What is an Ugly Ox (A-Chou)?
An Ugly Ox is simply someone who has lost everything.
Tu Bo’s incarnation as the Ugly Ox—his parents, wife, and children were all buried by a Heavenly Court plot targeting him. Even Tu Bo’s own power couldn’t help him get revenge at that time.
Ugly Ox and Tu Bo are two consciousnesses in one life: Tu Bo is bound by rules, while Ugly Ox tries to break them. In the end, he was left utterly alone, beaten back into Youdu by the Heavenly Emperor and suppressed at Jade-Lock Pass.
Quinn Shepherd is now also A-Chou. Like A-Chou, he is merely an attached consciousness in the original body—A-Chou is Tu Bo’s reincarnation, while Quinn is the second consciousness born inside Fenix Greenwood’s sealed infant form.
Ugly Ox has no soul of his own. Neither does Quinn.
Ugly Ox is a guardian, an avenger. He burns with rage to protect his loved ones, but no matter what, he can’t save them. In the end, he falls into the Ancient-God Emperor’s grasp.
Quinn wants to protect Everpeace too, and to avenge those killed in this catastrophe.
Ugly Ox was powerless to turn the tide and was finally suppressed at Jade-Lock Pass, enduring endless karmic flames.
In the end, Ugly Ox became a criminal under Youdu’s rules.
He was meant to be Tu Bo: righteous, impartial, possessing only divinity. Yet somehow, he was born with humanity.
Fenix Greenwood Keane is the Little Earth Sovereign; from his shell, a second consciousness—Quinn Shepherd—was born. He should have possessed only divinity, yet Quinn is the human side of the Little Earth Sovereign.
Same predicament, same fate. That’s why he is Ugly Ox (A-Chou): someone who wants to protect and avenge, but is powerless to resist.
Quinn let out a dry chuckle, gripping Venerable Skysoar’s peach-wood hairpin tightly and pointing at his own brow—where his third eye should have been, there was only a deep, empty socket.
Ancient-God Emperor, you’ve been waiting all this time, never making a move—just so I’d reach utter despair and have no choice but to rely on you?
Blood still trickled from the socket of his third eye, running down both sides of his nose. Even so, his hand was steady as he drove the hairpin deep into the hollow. He laughed softly: “With Everpeace gone, I have nothing left. Nothing matters anymore. As long as I trigger Venerable Skysoar’s hairpin, the Celestial River will burst out, destroy my body, and shatter my mind. You’ll never be reborn!”
A vast, thunderous thought surged from the sky, roaring in his mind—the Ancient-God Heavenly Emperor’s voice, cold as ice: “You shouldn’t have gouged out your own eye. Now, you don’t even have a soul left. You’re ruined—how could you possibly crack Venerable Skysoar’s divine art? You can’t retrieve my flesh, so why should I help you?”
His voice grew even colder: “You think you can control everything. You think you can toss my imperial edicts to a black pig demon, bargain with me, make me your pawn, your weapon. But you were always one move short. Do you remember Wayne Gale?”
Quinn froze.
“My Feather-Guard Corps Right Lieutenant Wayne Gale once commanded my Right Guard. Just like you, he was arrogant to madness.”
The Emperor’s voice was mocking: “He was just like you—arrogant enough to think he could infiltrate the Heaven Alliance, deceive even me, and do something for the lower worlds. But in the end, he couldn’t fool me. Because his rank was bestowed by me! The moment he slipped into the Heaven Alliance, I saw through him and captured him. He also studied Venerable Skysoar’s divine art. I’ve already ordered the Eastern Azure Emperor to drown him in the river and use him to trade for the Ghost Ship!”
He laughed heartily: “As long as I can trade for the Ghost Ship, I can also retrieve my flesh, which was locked in the Celestial River by Venerable Skysoar. I can use the Empress’s body to threaten her, I have Dao Ancestor as my ally, and I can seize Tu Bo’s daughter to control Tu Bo!
Why would I need you? I used you to reforge my souls, to make myself whole again. I used you to wound Vast-Sky Venerable, forcing him to return to the Heavenly Court and stay out of the Origin World. I used Vast-Sky to eliminate Earth Mother Primordial Lady and seize her flesh, thus gaining the entire Origin World! Now, half the cosmos lies in my grasp!
Venerable Shepherd, do you really think you’re qualified to negotiate with me?
He’s the real winner of this Origin World war!
Whether it’s Quinn Shepherd, the countless beings of the Origin World, the Heavenly Court’s divine armies, the Four Emperors, even Earth Mother Primordial Lady and Vast-Sky Venerable—they’re all his pawns!
He’s about to make his comeback—and seize half the universe for himself!
In the past, he lost because he was out in the open—everyone, from demigods to postnatal beings to ancient gods, wanted him dead.
Now he’s hidden in the shadows. Who could possibly outmaneuver him?
He is the winner—the sole victor of this Origin World war!
Quinn Shepherd said coolly, "The Eastern Azure Emperor? He's standing right behind me. Why not ask him how that exchange turned out?"
The Ancient-God Emperor's voice faded; his consciousness withdrew, clearly to question the Eastern Azure Emperor who was approaching Quinn from the east.
After a moment, Quinn felt another thought enter his mind.
It was the Emperor's consciousness—this time, he didn't ramble on like a lofty victor.
He fell silent.
Quinn replied flatly, "Wayne Gale is my First Senior Brother—the most stubborn man in the world, and the slipperiest. He's roamed ancient and modern times for a million years; you can't hold him."
The Four Emperors were already closing in, able to capture or kill Quinn Shepherd at any moment.
The Ancient-God Emperor's voice rang out again, this time not just in Quinn's mind but booming from beyond the sky itself: "Four Emperors, stop."
Claudia Qi, Jasper Yin, and the others halted, looking up to see the Origin-Root Tree—lush and towering—descend from the heavens, plunging into the center of the Origin World.
Another Heaven-Guide Venerable descended with the Origin-Root Tree—majestic, radiant, his body shining with righteous light.
The root-ball formed by the Origin-Root Tree's tendrils gently unfurled, each immense root stretching out and burrowing deep into the earth.
The roots tunneled underground, raising mountain ranges that spanned for tens of thousands of miles.
It was a spectacular, world-shaping scene—even grander than a mountain-forming event. The vitality within the Origin-Root Tree made flowers and grasses erupt across the sudden peaks, forests spring up, and rivers gleam between them.
This uncanny spectacle displayed Earth Mother's power, but the one wielding it was not Earth Mother Primordial Lady—it was the Ancient-God Emperor.
The Heaven-Guide Venerable approached and addressed the Four Emperors: "Step back. He is no longer the Netherworld Divine Son."
Claudia Qi and the others froze.
Prince Umbral said, "This youth is one of the Three Reform Heroes of Everpeace, also the famed Everpeace Overlord Body—a lingering Pioneer-Era remnant. He cannot be allowed to live..."
The Heaven-Guide Venerable glanced at him, half-smiling: "Jasper Yin, he has another title—Venerable Shepherd."
Prince Umbral's face went deathly pale.
The Heaven-Guide Venerable said calmly, "Venerable Shepherd's merit is boundless—he taught at Jade Pool and blessed generations to come. How many in this world are qualified to kill him? If you do, you'll earn only infamy. Stand down. He's already ruined—no soul, just spirit and flesh. He is no longer the Overlord Body."
Prince Umbral was dazed and lost.
He wanted to look closely at Quinn Shepherd, but guilt made his gaze flicker away—he couldn't meet Quinn's eyes.
Though he was the Black Emperor of Heavenly Court, an Emperor's Throne-level ruler of Nether City, he couldn't help but recall a million years ago whenever he met Quinn's gaze.
Quinn, on the other hand, was perfectly calm.
The Ancient-God Emperor wasn't wrong—now he had no soul left, only his Spirit Embryo Treasury and flesh.
He had always been just a consciousness born from this body after Fenix Greenwood was sealed—in fact, to be strict, even the body wasn't truly his, but Fenix Greenwood's.
He had always been an orphan.
Thirty-two years ago, on that night, Granny Sue lifted him from the basket by the river—only then did his consciousness begin to exist.
Quinn Shepherd—that was the name given to him by the Village Chief.
Prince Umbral turned and left. Claudia Qi's gaze lingered on Quinn Shepherd; after a moment, she too spread her wings and departed.
"Venerable Shepherd? Everpeace Overlord Body?"
The Green Emperor and White Emperor shook their heads and left indifferently. "He's already ruined."
The Heaven-Guide Venerable cradled Quinn Shepherd in his palm, examining him from all sides, then shook his head. "A man without a soul—how could you possibly help me reclaim my flesh? Venerable Shepherd, I find it hard to trust you."
Quinn put away the peach-wood hairpin, sat down in the Venerable's palm, and replied calmly, "That's true. If I hadn't trained in the Indestructible Divine Sense Canon, I might've died gouging out my third eye—my mind gone. It's only natural for Your Majesty to worry. Still, you have to gamble once."
The Heaven-Guide Venerable smiled. "I rarely gamble. But since meeting you, my bets have paid off. For Heavenly Court and the Heaven Alliance, there's little threat left. This time, the strongest artifact descended just for a split of the spoils. Some got Youdu, some Profound Capital, some the Ruins of Return, some the Four Celestial Extremes. And I snatched the Origin World from Vastsky Venerable! In the future, I'll take even more."
Quinn's breath was ragged; he managed a smile. "Your Majesty has claimed the Origin World—so what about Everpeace...?"
"Everpeace, I can keep immortal. I promised you that."
The Heaven-Guide Venerable smiled. "My word stands—I won't go back on it. The Origin World is a tangled mess, hard to govern; I'll grant your people a small land, let you live. That's Heaven's mercy. After all, I am Heaven itself."
Quinn breathed a sigh of relief.
"But the Reform must end. The Three Reform Heroes of Everpeace must be executed—paraded on the God-Slaying Platform. Otherwise, how will Heavenly Court keep its authority?"
The Heaven-Guide Venerable looked at his face and smiled, "You can survive. The people of Everpeace can survive. The new Celestial Map will blanket the entire Origin World—that's the future I grant to Everpeace and all its people."
Quinn Shepherd felt his heart sinking ever deeper.
A future shrouded in the Celestial Map—utterly hopeless.
The Everpeace Emperor and Everpeace Imperial Preceptor would become the sacrifices to end the Everpeace Reform.
"There are still some forces in the Origin World that need to be suppressed—like Great Black Heaven, Crimson Bright Divine Son, and Fengdu."
The Heaven-Guide Venerable set him down, smiling: "Your friend has come for you. Go with him."
Quinn saw Old Cripple sprinting over, terror and anxiety etched deep into his wrinkled face. He looked as if he'd steeled himself, mustering all his courage, charging toward Quinn and the Heaven-Guide Venerable.
Of all the elders in Disabled Elder Village, Old Cripple was the most timid—yet he was ready to risk his life to save Quinn Shepherd.
The Heaven-Guide Venerable laughed heartily and drifted away.
"Grandpa Cripple."
Quinn Shepherd looked at the old man rushing to his side and smiled, "I'm fine. I'm just so tired."
"Don't talk!"
Old Cripple hoisted him onto his back, running desperately eastward. The old man felt warm blood trickling from Quinn's back to his chest, and sensed Quinn's breath growing weaker.
"Grandpa Cripple, I remember when Granny Sue sent me to people from other villages—every time, you stole me back."
Blood poured from Quinn's mouth, his voice fading to a whisper: "I used to remember nothing about childhood—back then, I was just a faint consciousness in this body. Now, suddenly, I remember... I was only a thought born in this body, growing slowly, able to recall more and more..."
"Don't talk."
Old Cripple ran with eyes wide, giving it everything he had.
"Shepherd, don't talk. I'm taking you to the Apothecary... Apothecary, dammit, why aren't you here yet? I'm too slow, too slow!"
He ran until he coughed blood, Quinn silent on his back. Old Cripple grew frantic: "Shepherd, talk to me—don't fall asleep. Shepherd?"
Quinn opened his eyes, vision hazy. Ahead, the Dragon Sparrow soared, dancing across the sky. Yan Qiling stood on its back with the Dragon Qilin.