The Origin‑Root Heartwood Staff silently flew back; the prison warden tried to observe it closely, but had no idea where Quinn Shepherd had hidden it.
After a moment, he led Quinn and the others to a white bone temple and said, "If you want to visit White Jasper, you'll need to register with Judge Shawking."
Just then, a smiling god emerged from the bone temple: "Heavenly Venerable Shepherd is a Heavenly Venerable—no need to register! You may step back. Heavenly Venerable, the Great Prison is dangerous; I will personally escort you down."
Quinn thanked him.
"Why is Heavenly Venerable so courteous? What virtue or ability do I have to deserve this?"
Judge Shawking hurriedly returned the gesture and laughed, "You are a Heavenly Venerable. Since ancient times, only nine beings have been worthy of the Heavenly Venerable title. If you salute me, won't that crush me with honor? Please, this way!"
Quinn followed him and saw Judge Shawking lead them to the entrance of the Great Prison. The prison was built beneath the roots of the Origin‑Root Tree; in one massive root as thick as a mountain, a doorway had been carved, with the gate sculpted from Origin‑Root wood. Heavy troops guarded it, and the defenses were formidable.
After passing through the gate, they saw a spiraling wooden staircase winding downward. On both sides, god and demon bones hung from the walls to provide light, but the divine and demonic glow from the corpses was rather dim.
"How should I address you, Judge?" Quinn looked around and asked.
"My name is Ian Shawking."
Judge Shawking smiled and said, "I am an unknown in Heavenly Court; Heavenly Venerable Shepherd may not have heard of my name."
Quinn’s heart skipped; he smiled, "Ian Shawking, Left Adjutant of Outer Heaven Court, master of divine-sense arts—he once tricked Nether City Heavenly King Tanner Shue into the Imperial Gate Divine Saber and trapped him there for seven or eight million years."
Judge Shawking was surprised. "Heavenly Venerable has actually heard of me?"
Quinn said, "I was also trapped in the Imperial Gate Divine Saber for several years before finally escaping. Inside, I saw the endless wine you used to deceive King Tanner Shue. Among all the divine-sense masters I’ve met, Left Adjutant is the greatest—no one can compare!"
Dragon-Qilin said, "I’ve tasted your wine—and even became sworn brothers with Tanner Shue."
Ian Shawking laughed, "Heavenly Venerable flatters me. I’m not the greatest. You call it divine-sense, but I call it god-sense; the true master of god-sense arts was the Crimson Emperor of the Chiming Era."
Quinn was intrigued.
The Crimson Emperor’s Threefold Undying Mind had indeed been passed down to him, but the divine-sense arts within that Emperor’s-Throne scripture were never actually taught to him.
After all, the Crimson Emperor was a figure from the dawn of antiquity. His undying mind focused on cultivating the three origins and strengthening the Primordial Spirit, but in developing god-sense arts, he was far outstripped by later talents like Ian Shawking.
In god-sense arts, Ian Shawking was truly one of the top experts in Heavenly Court!
Ian Shawking and Tanner Shue held the same rank—one was Left Adjutant of the Outer Heaven Court, the other Left Adjutant of the Pioneer Heaven Court. Tanner Shue excelled in Netherworld arts, with unmatched talent and mastery in Youdu magic, rivaling the Lord of the Underworld.
Ian Shawking, on the other hand, was supreme in god-sense arts. He could easily ambush Tanner Shue, and Tanner called him his old nemesis—clearly, their strength was evenly matched, and they’d clashed more than once.
Both of them cultivated the Netherworld Dao system—but their specialties diverged.
"Heavenly Court has always lacked an Emperor’s-Throne-level god-sense scripture. Sadly, the Crimson Emperor died four hundred thousand years ago, and his Threefold Undying Mind was lost to history."
Ian Shawking said, "Heavenly Court pinned its hopes on me, expecting me to create an Emperor’s-Throne god-sense scripture. But I kept disappointing them, so I was sent down here as Great Prison judge. Only when I arrived in the lower world did I discover that the Threefold Undying Mind, which Heavenly Court desperately sought, was as common as cabbage—almost every divine arts practitioner has learned it, just at varying levels of mastery."
Quinn smiled.
Ian Shawking said, "White Jasper passed this scripture to me, so I’ve looked after him and spared him suffering. Lately, I’ve been studying the Threefold Undying Mind and gained a lot. Heavenly Venerable, you survive without a soul—surely that’s thanks to the Threefold Undying Mind, isn’t it?"
Quinn laughed, "I’m the one who spread that scripture in the first place—of course I understand it."
Ian Shawking laughed heartily, "Then I won’t bother showing off in front of you."
His words carried a warning: he was cautioning Quinn not to show off his skills before a master.
They had already delved deep underground. The deeper they went, the darker and damper it became, the air thick with a rank stench. Here, rivers of blood flowed down from the outside, snaking along channels and winding past row after row of cages.
The roots of the Origin‑Root Tree wove an intricate maze, each thick tendril forming a cage that suppressed prisoners within. Finer roots twisted like chains, binding gods and demons, piercing straight through their bodies and souls.
These prisoners hung suspended in their cages, wailing day and night, their divine and demonic blood dripping down the roots and falling into the river of blood below.
This river of blood was filthy and foul, spawning all manner of monsters—giant bugs and grotesque creatures with many limbs—clinging to the prisoners' bodies to gorge themselves on blood.
Whenever a warden approached, the monsters would scurry into the shadows behind the prisoners, only crawling out again to feed once the warden had passed.
Wardens patrolled the prison endlessly, defenses tight and unyielding.
Quinn Shepherd observed closely: the roots of the Origin‑Root Tree were unimaginably tough. This was the true body of Earth Mother Primordial Lady, and the flesh of such an ancient god was as hard as an Emperor’s‑Throne divine weapon—only a treasure like the Imperial Gate Divine Saber could hope to sever it.
Moreover, the runes etched on the surface of these roots were the Dao runes of Earth Mother Primordial Lady herself, making escape from this place nearly impossible.
Among those suppressed here were many at the Jade Capital and High Heaven Hall stages—leaders of various clans under Earth Mother, rulers of the many heavens of the Origin World. Now, all had become mere prisoners.
The wardens treated these high‑ranking prisoners with particular care, using large basins to collect their divine and demonic blood. Once a basin was full, they would carefully carry it outside.
"Their blood is extremely valuable—the finest pigment there is."
Judge Shawking led the way ahead, explaining, "When building a divine city, ordinary god and demon blood is enough for stabilizing the rune-engraved city walls. But only the palaces of rulers qualify for pigment made from the blood of Jade Capital and High Heaven Hall stage powerhouses. Different races have different blood colors; murals painted with such blood never fade and always look fresh, so it's highly sought after. Some high gods in Heaven even like to drink blood, but only the best—not the common sort. That's why our prison supplies them as well."
Quinn narrowed his eyes. Among the wardens, some gods were skilled in medicine, tending to the wounds of these prisoners to keep them alive—so they could continue producing 'pigment' without end.
"Judge Shawking, I'm going to kill you!"
A prisoner with a qilin's head and a human body roared furiously, his voice harsh: "If I ever break free, I'll tear you to pieces!"
Judge Shawking burst into laughter. Suddenly, an eye opened at his brow, and a lotus flower of divine sense flew out, sinking into the qilin chieftain's mind.
The qilin chieftain instantly turned dazed and docile, a gentle expression blooming on his face; he made no more noise.
"Divine sense arts—he'll now be lost forever in a land of dreams, intoxicated and oblivious."
Judge Shawking explained to Quinn, "I've used my arts to shape a real fantasy world in his consciousness. Inside, he can have anything he wants and never escape. He can even strive and fight his way to become Heavenly Emperor, savoring endless joy. This also eases his pain, letting him happily produce pigment."
Dragon‑Qilin shuddered violently. He recognized that qilin chieftain—years ago, in Earth Mother's underground palace, this very leader had guided his cultivation.