Quinn Shepherd's heart sank. He frantically activated the Soul-Calling Rite, striving to summon the Primordial Spirits of the Woodcutter Sage, the First Human Emperor, and the others from Youdu before those three figures descended.
The people who stepped out of the moon were Lowell Yunch and his two fellow disciples. Clearly, they hadn't entered Fairview Prefecture as Quinn had guessed.
Quinn had always thought they'd cast their spell above Fairview, but unexpectedly, they did the opposite: Lowell Yunch and his companions entered the celestial phenomenon itself—ten thousand leagues above Everpeace!
The sky is ten thousand leagues high and three hundred zhang thick. Up there, the arrays of sun, moon, and stars gather, guarded by many Heavenly Court gods who maintain Everpeace's celestial order and deceive the world below.
Lowell Yunch's group pasted the Book of Life and Death onto the moon's celestial array, using the moonlight to shine down on Fairview!
Tonight is the first day of the lunar month—there should be no moon. Across Everpeace, no one sees a moon in the sky, only scattered stars. Only Fairview can see a full moon overhead.
The people of Fairview—ordinary folk, cultivators, even divine beings like Susan Su—all suffered because of this.
Not only Susan Su, but even the Woodcutter Sage hadn't anticipated Lowell Yunch would use the moon. By the time the moonlight fell on them and they realized what was happening, it was already too late.
Their cultivation and strength were unmatched, but caught off guard and facing the Book of Life and Death—a treasure refined by the Nether City Black Emperor—losing the initiative meant losing their lives.
This single misstep led to the death of everyone in Fairview, leaving Quinn Shepherd as the sole survivor!
Quinn Shepherd, due to his identity as the Netherworld Divine Son, was the only one not controlled by the Book of Life and Death.
The only chance to turn things around is to snatch back their Primordial Spirits! Otherwise, by myself, I can't possibly stand against Lowell Yunch and his companions!
Quinn activated his divine art, and the Gate of Bearing Heaven appeared behind him. Heavy, rhythmic Youdu speech flowed from his mouth as the Gate opened, sending streams of underworld souls flying out in all directions.
"Why aren't the Woodcutter and the others' souls among them?" Quinn's heart sank further.
With the Soul-Calling Rite, as long as a person has a body left, Quinn can sense their soul and draw it to him.
Yet, searching Youdu with his divine art, he couldn't sense the souls of the Woodcutter Sage, the First Human Emperor, or the others.
The moon still hung in the sky, shining down, while the three figures who stepped out of it were rapidly approaching, growing larger and visible to the naked eye.
Quinn focused on his spell, cold sweat pouring from his forehead. Suddenly, he bit down hard and tore off the willow-leaf seal at his brow, shouting: "Heaven Duke, Crimson Emperor, in this life-or-death moment, I need to borrow my brother's power to fight the Nether City gods and demons!"
Inside the Qin-glyph continent at his brow, the big-headed infant was chewing on his toes. Hearing Quinn, he looked around curiously: "Is my naughty little brother going to eat me? But he did give me something tasty recently—that little box was delicious..."
He was still resentful, remembering how Quinn had once tried to seize his power and nearly devoured him.
Just now, Quinn had fed him a blood-red blade light from the God-Slaying Headsman's Blade, forged from blood fiend energy. The giant baby was full, and his resentment toward Quinn lessened—if only slightly.
He was still unwilling to help Quinn.
Crimson Emperor and Heaven Duke exchanged glances and conferred: "What now? If he gains the Netherworld Divine Son's power, he'll become evil. If we don't lend it, the younger brother dies, and the elder brother takes over. If he starts eating, Everpeace will soon be devoured into another Youdu without needing Nether City disciples to act."
Devouring Everpeace into Youdu might be fine, but I'm afraid he'd eat it down to white emptiness, leaving not even a ghost behind. The only strategy now is to lend the younger brother power, but not give him all of the Netherworld Divine Son's strength.
Heaven Duke said, "If we give him everything, only an Emperor's Throne powerhouse could subdue him. But if we lend just a little, he won't be overwhelmed by demonic nature, and we'll have room to maneuver."
Crimson Emperor hesitated. "Aren't you playing with fire?"
Heaven Duke chuckled confidently, "Don't worry, I never play with fire. Work with me—we'll open a sliver of the seal, but not fully, so the elder brother can't escape. He's not as cunning as the younger, but still tricky. We can't let the younger get too much Netherworld power, so we need to cooperate closely, no mistakes. The only problem now is how to persuade the elder brother to lend some power."
Both looked at the giant baby. Crimson Emperor whispered, "That's going to be tough."
The giant baby clumsily stood up, sneering, "White-bearded old man, three heads, you want to mess with me? Are you looking to die?"
Quinn was casting his spell atop the Heaven-Watching Terrace when suddenly a beam of light crashed down, shattering the Gate of Bearing Heaven behind him. Lowell Yunch, Quentin Kain, and Eamon Firth descended from the sky, hovering above the terrace.
Too late!
Quinn activated his Threefold Undying Mind, but still couldn't feel any power coming from his brow, growing increasingly anxious.
Fenix Greenwood Keane, even if you summon their souls, you can't turn the tables.
Lowell Yunch stepped down from the sky, smiling: "Because they're not in Youdu. I sent them to Nether City. You can use the Soul-Calling Rite to draw commoners' souls from Youdu, but summoning theirs won't help you."
Quinn narrowed his eyes and smiled, "No wonder I couldn't sense their Primordial Spirits—they've landed in Nether City. Nether City's arts should be derived from Youdu. In theory, my arts could snatch people from Nether City too. I've stolen from Youdu and Fengdu, but Nether City would be a first."
Eamon Firth landed on Quinn's right, saying leisurely, "Snatching people from Nether City is harder than from Youdu. Nether City's arts may originate from Youdu, but after the Black Emperor's development, they're far beyond what Youdu can do."
Quinn smiled, "Then why don't you let me try? Maybe I can snatch someone from Nether City, or find a loophole for the Black Emperor to patch."
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Quentin Kain stepped forward, saying, "Netherworld Divine Son, don't try to stall. This time, my master is personally intervening in Everpeace's affairs. As the Netherworld Black Emperor, his involvement shows how much he values Everpeace—but it also seals its fate."
Quinn's heart sank. The Netherworld Black Emperor is personally intervening?