On the bridge, two figures rose and fell in a deadly struggle—Quinn Shepherd and Ben Coates were still trying to kill each other, fighting to the death.
Both realized that since they couldn't yet find the exit to the real world, they might as well eliminate their stumbling block first—kill the other—so they could focus on controlling the divine ark and searching for an exit without distraction.
Otherwise, having such a formidable enemy watching your back, ready to stab you at any moment, is a headache—and you never know when you’ll get capsized in the gutter.
Ben Coates, after all, was a reincarnator whose cultivation advanced at lightning speed. Quinn Shepherd didn’t want to keep him around—the longer things dragged on, the more likely Ben’s cultivation would surpass his own, so he had to eliminate him early.
But Ben realized just how terrifying this new Human Emperor Quinn was—his growth potential was astonishing, and he was cunning and hard to outsmart. The longer things dragged on, the more dangerous it became, so he had to get rid of Quinn fast.
Both had already exhausted most of their cultivation, and each had the power to kill the other. Now, fighting for their lives, their vital energy drained even faster. Soon, both were battered, gasping for breath, and covered in wounds.
Bang!
Their final collision left both flat on their backs, out of energy and strength. Quinn struggled to crawl, hoping to grab a sword and finish Ben off. The bridge was littered with his flying swords, but he was too drained to summon one—he could only inch forward, dragging himself along.
He finally crawled to a flying sword, grabbed the hilt, and smiled—only for his smile to freeze: 'Serena Yunxiang, I swear I’ll smack your butt into three pieces so you won’t be able to sit for half a month!'
He had indeed grabbed the hilt, but all his flying swords were forged from Mysterious-Gold Essence—each weighed three hundred pounds. Now, he simply didn’t have the strength to lift it, not even to drag it!
The reason these swords were so heavy was, of course, thanks to Serena Yunxiang’s handiwork!
Meanwhile, Ben Coates was desperately trying to muster a trace of magic power, hoping to send a Flying Locust Gu to kill Quinn. But his vital energy kept sputtering out, and the locust couldn’t fly—so it just crawled toward Quinn, moving barely faster than an ant.
Quinn turned around and forced himself to crawl toward Ben, fishing out a handful of toxic spirit herbs from his Glutton Dragon Pouch, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
Ben struggled to control the locust, finally getting it to reach Quinn’s calf and bite down. But his energy was so weak, and the locust so feeble, that after ages it only managed to tear Quinn’s pant leg and then break the skin.
Quinn gritted his teeth and crawled forward, while Ben’s face twisted in panic as he rolled over, scrambling away on hands and knees, chin gnawing the ground as he tried to get away from Quinn.
One chased, one fled—their speed was so slow it was almost criminal.
After crawling for ages and covering barely a few yards, Ben finally managed to pull something from his Glutton Dragon Pouch—a gourd filled with Soul-Witch Poison.
Ben was overjoyed—this was a poison he’d refined in a previous life, ferocious enough to kill Quinn with ease. He stopped crawling and slowly turned himself around, inching toward Quinn.
Quinn saw this and quickly turned around himself. After a long struggle, he managed to face Ben again and crawled forward with all his might. Ben’s poison was fully refined, while Quinn’s was only half-finished—no contest in toxicity.
‘You little brat, you’re dead!’ Ben panted, finally catching up to Quinn’s legs. He excitedly tried to pull the stopper from the gourd, his face turning red with effort, but couldn’t get it open.
Quinn thought he was doomed. Looking back, Ben hurriedly shouted, “You little brat, you’re dead meat!” hoping to scare him off.
‘Little prince, out of strength, aren’t you?’
Quinn kicked over, stuffing his foot into Ben’s mouth, trying to choke him. Ben rolled his eyes, nearly suffocating, then steeled himself: ‘I’ve been reincarnated so many times—what’s a little humiliation to the flesh?’
He bit down hard, sinking his teeth into Quinn’s foot. Quinn cried out, yanked his foot back, then smirked and smeared poison on it, ready to stuff it back into Ben’s mouth.
Ben seized the chance while Quinn was applying poison, crawling over. The two wrestled, each trying to choke the other—but neither had any strength left.
And with Six Directions–realm cultivators, their breath endures incredibly long. The two choked each other for nearly half an hour and still hadn’t managed to kill the other—instead, they’d drained their last bit of strength.
Both collapsed completely, only their fingers, toes, and eyeballs moving ever so slightly.
Both desperately tried to regulate their breathing, hoping to recover a sliver of vital energy—each wanting to kill the other before their rival recovered.
Time ticked by. Quinn finally regained a bit of strength, took out Dragon Spittle Elixir and applied it to his wounds. Even with an iron body, letting wounds bleed unchecked was too much to bear.
On the other side, Ben took out a jade bottle and swallowed medicine. Having lived for ten thousand years, he’d learned too much—his mastery of the medical dao was deep, and in toxicology he’d even developed the infamous Soul-Witch Poison that targets the soul.
Quinn glanced at him, a wary look in his eyes.
Ben Coates was a rare all-rounder, skilled in many arts. Though not supreme in any single field, his breadth made him formidable. If he ever fused his learning, his strength would soar—but that was no easy feat.
Right now, Ben had no hope of fusing his knowledge. Though brilliant, his sharp drive had worn away—he’d lost his ambition.
Ben didn’t attack further. For all his lifetimes, he still couldn’t best Quinn.
The first time he met Quinn, he was beaten to the brink of death. This time, it was still a draw—an outcome that stung.
He harbored power from past lives, but could not wield it easily. He had to keep strengthening this body, honing his foundation, so he could withstand more power.
His past-life power was terrifying—carelessness could make this body burst apart. But with each improvement, his cultivation would leap to its peak. That’s why he progressed even faster than Quinn.
But it had been five months since their last meeting. By rights, Ben’s cultivation should have left Quinn far behind, yet here they were, still neck and neck.
Neither spoke. They just stared out the porthole.
The Netherworld had no up or down, no seasons, no land or sun or moon—no directions at all. Every other world had six directions, but not here.
Lonely Netherworld—the divine ark drifted in darkness, aimless.
The farther they drifted, the harder it was to return to the real world. In this loneliness, madness would come soon enough.
Outside the ship, a flash of light broke the darkness—Netherworld creatures, glowing to lure prey.
But oddly, ever since the divine ark entered the Netherworld, no terrifying Netherworld creatures had come near.
Quinn and Ben suddenly realized something crucial. Their hearts tightened: "There must be something terrifying on this ship—so much so that Netherworld creatures won’t come near!"
That terror wasn’t the two of them, but something else aboard.
Quinn remembered the surge of demonic energy when he first boarded. Now he was sure—they weren’t alone. Something else was hidden on the ship!
People’s hearts are treacherous. In this harsh world, a single misstep and you’d be devoured—bones and all.
He staggered to his feet. Ben tensed, ready to defend, but Quinn didn’t attack. Instead, he took off his Glutton Dragon Pouch and stored his flying sword inside.
Ben Coates let out a sigh of relief and put away his Flying Locust Gu. "Quinn Shepherd, there may be unpredictable dangers on this ship. We should work together to get through this, not keep fighting to the death. What do you say?"
Quinn narrowed his eyes. "I was thinking the same. Still, it’s hard to trust you as a partner."
Ben’s eyes flickered. "I don’t trust you either. Quinn Shepherd, we’re rivals. I underestimated you before, but I won’t again. This time was nothing like I expected—we blundered into the Netherworld, the ship has secrets, and something terrifying is hiding aboard. We must put aside our grudges and cooperate, or we’ll die here. If we keep fighting, we’re finished!"
Quinn hesitated. "Fine, then we’ll only cooperate on the ship. Once we leave, we’re enemies again."
Ben smiled and nodded. "Deal!"
Deal!
Quinn hesitated. "Should we make an Earth Sovereign’s Ninefold Oath?"
Ben smiled. "No need for all that. It’s just a temporary partnership."
Quinn nodded. "That’s true."
Ben secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "The new Human Emperor is still young—he can’t beat me yet. If I made an Earth Sovereign’s Ninefold Oath, I’d have to stick with him and lose my chance to take him out."
Both harbored ulterior motives. Ben said, "We need to find our subordinates and regroup if we want to survive."
Quinn nodded. "You’re right, Grand Venerable. By the way, about this silver helmet…" He pulled out the silver-red crested helmet, looking troubled.
Ben wanted to take it, but worried Quinn would attack the moment he put it on. He shook his head. "We’re working together now, so we need trust. You hold onto it for now. Follow me—I’ve already figured out the secret of this ship’s rooms, using the Harmony Alignment method."
Quinn was genuinely impressed. "Grand Venerable, you’re brilliant!"
The two tidied up and left the cabin. The ship was deserted—no sign of life, just some green-glowing slime on the deck.
The divine ark was huge—White Bat, Dragon Qilin, Ben’s Witch King and Wild Di soldiers must still be trapped in those rooms.
Both took spirit pills to recover, walking side by side into the room they’d come from. Quinn used his Tyrant Body Three-Pill Art to catalyze the medicine, regaining two or three tenths of his strength. His wounds, treated with Dragon Spittle, began to scab and heal.
Ben’s injuries improved too—his spirit medicine was no less potent than Quinn’s.
Suddenly, Quinn saw the old man from the painting flash across the wall. He was startled and hurried after him.
Ben shouted, "That way’s wrong!"
But Quinn had already opened another door and rushed inside!
Ben grit his teeth and followed, furious. "If I didn’t still need you, I’d have finished you off already! Brat, when you fall into my hands, I won’t let you die easy!"