"It's Red Empress Claudia Qi again!"
Quinn Shepherd's expression was odd—just how many people had Red Empress Claudia Qi betrayed?
Her lover Indra King Buddha, Leo Yoran, had a tangled affair with her. Queena White chased her for answers. Now Autumn Cloud Phoenix, under Earth Mother Primordial Lady's command, wants to beat her to death.
Whenever Red Empress Claudia Qi appeared, there were shouts everywhere to hunt her down or kill her.
"But what's strange is—Queena White chases Claudia Qi because she betrayed Queena's Supreme Heaven Court. Autumn Cloud Phoenix says Claudia betrayed the phoenix clan. The phoenixes serve Earth Mother Primordial Lady, who also supports a Supreme Heaven Court with fifteen generations of Supreme Sovereigns."
Quinn fell into thought: "Are these two Supreme Heaven Courts actually the same? Queena White has dragon blood, and the dragon clan are also demigods—could she be under Earth Mother's command too? But somehow, that doesn't seem right..."
Queena White once told Quinn that the Supreme Sovereign had a deeply stirring creed: 'Life Above Heaven!'
Quinn didn't know much about the Supreme Heaven Court supported by Earth Mother, but he knew its backbone was mostly demigods. Judging by their words and actions, they didn't value human life at all—in fact, they were openly contemptuous, even hostile toward humans.
For example, when the water kirin revived and saw Quinn, Heaven-Guide Venerable, and Indra King Buddha, he immediately shouted about eating them to fill his belly, calling them a lower species.
A glimpse of this is enough to see the whole picture: in Earth Mother's Supreme Heaven Court, humans hold an extremely low status.
However, in the heaven court where Queena White resides, there is a tradition of valuing human life above heaven. The lives of the people, even the common folk, are extremely important—gods are expected to sacrifice themselves to protect ordinary people!
This is the point that moved Quinn the most. Before he left, he carved these words onto the cliff.
So, to sum up, Claudia Qi was originally from the phoenix clan under Earth Mother Primordial Lady, then betrayed the phoenixes to join Queena White's heaven court. After killing the previous Red Emperor, she was captured and forced to join the Outer Heaven Court.
Quinn blinked: "In the Pioneer Era, she got involved with Leo Yoran, only to betray him as well. This Claudia Qi sister really has some issues... But the real key isn't her—it's the Supreme Heaven Court where Queena White served!"
This Supreme Heaven Court, with its creed of 'Life Above Heaven,' is the very foundation of the Woodcutter Sage's reform during the Pioneer Era!
And this philosophy carried over into the Everpeace Era.
The Sage's Way, as practiced in Everpeace, is all about the people's daily lives. It was organized by First Senior Brother Wei Sui Feng from the Woodcutter's teachings and passed on to the National Preceptor, becoming the foundation of Everpeace's nation-building.
The ideals of these three eras are truly a single, continuous thread—ever evolving.
Let's get moving!
Autumn Cloud Phoenix urged, "Before that little slut escapes!"