Quinn Shepherd changed into his Everpeace official robes and stepped out of the room, only to see Lynn Ling had also donned her envoy attire, instantly catching his eye.
This time, they were visiting the Chiming Divine Son as representatives of the Everpeace Empire, so formal court dress was required.
Everpeace had many female officials, and women cultivators were no fewer than men—even among the top-ranking ministers, several were women. The attire for female officials was especially refined: Lynn Ling’s robes were those of a court lady, a purple gown cinched with a jade belt, her skirt flaring wide like a lotus blossom, while her upper garment was close-fitting with narrow sleeves.
Her dress had an inverted heart-shaped neckline, revealing crescent-moon curves on either side of her chest. Over it she wore a sheer outer robe and several floating sashes, which, infused with vital qi, drifted elegantly around her waist and behind her head.
Quinn couldn’t help but steal a few more glances. There were many styles for female officials, but few could truly bring the garments to life. Everpeace women were bold in style—though not as daring as those of the Western Lands, their attire still highlighted feminine beauty.
Lynn Ling, blushing, shot him a glance and teased, “Where are you looking?”
Quinn quickly looked away, but snuck another glance or two. Lynn Ling, annoyed, discreetly tugged at her neckline.
The First Human Emperor stepped out, coughed, and startled both of them.
He was dressed as usual. After all, he wasn’t an Everpeace official and didn’t need to change into their court robes.
“Let’s go. Today is the day for a show of force.”
The First Human Emperor strode outside, his tone mild: “We’ve lingered here long enough. One month inside equals seven months outside—the time spent on this trip has far exceeded my original estimate.”
Quinn nodded and followed him. “The Chiming Divine Son has trained Ben Coates well these past days. I checked on him—he’s badly injured, but his strength has soared. Ben learns fast; he’s already mastered the Seamless War-God Art and picked up plenty from the Hanging Realm’s cultivators. His wounds show how strong the Hanging Realm’s practitioners are. Lynn, there are quite a few here who aren’t weaker than you—and some may be much stronger.”
Lynn Ling stepped forward. Quinn sneaked a glance, only to find that Lynn had pulled her bodice up high, leaving him a bit disappointed: “She just adjusted her neckline, and now the bodice is way up…”
His old village granny had taught him from childhood: girls with generous chests were the prettiest, so whenever he saw one, he couldn’t help but look twice.
This was the aesthetic standard of Oldridge Village—no room for compromise. The Apothecary once said: “Shepherd, looking at a girl’s chest isn’t about lust, it’s about considering your future children. It’s a serious matter!”
Quinn had always taken this to heart.
The First Human Emperor said, “With so many young experts in the Hanging Realm, we can’t take them lightly. Shepherd, don’t let your guard down.”
Quinn smiled. “I’ve never underestimated them. Back on the ship, I was already thinking about how to handle them.”
Soon, a booming voice rang out from the plaza: “Envoys from Everpeace—Princess Lynn Ling and High Libationer Quinn Shepherd—pay respects to the Chiming Divine Son! His Majesty has prepared gifts for His Divine Highness!”
The Chiming Divine Son and his retinue of three-headed, six-armed gods and demons turned to look. Quinn and Lynn Ling approached unhurriedly; both envoys were young—the boy elegant and striking, the girl valiant and spirited. Onlookers couldn’t help but quietly admire them.
“Who’d have thought one head and two arms could look this good?” a three-headed, six-armed god whispered in admiration.
Another god beside him quickly warned, “Quiet! Careful, the Divine Son might hear you!”
The god stiffened. The Chiming Divine Son, like Quinn Shepherd, hadn’t transformed into a three-headed, six-armed form. Fortunately, it seemed the Divine Son hadn’t heard, so he relaxed a little.
Quinn produced the sword manual containing three foundational forms, while Lynn Ling presented the treasures entrusted to her by Emperor Evan. A god stepped forward, accepted the offerings, and respectfully ascended the long steps to present them to the Chiming Divine Son.
The Chiming Divine Son ignored Emperor Evan’s treasures and focused solely on the sword manual, flipping through it.
He’d already seen these three basic sword techniques from Ben Coates more than once, but couldn’t help reading through them again.
Of all the gifts, only the sword manual was truly priceless!
“Even subtler than what I’d deduced myself.”
The Chiming Divine Son closed the manual and smiled. “The Everpeace Emperor is thoughtful indeed. Envoys, please come up and take your seats.”
Quinn and Lynn Ling stepped forward, but suddenly a three-headed, six-armed cultivator broke from the crowd, blocking their way. Bowing with all six arms, he declared, “Everpeace—a tiny outer nation—wants to ally with the Chiming Divine Dynasty. Surely you must have some extraordinary merit. I am Connor Hu; may I ask the envoys for a demonstration?”
Quinn looked ahead and saw at least ten thousand three-headed, six-armed cultivators on the plaza. He frowned, then glanced upward—Adrian Chime, the Chiming Divine Son, sat high above, expressionless and silent.
Quinn replied politely, “How could I dare make a move in front of the Divine Son? Wouldn’t that be a capital offense?”
Adrian Chime’s voice came from above: “Envoys, come up and take your seats for a proper discussion.”
Old fox.
Quinn raised his eyebrows. Adrian Chime hadn’t said, ‘I pardon your offense,’ clearly not wanting Quinn to go all out. He only invited Quinn and the others up, without telling the thousands of Hanging Realm cultivators on the plaza to withdraw.
Obviously, if Quinn and his group wanted to ascend, they’d have to fight their way up!
“Brother Hu, you’ve sparred with Grand Venerable before, right?”
Quinn smiled. “Grand Venerable is very strong.”
“Grand Venerable?” Connor Hu was puzzled.
Quinn grinned. “That’s Ben Coates—‘Grand Venerable’ is my nickname for him. When you fought, did you win or lose?”
Not far away, Ben Coates—standing behind Chi Creek—grunted and muttered, “Nickname? The hell kind of nickname is that…”
Connor Hu said, “I’m one of the few who’ve beaten him, but that was ten days ago. Last time, it took hundreds of exchanges to win; now I can do it in twenty or thirty moves!”
Quinn nodded slightly. “Grand Venerable’s cultivation is extraordinary. Beating him is impressive.”
Connor Hu said solemnly, “I’m at the Life-and-Death Realm. What about you? I’ll suppress my cultivation to the Divine Treasure Realm so it’s a fair fight!”
“I’m at the Seven Stars Realm now, but I’ve nearly broken through to Heaven’s Gate.”
Quinn thought for a moment. “Divine Son, could you have everyone on the plaza suppress their cultivation to Seven Stars Realm?”
Adrian Chime looked surprised, then nodded. A god beside him called out, “All disciples, seal your cultivation!”
A chorus of sealing sounds echoed across the vast plaza as divine treasures closed. Quinn thought again, then carefully removed the golden willow leaf from his brow and stowed it away. The First Human Emperor frowned. “Shepherd, that’s not necessary.”
Quinn smiled. “I just want to get this over with quickly. We’ve wasted enough time here. Lynn, stick close behind me.”
Lynn Ling nodded.
Quinn looked at Connor Hu and smiled, “Brother Hu, I may have to offend you in a moment.”
Suddenly, a crackling explosion sounded from within him—flesh and blood surged, and another head sprouted from his neck, then a third from his right side. Bones pressed out from under his skin at his armpits, and arms burst forth!
Three heads, six arms!
Lynn Ling jumped in surprise—only now did she notice Quinn had somehow altered his official robes, loosening the collar and tailoring the armpits to fit four extra arms, even adding trim to the seams.
Of course—the cowherd is also a skilled tailor!
She thought, “But these three heads and six arms are terrifying…”
As Quinn revealed his three-headed, six-armed form, each of his three foreheads bore a vertical eye—three eyes, half-open and half-closed.
Connor Hu charged in, six arms wielding blades, shouting with excitement, “You’ve mastered our Hanging Realm techniques too? Now that’s a worthy match!”
Even with his cultivation sealed, Connor Hu was still incredibly strong and fierce. His blade technique wasn’t just pure swordplay—spells and divine arts were woven in. Clearly, Ben Coates had used Lynn Ling’s battle technique fusion, which Adrian Chime then taught to everyone!
Lynn Ling’s heart skipped a beat—just then, Quinn’s six hands layered together, unleashing the Heaven-Turning Yin-Yang Palm in three overlapping strikes. With a thunderous boom, Connor Hu was sent flying backward even faster than he’d charged!
He was shocked and furious as his six blades stabbed into the ground, slicing a trail of sparks as he skidded along!
Whummm—
Quinn’s eyes shot out three beams of light, pinning Connor Hu to the ground with a resonant hum. The immense pressure drove his body forward, crashing into the crowd and sending people flying—chaos erupted on the plaza!
Quinn burst out laughing, feet planted three feet apart. He suddenly crouched, thigh muscles coiling like springs packed with boundless energy, every tendon compressed to the limit.
A torrent of battle intent erupted from Quinn, so fierce it formed a visible vortex of swirling air. The wind whipped around him, sending Lynn Ling’s robes and hair flying!
Boom!
The ground exploded, leaving a huge crater where Quinn had stood, cracks radiating outward. But the pit was empty—Lynn Ling looked up and saw only a tiny black dot high above.
With a thunderous crash, Quinn came hurtling down like a comet into the crowd, even as Connor Hu’s sliding body hadn’t yet stopped.
Before his laughter faded, the sword pill in his hand split into six—blades flashed in every direction, transforming in an instant into a vast mountain-and-river formation, engulfing countless cultivators.
With a flick of Quinn’s six hands, the six swords rippled like scales, recombining and transforming into six long blades.
Where did those long blades go? Like tigers among sheep!
The flock scattered—no threat to the tiger at all. Charging into the crowd, only six could actually attack him. Against six opponents of equal realm, he was utterly invincible!
In an instant, the blades became a giant sphere of light, swirling in every direction, sweeping up countless cultivators. Then the light vanished—Quinn, arms wide, dashed through the throng with lightning speed.
Wherever he ran, thunder cracked in his wake. All around, three-headed, six-armed cultivators went flying, the air filled with crashes, bones breaking, screams, groans—and even the bleating of sheep, as actual sheep were tossed into the air.
The First Human Emperor sighed, “Creation Divine Arts—he learned them from the Wheel of Creation, blended with the techniques taught by the Grandmaster. But he still hasn’t used the Heaven-and-Earth Seal I taught him…”
Just as he thought this, his eyes lit up—Quinn finally unleashed the Seal. Amidst the chaos, Quinn’s steps blurred like a phantom, Heaven-and-Earth Seal: supreme within heaven and earth! The air nearly exploded—some were slammed deep into the ground, others sent flying hundreds of feet.
The First Human Emperor smiled with satisfaction.
Quinn’s three heads and nine eyes shot beams of divine light—whummm, whummm, whummm—blasting Hanging Realm cultivators away, rib bones breaking with each strike.
His divine eyes perfectly compensated for any flaws in his technique.
Lynn Ling stared, dumbfounded at the battlefield hundreds of feet away, and muttered, “Didn’t he tell me to stay behind him? How am I supposed to keep up when he’s that fast?”
The First Human Emperor strode forward, saying slowly, “Let’s just walk over step by step.”
Lynn Ling followed, and the two walked straight toward the palace where Adrian Chime resided.
Thud.
A three-headed, six-armed cultivator crashed down from above, landing at Lynn Ling’s feet.
Lynn Ling kept her composure, trying not to look up. All around, thuds echoed without end, like a rain of bodies—Hanging Realm cultivators fell like raindrops, and dozens of sheep tumbled down, bleating as they landed.
The area around them was a mess—countless cultivators lay sprawled everywhere, some rolling and groaning, some staring blankly skyward with six lifeless eyes, others buried beneath piles of bodies.
Lynn Ling remained as calm as possible, making her way to the foot of the steps. Just then, Quinn appeared ahead, shedding his three-headed, six-armed form and returning to normal. With a respectful expression, he joined them in ascending the steps.
People kept crashing down around them; each time someone hit the stone steps, Lynn Ling’s heart twinged. She thought, “That must hurt.”
On the steps, Ben Coates—beside Chi Creek—shrunk his head respectfully as Quinn passed.
Quinn nodded and smiled at him and Chi Creek; Chi Creek’s face was livid.
Other Hanging Realm gods and demons glared in silence, their eyes fixed on Quinn.
Quinn seemed oblivious, ascending the final step with Lynn Ling and the First Human Emperor. He gazed at Adrian Chime for a moment, then bowed deeply, his voice echoing across the plaza: “Envoys from Everpeace pay respects to the Chiming Divine Son!”
Thud.
The last cultivator crashed down at Quinn’s feet, right before Adrian Chime.
(Irrelevant passage: ‘Four thousand words, big chapter—please subscribe!’)