His head was enormous, and the swollen lump on his crown was no less impressive. Yet when he emerged from underground, he stood only five feet tall. His beard sprouted every which way—horizontal, vertical, completely unruly.
Qin Mu quickly said, "Chief of the Earthwalker God-Clan, this manor was refined by the Four Lords of High Heaven. They spared no expense."
"Those bastards again!"
The short man leapt out, landing with a thud. Though his body was small, his weight was astonishing. He looked up and said, "Earth... Giant, are you the Human Emperor? Did that blustering Human Emperor before you finally die?"
He didn’t wait for Qin Mu’s answer, bursting out in delight: "Good riddance! Did he die horribly? Bet it was a real nasty end, right? Hahaha! I just knew that guy would go out in the worst way—always strutting around, calling us up to play at counterattacks. Once or twice was fine, but you stand by the river long enough, you’re bound to get your shoes wet! The more he played, the sooner he’d capsize. Dead now, isn’t he?"
Qin Mu glanced back but didn’t see Village Chief. He wondered, "Village Chief was just here—where did he run off to now?"
"I’m Rocky Clayborne of the Earthwalker God-Clan, current chief. My ancestor was a Land Deity in the Pioneer Era—our whole family’s this short. You’ve seen the Earth Temples in the Great Ruins, right? They worship our forebears."
Rocky was quite the talker, and fast, too: "Our clan’s real prolific, so back in the Pioneer Era, Land Deities were everywhere—Earth Temples on every hill, each with one of our gods. But the purer our bloodline, the shorter we get. Since the Pioneer Era ended, our lineage’s gone downhill, and we keep getting taller. Me, I’m already a ‘giant’ by Earthwalker standards—my ancestors would sneer at me. Oh, and I’ve got twenty-eight brothers; I’m the eldest. My second brother’s name is…"
Qin Mu coughed and said, "Everyone, please come inside."
Suddenly, a demon wind swept in. When it died down, five men and women of wildly different appearances stood in the pitch-black gale and announced, "Demon race leaders, the Five Immortals, have come at the Human Emperor’s invitation."
Village Chief was mortified, but Rocky Clayborne and the others burst out laughing, crowding forward. "We recognized you ages ago—we just wanted to mess with you a bit!"
You may have summoned us time and again, but we all miss those days fighting side by side with you!
To be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in our lifetimes—that's the greatest honor we've ever had!
...
Suddenly, Village Chief was overcome with tears, choking up so much he couldn't speak.
The Imperial Preceptor of Everpeace felt a surge of emotion. The previous Sword God had so many close friends—something he himself could never hope to match.
Elder Buddha and the Old Dao Lord arrived, and the hall grew lively once again.
"Humans really are the dominant race—no wonder they've always ruled the land." The Whale King watched as most of the experts present were human. Even with all the other races combined, they could only barely stand equal to the humans, maybe not even that. He couldn't help but sigh.
Willow Immortal turned to Qin Mu and asked, "Human Emperor, now that you've brought out the Human Emperor Seal, what do you require of us?"
Willow Immortal was a woman. Her name sounded like a willow spirit, but in truth she was an ancient green snake with Azure Dragon blood. She claimed to be old, yet her appearance was quite youthful.
Among all the races, humans boasted lifespans of over eight hundred years, while the others could surpass that limit. As for Willow Immortal, no one could tell just how long she’d lived—Qin Mu couldn’t guess. Most of the powerful guests here had fought alongside Village Chief in the past, so their ages must be considerable.
The other Four Immortals—White Immortal, Yellow Immortal, Gray Immortal—were all men, while Fox Immortal was a woman.
"Intercept High Heaven."
Qin Mu looked around at the assembly. "Everyone, you must have seen the stone statues and strange treasures cropping up all over Everpeace, right? High Heaven's gods will descend soon and unleash the disasters sealed within those treasures—earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, thunderstorms, tempests, all at once. If that happens, none of your clans will survive."
The crowd furrowed their brows. On their way here, they had indeed noticed many statues. If Qin Mu was right and catastrophe struck, their clans would be doomed.
The Imperial Preceptor said, "Before I arrived, I brought one of the treasures that appeared underground. Please, everyone, take a look."
He produced a Glutton Dragon Pouch and carefully opened it, channeling his magic to levitate a crimson, round cauldron and gently set it on the ground.
Everyone crowded forward to inspect it. The cauldron glowed red, with flames seeping from inside and drifting around its rim. Its lid was sealed tight, ringed with layers of runic locks.
Within the cauldron seemed to lurk endless, terrifying power, making the hall itself tremble rhythmically. Even the glass tiles overhead rattled in time, almost musically.
The whole manor shook, and the trees outside swayed gently.
The Imperial Preceptor was extremely cautious, clearly afraid to trigger the wild energy sealed inside the cauldron.
"This is the Quake Cauldron."
Rocky Clayborne circled the cauldron twice, his voice booming like thunder. "The Quake Cauldron stores seismic energy. If it detonates, tens of thousands of mountains in Everpeace would be flattened! My ancestors once refined such treasures at an emperor’s command, collecting the power of earthquakes."
He pulled out a heavy hammer, its head flat in front and pointed at the back, and struck the cauldron with a resounding clang.
The Imperial Preceptor tried to intervene, but it was already too late.
Inside the manor, all was calm, but outside, for more than a hundred li, the mountains suddenly convulsed and danced, swaying like waves. Rocks split, earth heaved, and countless trees collapsed in an instant!
Sage Nicholas Tranquil was furious. He snatched the hammer from Rocky, but nearly collapsed under its weight, hurriedly letting go. "Three-Inch Nail, are you crazy?" he yelled.
Rocky picked up the hammer as if it weighed nothing. "I know these things well—a single tap won't hurt. The area is deserted anyway... right?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "There's no one living nearby. But Chief Clayborne, please don't act so rashly."
"Let me try!"
Sean Blacktide of the Black Tortoise Clan stepped forward, his voice deep. "Three-Inch Nail, you strike the Quake Cauldron; I'll see if I can suppress the shockwave."
Rocky's eyes gleamed. "The Black Tortoise Shield is said to be the strongest defense—maybe you really can block the Quake Cauldron's shock! All right, let's give it a try!"
Qin Mu was about to intervene when Granny Sue quietly held him back, shaking her head and whispering, "Mu'er, what they respect is the Human Emperor Seal, not you. They won't listen to you until they've knocked their heads bloody. Only then will they truly join you against High Heaven."
Qin Mu stopped trying to persuade them. "Imperial Preceptor, please move the cauldron outside and let them test it."
The Imperial Preceptor carefully levitated the Quake Cauldron and carried it out of the hall.
Everyone gathered outside. Sean Blacktide, entwined with his Teng Snake, let out a roar as layer upon layer of tortoise-shell sigils flew out, encasing the cauldron in nearly a hundred shining defensive seals.
Rocky Clayborne hefted his pointed hammer and struck the cauldron hard. A thunderous boom shook heaven and earth as the cauldron's stored power erupted.
The annihilating shockwave instantly blasted through Sean Blacktide's hundred-layer defense. He and his Teng Snake revealed their true dragon-tortoise form, straining to suppress the quake, but were hurled away, coughing blood.
Everyone's faces changed. They all unleashed their strongest defensive arts, forming a web of incomplete Divine Bridges in the sky as their Primordial Spirits rose and joined forces to suppress the cauldron's shock.
For a moment, the Quake Cauldron's power abated, then surged again, blasting mighty figures in all directions around the manor.
Pale and shaken, everyone climbed to their feet, staring at the crimson cauldron with undisguised shock.
Even though they'd managed to hold back the terrifying power, nearly everyone had suffered some injury.
Sean Blacktide wiped blood from his mouth, reverting to human form. "Three-Inch Nail, how much of the cauldron's true power did your hammer actually trigger?" he called out.
Rocky Clayborne shook his head. "That wasn't even one percent of the Quake Cauldron's full might..."
A heavy silence fell over the assembly.
Here stood the strongest figures of the era, yet they couldn't even fully contain a fraction of a single Quake Cauldron. If High Heaven's gods arrived to activate all these treasures...
The Imperial Preceptor hurriedly stowed the cauldron, fearing Rocky would try again. "There are seventeen more like this. Each one is extremely difficult to move and dangerously unstable. Even a slight mishap could trigger the power inside."
"One would be enough to destroy Everpeace. Seventeen more—now that's truly extravagant," someone muttered.
The Whale King's eyes flashed. "This isn't just a human problem. When all eighteen god-demon relics erupt, every clan in the world will be doomed—including those of the oceans."
Rocky Clayborne said, "Every Earthwalker beneath the ground will be shaken to death."
The Wing King added, "If endless storms fill the sky, my winged race won't escape either."
The Fox Immortal said, "If volcanoes erupt, my fox clan will be wiped out as well."
Willow Immortal spoke softly, "If the world is destroyed, not even immortals will escape."
Qin Mu said, "That’s why I summoned you all here—to intercept High Heaven."