Quinn Shepherd felt uneasy inside; he was reluctant to ask Red Empress Claudia Qi for the loan of her ship.
Back then, when the Heavenly Court surrounded him, the four Emperors joined forces to trap him, and Red Empress Claudia Qi showed no mercy.
Although Quinn could understand Claudia Qi's situation—knowing she had grand ambitions and had to endure—he still felt somewhat uncomfortable about it.
He was not a saint like the Woodcutter.
The Woodcutter Sage could set aside all emotion, acting purely from interest, making decisions only after calmly and rationally weighing the pros and cons.
The Woodcutter never taught him; he couldn't achieve that kind of pure rationality.
The Woodcutter taught the Imperial Preceptor of Everpeace, but as for Quinn and Wayne Gale, he simply let them roam free, never intervening.
Quinn steadied himself and said, "In that case, let's set out and meet the Red Empress."
"My master doesn't want to see you."
Cyrus Qi said, "I contacted her back when you were at Supreme Heaven Sect. My master said she doesn't want to see you, but the Phoenix Ark can be lent to you for a while. However, once we reach Heavenly Court, she'll reclaim it. The Phoenix Ark should be arriving soon."
Quinn let out a breath of relief. Most likely, Red Empress Claudia Qi felt guilty herself, and meeting face to face would only be awkward for both of them.
"Young Master, the Phoenix Ark has arrived!" A divine soldier entered the palace and bowed.
Cyrus Qi strode out first, with Quinn following. Quinn's mind stirred, and he asked, "Brother Qi, is the Red Empress still in the Origin World, and hasn't returned to the Southern Heavens?"
Cyrus Qi replied, "She hasn't gone back. My master said she needs to hunt down an old enemy—a thief named Leo Yoran. That Leo Yoran has committed every crime imaginable, and there are still Pioneer Era remnants to be suppressed, so she must stay and search for them..."
At this, he remembered Quinn had once said he was a descendant of the Pioneer Emperor, and felt a bit apologetic. But seeing Quinn's expression, it seemed he wasn't bothered.
Although Cyrus Qi and Quinn had fought to the death more than once, their friendship was forged in battle. He admired Quinn greatly, and with the Dragon-Qilin connection, he didn't see Quinn as an outsider.
The Phoenix Ark was one of the few treasures capable of piercing the world-wall between realms. No one knew what it was made of; phoenix wings grew from its sides, and its speed was astonishing. Many times, Heavenly Court elites wishing to descend to lower worlds would borrow the Phoenix Ark from Red Empress Claudia Qi.
Quinn followed Cyrus Qi onto the ship, where thousands of Southern Heavens soldiers were stationed to operate and control it.
"This ship is an Emperor's Throne treasure—its speed unmatched in the world. But it requires tremendous power to run, so more than six thousand soldiers are needed to operate it."
Cyrus Qi ordered the ship toward Heavenly Court. The six thousand-plus soldiers activated the Phoenix Ark, which soared into the sky, slowly accelerating. Majestic phoenix wings on either side unfurled, shimmering with radiant colors, wrapping the entire ship in light.
The phoenix wings shimmered with multicolored light. As they unfurled and began to vibrate, the Phoenix Ark accelerated, moving faster and faster.
Cyrus Qi continued, "My master’s ship isn’t the only treasure that can pierce the world’s barriers, but it’s by far the most comfortable. Onboard, you never have to worry about getting tossed around by spatial turbulence."
The Phoenix Ark kept picking up speed, yet inside it remained perfectly steady. When all the phoenix wings reached full vibration, the ship hit its peak velocity—then, with a resonant hum, vanished from the Origin World!
Quinn stood at the prow, watching as the Phoenix Ark sliced through space. The void became a cascade of brilliant light bands, and the treasure ship sped along those ribbons at an unfathomable pace.
The Phoenix Ark’s speed far surpassed anything Quinn had ever imagined. Clearly, Red Empress Claudia Qi possessed extraordinary skill.
"Indra King Buddha has always wanted to reach the Emperor’s Throne, even borrowing techniques from Great Brahma Heaven. But the gulf between High Heaven Hall and the Emperor’s Throne is like a chasm—knowledge and foundation, both are insurmountable obstacles."
Quinn couldn’t help marveling at the ship’s speed. Its design alone proved Claudia Qi’s mastery. He recalled the old grudge between Indra King Buddha and the Red Empress, thinking, "There are plenty of High Heaven Hall stage powerhouses in the world, but so few ever reach the Emperor’s Throne. That’s the real reason—getting from High Heaven Hall to Emperor’s Throne is as hard as climbing to the sky."
Indra King Buddha Leo Yoran created his own Indra King Buddha Canon, but compared to the Immeasurable Kalpa Sutra of Great Brahma King Buddha, the difference in knowledge and foundation can’t be bridged by cultivation alone.
Red Empress Claudia Qi might be a notch below Great Brahma King Buddha, but Leo Yoran—compared to her—was even further behind.
The Phoenix Ark raced through space for an unknown length of time before gently slowing, emerging from the depths of the void into a vast, star-filled expanse.
Quinn stood at the prow, gazing out. The stars here burned with dazzling brilliance, and radiant bands of light linked them together like chains, connecting the constellations across the sky.
This was true outer space—not a celestial chart.
"That’s the Tiangang Star Realm—one of the Thirty-Six Tiangang Stars. In the center stands Tiangang City, also known as the Jade Qilin Star."
Cyrus Qi explained, "If you look from another angle, you’ll see the Tiangang Star Realm forms the shape of an ancient Jade Qilin god. The Tiangang Star Lord, one of the principal gods of the Celestial Star Court, was born in Tiangang City."
Dragon-Qilin grew excited, leaning over the prow to stare outside. "Is that where the ancestors of the Qilin race were born? The Tiangang Star Lord really came from there?"
The Phoenix Ark sped onward, soon reaching the front of the Tiangang Star Realm. From afar, the stars and their linking chains formed the unmistakable outline of a qilin.
At the center of those interwoven chains of starlight stood a vast jade city—a divine metropolis.
Cyrus Qi hesitated. "There are many kinds of qilin. The Tiangang Star Lord is a Jade Qilin—the noblest kind. Besides that, the Origin World produced five elemental qilin ancient gods: water, fire, metal, wood, and earth. As for whether Second Brother is descended from the Tiangang Star Lord, that’s beyond my knowledge."
Dragon-Qilin’s face fell.
He’d been able to wield Qilin Sacred Fire since birth, clearly belonging to the fire qilin lineage of the Origin World—not related by blood to the Tiangang Star Lord.