Quinn Shepherd laughed. "There are plenty of people in the world who want me dead, but I'm still alive. My Overlord Body reputation wasn't handed to me—it's earned through battle, not flattery. You shouldn't worry about me; you should worry about yourself. I called Azurecloud Sect a branch of Dao Gate—will Azurecloud Sect really tolerate you now?"
Dao Lord Lucas Lin flicked his horsetail whisk and burst out laughing.
Daoist Jaden Jadehall frowned and scolded in a low voice, "You two have no sense of propriety! Out of fellow-feeling as sect brothers, I let you up the mountain. The plan was, you'd come quietly, the Sect Master would meet you quietly, give you a few benefits, and you'd leave quietly. But now you've announced yourselves—how can the Heavenly Court envoys tolerate you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an aged voice called from the Dao Palace, "Jaden, please bring the young friend from Everpeace Dao Gate and Overlord Quinn inside."
Daoist Jaden Jadehall could only bow and reply, "Yes, sir. Follow me. You've stirred up trouble—whether you can leave alive is anyone's guess..."
Quinn Shepherd grinned. "Brother Jaden, we're not some poor relatives begging for food on the mountain, sneaking in for a bite and then getting chased off. What's a Heavenly Court envoy, anyway? Didn't I already kill Prince Autumnshade of Heaven? Back in Lu County, your insight and vision impressed me—how come you've become so timid since coming back to Dao Gate?"