He was just about to speak of the second matter when Prince Umbral suddenly called out, "Venerable Vast-Sky!"
Another youth heard Prince Umbral’s call, turned around, saw the group, and smiled in greeting, saying, "Heaven-Guide Venerable, these friends of yours are truly remarkable! Have you already recruited them?"
Heaven-Guide Venerable laughed heartily, "It’s not about recruiting—they’re both exceptional talents, Brother Quinn and Brother Shepherd. The Jade Pool Grand Assembly wouldn’t be complete without them. I’m preparing to petition His Majesty to grant two more Heavenly Venerable titles, so we’ll have Nine Heavenly Venerables together. Venerable Vast-Sky, what do you think?"
Quinn Shepherd studied Venerable Vast-Sky. Vast-Sky was the pioneer of the Five Luminaries Treasury, dressed in elegant robes patterned with birds, beasts, and fish.
A halo shone behind his head, within which five stars gleamed—presumably the Five Luminaries. Flame-Venerable’s halo was oval, while his was a perfect circle.
His temperament was unlike any of the other Heavenly Venerables Quinn had met. Venerable Skysoar was obsessed with research and unkempt; Nether-Venerable had a quirky, childish streak; Flame-Venerable was bold and straightforward; Heaven-Guide Venerable was endlessly diplomatic, making it hard for anyone to dislike him or see him as an enemy.
But Venerable Vast-Sky gave Quinn the impression of someone fiercely resolute—once he set his sights on a goal, he charged ahead with relentless courage, regardless of consequences, determined to achieve it no matter what.
Compared to Heaven-Guide Venerable, he was less refined in dealing with people, but his sheer drive made him impossible to underestimate.
Heaven-Guide Venerable’s character was almost flawless, but his perfection made him overly cautious, prone to hesitation, and likely to miss opportunities.
Still, from what I’ve seen of these Heavenly Venerables, every one of them is a peerless talent—none should be taken lightly.
Quinn mused to himself, "This era is truly grand and magnificent—only such times could produce so many outstanding geniuses."
Venerable Vast-Sky’s gaze landed on Quinn’s face. Quinn smiled and nodded in greeting, but Vast-Sky quickly looked away, glancing at Kai Keane and Old Ox. "The title of Heavenly Venerable is well deserved by you two, Senior Brothers. I witnessed your duel—truly a spectacular display. I admire you both. But whether His Majesty will approve Heaven-Guide Venerable’s petition is uncertain. I have matters to attend to." With that, he turned and left.
Heaven-Guide Venerable watched him go and said with a laugh, "That’s just how Vast-Sky is—don’t take it to heart."
Prince Umbral said, "Venerable Vast-Sky is actually a demigod…"
Heaven-Guide Venerable shot him a look, and Prince Umbral quickly fell silent.
Kai Keane asked curiously, "Why is Venerable Vast-Sky a demigod? And how did he manage to open the Five Luminaries Treasury and become a Heavenly Venerable?"
Quinn said, "Why are you so curious?"
Kai Keane looked at him. "Aren’t you curious?"
Quinn snorted, but his face soon filled with curiosity. He asked, "True, Heaven-Guide Venerable, why is Vast-Sky a demigod, and how did he open the Five Luminaries Treasury?"
Kai Keane suppressed the urge to draw his sword on Quinn and also looked at Heaven-Guide Venerable.
Heaven-Guide Venerable hesitated for a moment, then explained, "There’s actually another reason. Venerable Vast-Sky’s opening of the Five Luminaries Treasury was an experiment by the ancient gods—he is the son of an ancient god and a mortal."
Both Quinn and Kai Keane were slightly taken aback.
Heaven-Guide Venerable led them into the Empress’s auxiliary palace, which was already packed with people. Squeezing through the crowd, he continued, "Vast-Sky is half-human, half-god—he possesses a human body and divine blood. The reason it was an experiment is that, after I opened the Spirit Embryo Treasury, the Dao-laws of Heaven and Earth changed, allowing mortals to cultivate. I sensed the existence of other treasuries. Some ancient gods realized that demigods were unable to cultivate and worried that, in the future, demigods might be surpassed by us Divine-Ability cultivators. So they tried to find a way for demigods to cultivate, and thus came Vast-Sky."
Quinn and Kai Keane followed, and hearing this, both felt a jolt in their hearts.
The emergence of Vast-Sky may have been a competition between mortals and demigods.
Quinn asked, "If demigods transform into humans, wouldn’t they be able to cultivate?"
"Brother Shepherd, you actually know about this?"
Heaven-Guide Venerable was deeply shocked, staring at Quinn with a look of astonishment. After a moment, he said, "If a demigod transforms into a human and gains human Divine Treasuries, then yes, they can cultivate. But demigods are a higher race and disdain becoming human. Besides, at that time, no one had discovered a method for demigods to transform into humans. Only recently did Vast-Sky solve this problem—he created a technique that allows demigods to acquire human bodies. This news hasn’t been announced yet, and Brother Shepherd already knows of it—your abilities are truly extraordinary!"
Quinn’s expression grew serious, inwardly blaming himself for revealing too much once again.
In later generations, techniques for non-humans to cultivate human bodies became common, which was why he was puzzled—he had forgotten that such methods hadn’t appeared yet in this era.
Heaven-Guide Venerable didn’t press further and continued, "The ancient gods saw far ahead. Demigods grow and, upon reaching adulthood, their power is nearly equal to the ancient gods, but their lives are short and they cannot escape birth, aging, sickness, and death. I didn’t focus on opening more treasuries, but instead pondered how Divine-Ability cultivators could attain the immortality of gods. My own longevity was a gift from Tu Bo, not a true path to immortality. I felt I should find a way for all beings to achieve immortality. Decades passed, and then Vast-Sky opened the Five Luminaries Treasury. Only then did I come to my senses, but before I could fully study it, Venerable Skysoar opened the Six Directions Treasury."
He looked at Venerable Skysoar and smiled, "Venerable Skysoar and I studied the Five Luminaries Treasury together, but she was the first to open the Six Directions Treasury. In terms of intelligence and talent, she surpasses even me."
Venerable Skysoar urged, "Quickly find us a place to settle down—there are too many people here. I still want to study divine arts with Brother Shepherd and Brother Quinn!"
Heaven-Guide Venerable led them through the auxiliary palace, into the rear courtyard, and toward a building. "Later, more and more Divine Treasuries were opened. When Cloud-Venerable opened the Divine Bridge Treasury, I suddenly saw the way forward—finally, a path for all beings to achieve longevity equal to the gods."
He radiated confidence and smiled, "Senior Brothers, you’ll stay at the Windflower Lodge for now. I still need to receive other guests. This time, Vast-Sky will announce the method for demigods to cultivate, and I will announce the method for mortals to become gods!"
His gaze was fervent, and he laughed aloud, "This time, I want mortals to stand alongside demigods—even the ancient gods! This is a glorious age, and with your arrival and the evolution of divine arts, I see an even grander future ahead! Brother Umbral, let’s go!"
He rose and departed. Quinn and Kai Keane saw him off. Quinn smiled and said, "Heaven-Guide Venerable, you still haven’t signed my little notebook yet."
Heaven-Guide Venerable laughed heartily, took up a brush, and wrote a few ancient characters in Quinn’s notebook. Returning the brush, he said, "I hope you two won’t hold back—share your divine arts and help usher in this golden age sooner!" With that, he left with Prince Umbral.
Quinn stood before the Windflower Lodge, looking at the name written in his notebook. Though it was in ancient script, he could still recognize it.
Lan Yutian.