Quinn muttered, "Why is the Lunar Ark here...?"
This ship was surely the Lunar Ark, so similar to the Solar Ark. All around it was dead silent, not a soul in sight. The ship lay toppled among the mountains, with half a broken moon hanging motionless overhead, more than a hundred li from the nearest city.
And the direction Quinn’s Jade Pendant floated toward was exactly where the Lunar Ark lay.
On the Great Ruins Geographical Map, there were two mysterious ships—the Solar Ark and the Lunar Ark. Quinn and Village Chief had already seen the Solar Ark, but never the Lunar Ark until now.
This Lunar Ark was no smaller than the Solar Ark. The Solar Ark was a volcanic mountain-ship with legs, crowned by flaming peaks and rolling magma, while the Lunar Ark was entirely silver-gray, crouched there like a three-legged silver toad—more precisely, a toad carrying a ship on its back, sprawled among the mountains.
The Lunar Ark seemed almost alive, its mountainous body slowly rising and falling as if it were breathing. But its hull was far more battered than the Solar Ark’s—much worse off.
The Solar Ark roamed the Great Ruins and returned to the Sunwell, but why was the Lunar Ark here in the Dead-Alive Realm, instead of back at the Moonwell?
"Carefree Haven—does it mean Nether City, or the Lunar Ark?" Quinn murmured.
"Carefree Haven—what does it really mean? Is it simply that after death, one is free of worries? Could Carefree Haven actually refer to Nether City, to the Dead-Alive Realm?"
Village Chief suppressed his shock and said, "But Carefree Haven could also mean the Lunar Ark. The Lunar Ark breaks through the darkness, and those living on it dwell in peace, free from worry... Didn’t you say the Sun Warden told you Carefree Haven appears at night, but no one knows where it’ll show up? That means it’s always moving. If that’s the case, Carefree Haven should be wherever the Lunar Ark’s coverage reaches—that would explain it. The moon comes out at night, so the Lunar Ark moves at night. The Lunar Ark brings Carefree Haven wherever it goes, never staying in one place. Quinn..."
He paused, then said, "This is only my guess. But if it’s true, you might be a Moon Shepherd."
"A Moon Shepherd?" Quinn was taken aback, not understanding.
"If you were born in Carefree Haven, then you could be a descendant of the Moon Shepherds."
Village Chief chuckled, "Didn’t you say that on the dragon pillar in Dragoncrest City, you saw a woman reaching out her hand, trying to match her palm with yours? I think that woman could be your relative—maybe even your..."
He trailed off, but Quinn understood what he meant—she could even be his mother!
Back then, the Lunar Ark must have brought Carefree Haven near Dragoncrest City. The Solar Ark comes by day, while the Lunar Ark appears at night. That woman must have spotted Quinn, noticed the Jade Pendant at his neck, and wanted to recognize him!
But with this place so ruined and desolate, could Moon Shepherds still be living here?
And why would the Lunar Ark show up in the Dead-Alive Realm?
Suddenly, a slow, mournful song drifted from the Lunar Ark—low and lingering, like a mother longing for her faraway child.
"Long ago I departed, willows swaying green..."
"Now I return, snow falling thick..."
"The road stretches on, thirsty and hungry I go..."
"My heart is sorrowful, none know my pain..."
...
Listening, Quinn felt an urge to weep, but his body had no flesh—no tears could flow.
The song drifting from the giant Lunar Ark was ethereal and uncertain—tinged with loneliness and sorrow, a mother’s longing for her child woven into its somber melody.
He looked toward the Lunar Ark—through the gray mist, a woman stood at its bow, elegant and poised, gazing distantly in his direction.
Their eyes seemed to meet across the distance, both filled with endless longing.
Quinn wanted to close his eyes, but couldn’t. After a silent moment, he finally said to Village Chief, "Village Chief, let’s go back."
Village Chief was startled and asked softly, "You’re not going up to meet her?"
Quinn shook his head, expressionless. "She’s not my kin, and this isn’t Carefree Haven."
At that moment, the faux Pure Land at the vortex’s end shimmered—a blissful paradise on the surface, but beneath it all, Quinn saw the heart of the demon-god’s killing formation, ominous and deadly.
Village Chief shouted urgently, 'Quinn, stand on my hair!'
In an instant, Village Chief’s hair erupted, stretching and swelling into colossal pillar-like strands that speared out along the rainbow bridge. Quinn landed atop one, feeling the surge as it thrust outward, striving to pierce past the vortex’s edge.
Other strands of Village Chief’s hair lashed out like wild serpents, smashing into the whirling blades. The fragments were crushed to powder by the vortex’s raging current.
At the mouth of the vortex, the demon-god’s monstrous face loomed, eyes gleaming with cunning, mouth agape to swallow Village Chief whole as he ‘delivered’ Quinn.
Village Chief sent several strands of hair stabbing into the demon-god’s open mouth, then yanked hard, dragging her bodily into her own vortex.
At the same time, the strand beneath Quinn flicked, hurling him out of the vortex’s grip.
Village Chief’s shout echoed after him: 'Quinn, hurry to the harbor and board a ship—get out of here! Go!'
The vortex snapped shut with a thunderous roar, swallowing both Village Chief and the demon-god.
Quinn plummeted from a dizzying height. If he hit the ground directly, even he would be smashed to death in his current state.
He improvised, inhaling sharply and then exhaling powerful gusts of wind beneath him, stamping rapidly on the wind’s tips to bleed off momentum—a crude but effective wind-stepping technique.
After several breaths, Quinn landed safely in a region still shrouded in Carefree Haven’s gray mist, free from the devouring darkness—a temporary haven.
His respite lasted only moments. Overhead, the sky tore open again as another massive vortex appeared—four long, thick arms clawed at the sky’s edge, and the demon-god’s monstrous head pushed through, struggling to escape.
Suddenly, something yanked her legs from below; with a snap, she was dragged back inside.
Her furious roar echoed: 'Skyfiend host!'
In that instant, Quinn saw black dots spray from the vortex like meteors, slamming into the ground with earth-shaking impacts.
Dense gray mist surged in all directions, quickly shrouding whatever had landed.
The fog rolled over Quinn, swallowing him whole. In the thickening haze, heavy footsteps approached—each thud pounding like a boulder against his heart.
As the demon god lunged, Village Chief’s words had barely faded when a giant vortex appeared behind him, spinning rapidly like a monster’s fanged maw. Countless sharp blades whirled inside, and at its heart flowed a long rainbow bridge, streaming swiftly into the vortex.
Quinn and Village Chief were instantly seized by the vortex’s pull, the rainbow bridge dragging them inward as countless blades spun in from every direction, slicing and closing in with deadly force.