"Pioneer Era?"
Quinn seemed not to catch it and smiled, "Which Pioneer Emperor?"
Old Ox was still not fully recovered from his shock, murmuring almost in a dream, "There's only one Pioneer Emperor, who else could it be? He stands out so much—even among the endless masses, you can spot him at a glance. No matter how dazzling others are, your eyes are always drawn to him. He has a natural leader's aura; everyone else, no matter how brilliant, is just a star orbiting around him..."
Quinn snapped to attention and immediately looked toward that pleasure barge.
The Pioneer Emperor!
The founder of the Pioneer Era—his own ancestor!
The Pioneer Emperor is here too!
Could this be the early days of the Pioneer Era?
A powerful urge surged in his heart—he had to meet the Pioneer Emperor!
To meet him—to see his ancestor, no matter what!
Quinn leapt from the pleasure barge, chasing after the Pioneer Emperor’s boat. Old Ox hurried after him. The young woman on the barge was surprised and laughed, "Little brother, why are you leaving already?"
"Sister, I just ran into someone I know!"
Quinn spun around in midair, bowed, and said, "That person is extremely important to me. In my hurry, I forgot to tell you—please forgive me! Where do you live, Sister? Once I've finished my business, I'll come by to apologize."
The young woman waved and smiled, "If you have urgent matters, go ahead. My surname is Vermilion, given name Scarlett. I live in Vermilion Palace—come find me when you have time. Vermilion Palace is in the south of the Heavenly Court!"
Quinn agreed, turned, and sped up, heading straight for the Pioneer Emperor’s barge.
"Someone actually dares to call herself Scarlett Vermilion."
Old Ox caught up to Quinn, his voice rumbling, "Scarlett Vermilion is one of the Four Emperors. The old Heavenly Court had four emperors, and the Southern Emperor was Vermilion Bird. For this woman to call herself Scarlett Vermilion—she’s really tempting fate. Still, her strength isn’t weak; she’s almost a match for the Old Farmer."
Quinn was taken aback. "The Southern Emperor is from the Vermilion Bird clan? Isn’t the Southern Emperor Claudia Qi?"
Old Ox replied, "Claudia Qi is the Red Empress of the Southern Heavens—a nine-headed phoenix, but not the same person as the Southern Emperor. Claudia Qi is said to be a sacred figure from the Supreme Sovereign Era who later defected, rose to prominence, and gained a lot of power. But with the Southern Emperor around, she could only be called the Red Empress, not the Southern Emperor."
Quinn’s thoughts stirred, and he glanced back at the young woman, only to see the pleasure barge already drifting away.
"Scarlett Vermilion? Vermilion Palace? What’s the connection between Scarlett Vermilion and the Southern Emperor?"
Eager to catch up to the Pioneer Emperor, he set the matter aside for now and focused all his attention on chasing the Pioneer Emperor’s barge.
Scarlett Vermilion watched Quinn recede into the distance. Several maids approached and asked, "Madam, why do you treat that young man so well? He didn’t even tell you his name!"
"Even if no one knows you for a hundred years, once you become famous, the whole world will know. I think he’s that kind of person."
[Irrelevant system message skipped.]
There were many pleasure barges weaving back and forth on the Celestial River. Giant beasts stirred up waves, pulling the barges. Quinn searched everywhere but couldn’t immediately find the Pioneer Emperor’s barge.
Suddenly, a long, deep call rang out—low but immense, shaking everyone’s chest with its resonance. A massive kun, over ten li long, burst from the water, its huge fins trembling as it leapt up, stirring enormous waves.
Quinn shifted aside as the giant kun leapt skyward, its fins like wings vibrating in flight, its mouth issuing a long cry.
This era may not have Everpeace’s astounding creativity, but it boasts all sorts of strange giant beasts—quite useful for travel.
"The barge has docked!"
Quinn stared, then looked up at the sky. He saw several suns hanging high above—this ancient Heavenly Court truly had no night!
Old Ox said, "The Pioneer Emperor once told me he too experienced a supernatural event—he vanished for several months. I suspect the weirdness we’re encountering now is the same thing the Pioneer Emperor went through! In other words, just like the young Pioneer Emperor, we might be trapped in this era for several months."
Quinn pondered, "The Pioneer Emperor’s supernatural disappearance happened thirty or forty thousand years before our own time—he’s not from our era. I don’t know what might happen if we meet him. Senior Brother Sam, does the Pioneer Emperor know you?"
Old Ox blinked, "Of course he knows me. The Pioneer Emperor treated me well—he invited me several times to oversee a Heaven Palace, but I declined because I dislike trouble."
"When did you meet him?" Quinn pressed.
Old Ox thought for a moment. "I always followed my master. In his early years, he herded cattle for wealthy families—I was one of the cows he tended. I saw him secretly practicing boxing, so I learned alongside him. One day I spoke, startling him, and we became friends. When the family learned the secret art had been learned by a cowherd, they tried to kill him. I carried my master on my back and ran—we fled for ages, then met the Pioneer Emperor. He defeated our pursuers, and we followed him. Back then, he was just a Seven Stars Realm cultivator."
"So that was ages ago. He’ll definitely recognize you."
Quinn jumped off Old Ox’s back, opened his Glutton Dragon Pouch, and took out a sheet of Yellow Talisman Paper. "Senior Brother Sam, turn into human form."
Old Ox transformed into a bull-headed man. Quinn stuck the talisman to his forehead. "This is Saint-King Tianqi’s Yellow Talisman from Youdu. If you wear it, no one can see your true face. That way, the Pioneer Emperor won’t recognize you. I only have this one—I stole it and Saint-King Tianqi chased me for ages, so it’s definitely valuable."
Old Ox peeled up the talisman, curious. "Does it work elsewhere? It feels odd on my forehead and blocks my view."
"I’ve never tried putting it anywhere else," Quinn admitted.
Quinn studied him. Sure enough, he couldn’t see Old Ox’s features—just a vague outline of an old man. "Why not try it elsewhere?" he suggested.
Old Ox removed the talisman and hid it in his clothes. "Can you see my face now?"
Quinn still couldn’t see his face—just the blurry form of an old man. He laughed, "So Saint-King Tianqi’s Yellow Talisman works even when it’s not on your face? He always stuck it on mine, so I thought that was the only way. Well, let’s catch up to the Pioneer Emperor!"
He activated his Creation Art, changing his own appearance so thoroughly that not even a trace of his old self remained.
Old Ox gathered his power and sped forward, quickly overtaking the giant kun. In a flash of light, the two of them landed on its back.
The giant kun nearly collapsed under Sam Oxley’s weight, plunging rapidly from the sky!
"Which High God is playing such a trick on this humble spirit?"
The giant kun cried out, "Please get off! Please get off! High God, your body is too heavy—this humble spirit can’t bear it!"
Old Ox’s face reddened. He quickly used his power to support himself with yuanqi. The kun was about to crash, but suddenly the pressure eased. It flapped its fins, pulling itself up, and skimmed past a majestic bird-headed, human-bodied deity with wings like clouds.
That deity was wreathed in holy fire, as if surrounded by a blazing sun. He gazed curiously at the passengers on the kun’s back—this was the same Great Sun Star Lord Quinn had seen earlier.
The giant kun darted between palaces, dove beneath an arched flying bridge, then soared up into the clouds and finally steadied itself. It laughed, "High God, you boarded halfway without paying like the others. You’ll need to give extra spirit pills for the fare."
Old Ox flushed with embarrassment. "What spirit pills?" he stammered.
The other passengers stared at Quinn and Sam Oxley. One handsome young man smiled, "Kun love Jade Dragon Pills. The Heavenly Court is huge, so kun gods ferry passengers and collect Jade Dragon Pills as payment. If you don’t have any, I have some—I’ll cover the fare for you both."
Quinn thanked him, "Thank you, Senior Brother. May I ask your name?"
The young man was strikingly handsome. He smiled, "My surname is Yin, my name is Chaojin. And you, Senior Brother?"
Quinn’s eyes flashed. "Yin Chaojin? That’s a rare surname. Senior Brother Yin, have you ever heard of someone called Prince Umbral?"
The young man was surprised, then laughed, "Am I really that famous? To be honest, back in my hometown I jokingly call myself Prince Umbral, but it’s just a rural nickname among friends. And you must be Brother Qin!"
[Irrelevant promotional content skipped.]