Ever Since Ancient Times, Crafty Commoners Cherish Grand Ambitions

Grandpa Blind tilted his head back and laughed, "Brother, when you said you found a sword scar on the Dao Gate wall that doesn't match Dao Gate sword arts, isn't that just tipping your hand? I don't know what you're investigating, but when you tell people what you're looking for, if Shepherd's the culprit, he'll just change his sword style."

Captain Qu He fixed his gaze on him, replying leisurely, "How do you know I didn't say it on purpose for him to hear?"

Grandpa Blind was momentarily taken aback.

Captain Qu He clasped his hands behind his back and smiled, "If he's involved in this case, then when he uses sword arts, he'll deliberately hide his true style. Whether he's hiding or not, I can see it at a glance. And even if he tries to conceal it, the subtle textures of the sword art and the tiny runes formed by his vital qi will still leave traces."

Quinn Shepherd felt a chill in his heart.

Captain Qu He continued, "If he's related to the case, as long as he uses a sword move, he can't fool my eyes. If he's not involved, then he has nothing to hide. In the Heavenly Court Divine Constable Camp, I'm famous as the Divine Eye—petty tricks can't escape me."

Grandpa Blind grinned, "What a coincidence, I'm a Divine Eye too. Folks who know me call me Grandpa Blind, but I'm no constable. I do know a big monk who used to be one, though."

"So the Divine Eye of the lower realm is called Grandpa Blind?"

Captain Qu He couldn't help but chuckle, "People down here are really interesting. If the fastest runner is called Crippled, then what do you call him?"

Grandpa Blind clapped his hands, laughing, "You said you're a Divine Constable of the Heavenly Court—I didn't believe it at first, but you do have some real skills! That's right, our fastest runner in Everpeace is called Crippled. And in our little backwater, the best butcher is Heavenblade, the prettiest woman is Granny Sue, the top smith is Mute—he's also the loudest when cursing. The best painter is Deaf, the handsomest man is the faceless Apothecary, but the greatest swordsman is our Village Chief. He used to have no limbs at all, just a stick."

Captain Qu He burst out laughing. "You really are a bunch of oddballs. Down here, the gods are nothing like those lofty figures in Heaven—you're more like street performers out to entertain the crowd!"

Grandpa Blind let out a sigh. "That's right. We country bumpkins down here can't compare to the grand lords of the Heavenly Court, so we just scrape by, putting on a show to make a living. To tell the truth, most days I earn my keep telling fortunes, waving my banner through the market—folks say I'm always spot on."

Captain Qu He spoke with genuine admiration, "Remarkable people with remarkable ambitions. You all have such talent, yet you're content to live ordinary lives. If I had your skills, I'd rebel for sure—take a mountain, declare myself king, pillage and burn, become a local tyrant!"

Grandpa Blind grinned from ear to ear. "Wouldn't dare! We're all law-abiding folk, not rebels. All we do is occasionally knock off a few clueless Heavenly Court visitors—beat up the gods above, tangle with those Nether Marshals, maybe even go a few rounds with Prince Umbral. Divine Constable, we wouldn't dare rebel, but robbing a few lords is the only way we can get by."

Captain Qu He beamed, clapping his hands in approval. "Excellent! Truly excellent!"

Grandpa Blind was all smiles. "We've always been excellent. As the old saying goes: 'Since ancient times, crafty villagers have wild ambitions, daring to call the Heavenly Emperor no true man!' To the lords of the Heavenly Court, aren't we just the unruly folk of wild mountains and rivers?"

Quinn Shepherd sincerely praised, "Grandpa Blind, your refinement is on another level—your poetry is top-tier!"

Grandpa Blind puffed up with pride, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

Captain Qu He burst out laughing. "Even rebellion comes with such flair—no wonder His Majesty says there are always crafty villagers plotting against him down below!"

Grandpa Blind chuckled, "You always greet people with a smile, but there's a tiger behind that friendly face. Divine Constable from the Heavenly Court, we're on the road—will you let us pass?"

Captain Qu He smiled, eyes crinkling. "Of course you may pass. Go on, just don't mess up the scene."

Dragon-Qilin and the water qilin crept forward, careful with every step. Overhead, the world-ark hung motionless, Captain Qu He still standing at the prow with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep and watchful as he tracked their approach.

Jaden Jadehall stood beside him and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Behind Captain Qu He, a colossal thousand-zhang Primordial Spirit silently materialized.

The thousand arms of that Primordial Spirit unfurled like petals, each palm slowly opening to reveal a massive divine eye.

Yet down below, Grandpa Blind and the others seemed completely unaware, ambling along at their own pace.

Jaden Jadehall broke out in a cold sweat, his heart pounding from nerves.

Captain Qu He glanced at him, lips curled in a half-smile, half-smirk.

Atop Dragon-Qilin's head, Grandpa Blind looked perfectly at ease, humming a little tune as his eyes slowly closed.

At his waist, a black dragon-bone belt began to unfurl—the bone claws, hidden until now, flexed open and hooked into the air.

The Dragon Reaver God-Spear roused, circling Grandpa Blind's waist in slow flight, its joints rattling with a faint, metallic clatter.

Quinn Shepherd stepped back two paces, scanning the area warily. Up on the world-ark, several young constables vaulted off the deck—not falling to the ground, but hovering in midair, each wielding shields, chains, and sabers.

Out in the wild, the Howlsky Pack—wolf-headed, human-bodied gods—suddenly froze, every muzzle turning toward Quinn's group.

Quinn's eye twitched. He reached out and gripped his Sword Pill; with a heavy squeeze, it expanded in the wind, transforming into a divine sword. Crossing his arms, Quinn split the sword in two.

The young constables flicked their chains, sending beams of light shooting out. The chains linked together, weaving into rings that flowed and shifted through the air.

Quinn narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Fatty Shui, guard your master. Fatty Long, stay sharp."

At last, they reached the shadow beneath the ship.

On the prow, Captain Qu He's smile deepened, growing sharper.

Suddenly, his thousand-zhang Primordial Spirit unfurled its thousand arms, fingers splayed, reaching down from the deck toward the ground!

In that instant, Quinn and his companions saw a thousand giant eyes appear beneath the world-ark's shadow, each swirling with formations. Blinding beams crisscrossed, weaving a storm of bizarre arrays that attacked from all directions!

The arrays shifted countless times in a blink, unleashing terrifying power that shredded the space beneath the ship!

The light from those surging beams was so intense that Quinn couldn't keep his eyes open. He quickly shut them, finally understanding why Grandpa Blind had closed his own first.

Just then, a dragon's roar echoed. Quinn sensed Grandpa Blind vanish from his side, but by tracking the flow of qi, he could feel deadly arrays colliding all around—waves of force powerful enough to crush them over and over!

Yet at the very moment those arrays reached their peak, they flipped from death gates to life gates. Quinn could sense Grandpa Blind's small figure weaving through the chaos, the Dragon Reaver God-Spear tapping and tweaking each array, turning them outward into killing formations!

Under the world-ark's shadow, the arrays erupted. Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the hundred-zhang ship groaned, hurled skyward, and shattered in midair.

Countless treasures spilled from the ship, scattering beams of light across the sky.

Quinn's vision cleared; looking up, he saw, amid the falling treasure-light, Captain Qu He's thousand-armed, thousand-eyed demonic god colliding with Grandpa Blind wielding the black dragon spear—one giant, one small, locked in fierce combat high above.

Meanwhile, the young constables flicked their wrists, chains interlacing with a swish, snapping toward Quinn and his group!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Their shields flew up, forming walls around Quinn and the others—above, below, all sides—locking the space tight.

Within those shield walls, chains rattled and wove tighter and tighter, sealing the space even more.

Jaden Jadehall grew secretly anxious: "This is bad! In this situation, Quinn will have no choice but to use his real sword art, or he'll never break free. If he reveals even a single authentic move, he'll be exposed as the one who killed the Heavenly Court envoys..."

Just then, inside the sealed shield-wall, came a crackling explosion—a streak of sword-light flashed, slicing through shield after shield!

Quinn grew three heads and six arms; the golden willow leaf on his brow vanished, and with a roar, beams shot from his vertical eye, sweeping in every direction!

The young constables couldn't withstand it—some were cut down, and even their Primordial Spirits, barely escaping, were sliced in half!

Suddenly, the previously frozen Howlsky Pack sprang into motion, leaping like ghosts from all sides, pouncing on Quinn's group.

Behind Quinn, the Gate of Bearing Heaven suddenly manifested, spinning like a gyroscope as it opened, billowing black qi. Centered on Quinn, it whirled, unleashing a storm of shadow!

Bodies dropped from the sky. The Howlsky gods swept by the Gate of Bearing Heaven had their Primordial Spirits sent straight to Youdu—their bodies remained whole, but their souls were gone.

Suddenly, the remaining young constables shouted, chains shooting from their sleeves to anchor into the Gate, freezing it in place.

Quinn tried to move the Gate, but it wouldn't budge. At that moment, the wolf-headed Howlsky gods lunged for his group!

A Celestial River appeared, floating a thousand zhang overhead. Quinn's Primordial Spirit stood atop it, arms raised; his flying sword exploded with a bang, scattering into countless blades. In a flash, sword-light filled the sky, forming an ocean of blades!

Within the sword-light sea, shattered bodies drifted everywhere, blood dyeing the ocean crimson.

Village Chief's Sword Diagram, second form: One Sword Opens the Pioneer Era.

One Sword Opens the Pioneer Era—Blood Like an Ocean!

Suddenly, the sword-light ocean shattered. Amid the broken corpses, one wolf-headed Howlsky god burst forth—he was the strongest, already a true deity. Quinn's group-attack sword art couldn't kill him outright; by concentrating his power to break the wave, he even saved a few others.

His claws reached for Quinn atop Dragon-Qilin's head.

Quinn's sleeves billowed, bursting into a storm of array-runes that swept Water Qilin and Heaven-Guide Venerable away.

In a flash of light, Water Qilin and Heaven-Guide Venerable were sent far off.

Quinn raised his palm to meet the wolf-god's deadly claws.

With a thunderous boom, the world shook. Quinn's palm was slick with blood; the tendons in his forearm snapped, piercing through his skin and jutting out.

His fingers twisted grotesquely, bones shattered, digits bent at unnatural angles.

The wolf-god immediately followed with a kick aimed at Quinn's head—but a burst of Heavenly Fire detonated from inside the god's body, reducing him to ash in a blink.

Quinn hacked off his mangled arm and instantly grew a new one. He spun into the air, body whirling like a top, sprouting three heads and six arms—six palms, yin and yang, slammed down toward the ground.

At the same time, the remaining Howlsky demigods and young constables intercepted him midair, pouncing from all sides!

Even as he was struck, Quinn's six palms imprinted on the earth, launching him high. Dragon-Qilin charged in, flaming clouds beneath his feet, catching Quinn and speeding away.

Dragon-Qilin glanced back and spat a jet of fire at the ground.

On the ground, countless pillars of Heavenly Fire burst up from beneath, towering several zhang high. Dragon-Qilin's fire struck them, and in an instant, a massive mushroom cloud shot skyward. Those who failed to escape—both young constables and Howlsky gods—were obliterated, the shockwave scorching the land to glass for miles around.

Molten rock churned. Suddenly, thick black smoke billowed from the magma, rising in clouds that chased the fire into the sky.

High above, Captain Qu He—locked in battle with Grandpa Blind—scowled deeply. Nearly all his men were dead, and after the Heavenly Fire blast, there'd be no sword marks left to find evidence of Quinn's sword art!

"Crafty peasants!"

Suddenly, the earth trembled and split. From deep underground, a colossal form rose, tearing the land asunder. A thunderous voice roared, "Who dares disturb my slumber?"

Jaden Jadehall breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, "That earth dragon is the severed root of Mother Earth, my real aim is to frame him! If the earth dragon kills Captain Qu He and the Heavenly Court sends more constables to investigate, all the blame will fall on Mother Earth. Every trace and clue from before will be wiped out—my Azure Cloud Heaven will be completely cleared of suspicion!"

Clearing Azure Cloud Heaven's name in the first round of investigation was never his goal. There were too many clues to erase. But drawing out Mother Earth's expert to kill the constable would perfectly shift the blame—Azure Cloud Heaven's suspicion would vanish.

That was Jaden Jadehall's true scheme.