"The Human Emperor is pretty fierce."
Sage Nicholas Tranquil sneered, "Right now you look just like a wounded kitten baring its claws—putting on a show, trying to threaten us by acting all ferocious. In truth, you’re only hiding your own fear. But since you’ve spoken up, our Little Jade Capital Sect’s immortals are waiting for the Human Emperor’s lesson in the Three Primordials Hall and Five Qi Hall."
He said calmly, "But if you want to challenge us, you’ll first have to defeat our sect’s three disciples. Only then will you be qualified to enter the Three Primordials Hall and Five Qi Hall. If you can’t beat them, you’d best head down the mountain early!"
Village Chief’s eyes lit up. "Nicholas, thank you."
Sage Nicholas Tranquil replied coldly, "Thank me for what? I’m only making sure you two—one old, one young—finally give up on your reckless dreams! By the way, I forgot to mention: before you came, High Heaven’s Victor Bloom was here. He spent ten days clearing the Three Primordials Hall and Five Qi Hall. If you can’t even match him, leave early and don’t disgrace the Human Emperors and the saints of the Cult of the Heavenly Saint!"
Quinn Shepherd’s spirits soared and he laughed, "Victor Bloom? Just a fake Overlord Body. Me, I’m the real Overlord Body. If he could pass, why couldn’t I?"
Sage Nicholas Tranquil paused, then shook his head. "I have no idea where you get that monstrous confidence from."
Quinn’s smile faded. Watching the three figures rapidly approaching, he suddenly remembered something and whispered, "Village Chief, was I fierce just now?"
Village Chief nodded, seemingly emerging from the shadow cast by his shattered faith. "Super fierce."
"Did I scare them?"
"Terrifying."
Quinn activated the Overlord Three-Core Art and smiled, "I can be even scarier."
His internal qi surged, producing the sound of howling winds. Both Village Chief and Sage Nicholas Tranquil raised their eyebrows in surprise.
Amidst the howling wind, there came a thunderous roar like crashing waves pounding against the cliffs—clearly, Quinn’s qi was rushing and slamming into barriers as it turned!
After the sound of waves came rumbling thunder, like lightning erupting deep within storm clouds, rolling swiftly from one place to another—surely the sound of his qi flowing through the air inside his Divine Treasuries!
At that moment, Little Jade Capital Sect’s three disciples were still on their way, three immortal islands away from the scene.
"Nicholas the Immortal."
Quinn’s momentum peaked; unable to hold back, he looked at Nicholas with eager eyes and laughed, "How about we fight first, before they arrive?"
Sage Nicholas Tranquil shook his head. "If you don’t defeat them, you’re not qualified to challenge me…"
Boom—
Quinn took a single step forward, and instantly his body pressed down so hard that thunder exploded all around. In one stride, he was right in front of Nicholas—the air compressed into a wall, then shattered with a bang!
Sage Nicholas Tranquil’s eye twitched. At last, anger flashed across his face as he raised his palm, green light filling the sky.
Village Chief cut in sharply, "Nicholas, Six Directions only!"
"I know!"
Sage Nicholas Tranquil shouted, and inside him, doors slammed shut one after another—he forcibly sealed his Divine Bridge, Life-and-Death, Heaven-Man, and Seven Stars Divine Treasuries. His qi erupted as he laughed angrily, "Little Human Emperor, I’ve long been sick of you! You’re nothing but a brat who plays with water and mud—"
Their fist and palm collided. Nicholas grunted and was sent flying, crashing into a stone statue with a thunderous boom. The statue was impossibly heavy, just like those in the Great Ruins—indestructible. Nicholas’s body slammed into it, but the statue didn’t budge an inch.
"That cultivation…"
Nicholas’s lungs were nearly crushed, forcing all the air out. His face flushed red as he shouted, "Old Daoist, are you sure he’s only at the Six Directions Realm?"
Quinn charged like a wild dragon. His movement was impossibly heavy, yet his speed was astonishing—combining mountain-like mass with lightning speed, something nearly impossible for someone his age. Yet Quinn made it look easy.
Nicholas didn’t have time to think. He swept his hands, and his green qi transformed—splitting into black and white, like two giant fish swimming. Suddenly, the fish turned into twin dragons, surging toward Quinn.
"He’s at the Six Directions Realm."
Even Village Chief couldn’t hide his shock. He steadied himself and said, "But his cultivation is much stronger than before."
Back in the Spirit Embryo Realm, Quinn’s cultivation had already surpassed Village Chief’s at the same stage. Once he reached the Five Luminaries and Six Directions Realms, that gap stopped widening.
But now, after traveling through Nethergloom Ravine and returning from the Netherworld, Quinn’s cultivation had surged again!
Such overwhelming power—even Village Chief felt deeply shaken!
There was a double boom as Quinn clamped both hands together, tearing the twin dragons apart. Without slowing, Nicholas soared into the air, gathering his qi into a sword and pointing down. Thousands of sword-lights shot forth like a meteor shower, all aimed at Quinn.
A single spark moved—ten thousand swords flew!
Quinn leapt into the air, sword-light erupting as his qi turned into dragons. His body twisted, nine dragons coiling and surging forward.
Nine-Dragon Emperor Art!
Dragon and sword collided. Nicholas grunted, tapping his feet rapidly in midair to redirect and shed the overwhelming force from Quinn’s attack.
Dragon and sword shattered, turning into a rain of stars across the sky. In the midst of that starlight, a fist loomed larger and larger—Nicholas shifted his stance, trying to dodge.
Village Chief shook his head, "Trying to outstep Crippled Joe in footwork—how could you possibly win…"
Nicholas failed to dodge and had no choice but to meet Quinn’s fist head-on. With a thunderous boom, Nicholas was sent flying again.
On another immortal island, a cloud of dust rose. After a moment, the sound of Nicholas crashing into the mountain finally reached them.
"Trying to outbox Grandpa Mark, Nicholas, you’ll lose again." Village Chief shook his head once more.
Quinn sprinted through the air. The three disciples of Little Jade Capital Sect had just arrived on the immortal mountain, only to see Quinn streak across the sky like a shooting star, smashing down where Nicholas had fallen. They stared, dumbstruck, unable to process what was happening.
Village Chief glanced at the three, smiled, and said, "Nicholas the Immortal has gone over there—let’s all go take a look." With that, he floated up and flew toward the immortal mountain.
(Irrelevant system message skipped)
The three exchanged glances and quickly followed after him.
On other immortal islands, old immortals emerged from seclusion, looking in surprise toward the mountain where Quinn and Nicholas were fighting.
"What’s happening over there?" The old Tathagata and old Dao Lord were also startled and looked over.
The elder Buddha, his Dharma Eye peerless, exclaimed in surprise, "Looks like Human Emperor Qin is beating up Sage Nicholas Tranquil, and Nicholas doesn’t dare hit back."
The old Dao Lord laughed, "Seems he can’t hit back—he’s lost the initiative, and the Human Emperor’s power is suppressing him."
On that immortal island, mountain ranges stretched on and on. The old and the young fought from the base up to the summit. Quinn’s power was wild, forming a massive palm that pressed down—Nicholas rolled and tumbled to dodge, but countless ancient trees were flattened by Quinn’s strike, leaving a giant palm print on the ground!
Quinn fought with bold, sweeping moves, driving Nicholas all the way up the mountain. At the summit stood a great hall—blue bricks, red tiles, copper pillars thick as water tanks.
Nicholas was blasted into the hall. Quinn’s steps were impossibly heavy; with one sweep of his leg, he struck a copper pillar. Village Chief shook his head, calling out, "Quinn, this is Jade Capital from the Pioneer Era—a divine-forged palace! You can’t possibly break it!"
Before he finished speaking, Quinn’s leg swept through the copper pillar, snapping it in half. Village Chief was stunned.
A nearby youth quietly explained, "Senior, this hall was actually reforged by Sage Nicholas Tranquil later—it’s not as sturdy as the original grand hall…"
Over there, Quinn thrust both hands into the copper pillar, lifted the massive column, and wielded it like a spear, stabbing into the hall.
Thunderous crashes echoed from the hall. Though the copper pillar was enormous, Quinn wielded it with spear-like agility. It whistled through the air, but after a few strikes, the hall was riddled with holes, tiles and bricks flying everywhere.
Nicholas was in a sorry state, finally catching the copper pillar—only to find it suddenly blazing hot. Quinn’s power melted it, copper liquid pouring out.
The molten copper flowed down like water, then transformed in midair into countless copper swords. Ten thousand swords flew, piercing Nicholas.
Nicholas was sent flying again, crashing into a mountain on another immortal island.
Quinn powered his arms, shouting as he shoved the melting pillar forward, following close behind and crashing into Nicholas’s chest, pinning him into the mountain.
At the same time, Quinn’s figure flashed over, kneeing the copper pillar.
The mountain shook, trees rustling all over.
Village Chief and the three Little Jade Capital disciples hurried over. Just as they arrived, they saw Quinn yank the copper pillar out of the cliff, then drag Nicholas out by his collar and slam him into the ground, leaving a huge crater.
"I’ve had enough of your endless nagging! You even made Grandpa Village Chief cry! I’ll beat you to death!"
Quinn turned to the four approaching figures and grinned at the three Little Jade Capital disciples. "Don’t be scared. I haven’t had a fight in days—just stretching my muscles, not seeking revenge or murder. I feel much better now!"
The three were shocked and frightened, looking down to see Nicholas sprawled at the bottom of the pit.
"Master Uncle…" a girl said timidly.
"I’m fine!"
Nicholas lay there, unmoving, but his voice was still strong: "Don’t worry about me. Let me lie here for a while."
The three relaxed. An older youth said, "Master Uncle Nicholas is all right."
Quinn looked at the three. One was an old acquaintance—Wang Muran, whom he’d met once before.
Wang Muran was a disciple of Zhen Sanren, one of Little Jade Capital’s immortals. Zhen Sanren was invited out of seclusion by Eighth Prince Ling Yin Feng to block the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor, but was killed by the Preceptor.
Back then, Wang Muran was a mischievous youth. When Quinn first met him, Zhen Sanren was fishing by the waterfall at the mountain’s base, while Wang Muran threw rocks nearby. Yue Qinghong joked the boy must be his own son, or else he’d have been beaten to death already.
Wang Muran was naughty then, but after two years apart, he’d grown much steadier.
Zhen Sanren’s death hit him hard, forcing him to grow up. The boy’s innocence and mischief were gone, replaced by calm and restraint. He now dressed in black, his gaze deep, with flashes of brilliance in his eyes.
It was likely the drive for vengeance that pushed him to train so hard these past two years. That same drive kept him from adopting the ethereal bearing of Little Jade Capital’s immortals—his aura was wild and fierce, and his techniques must be equally domineering!
Quinn had grown, and so had he.
(Author’s promotional note skipped as irrelevant.)