Quinn Shepherd walked out of the Human Emperor Hall. Outside, darkness blanketed the land, and the stars twinkled overhead. The youth let out a long breath. Instead of leaving right away, he found a large boulder near the mountaintop and sat down. (You’re a Keane, and I’m a Keane too. You still treat me as an elder of the same clan.)
He sat there in a daze, lost in thought. Even though he’d vented his anger by beating up the First Ancestor, the knot in his heart had not unraveled.
"Maybe if I beat him up again, I could finally untangle this mess in my heart... This fake sky—even the star trajectories are all mixed up. The gods handling the constellations are getting sloppy!"
He widened his eyes, staring at the chaotic constellations above. In the east, dawn was breaking, and the stars were scurrying around like horses on a carousel. He thought, "Lord Sunstar is the one who controls the sun among the constellations, but he got chopped down by Butcher from our village. Now that no one is managing the sun in the sky, the other gods must be scrambling too."
The stars overhead spun in confusion for a while, then the eastern sky glowed with morning light. The sunlight masked the chaotic constellations, hiding any further slip-ups. (Victor Keane.)
Quinn sat there silently, sneering at the fading stars. The sun rising from the sea traced a crooked path, wobbling like a kite let loose in the wind, darting east and west.
Clearly, after Lord Sunstar’s death, the other gods in charge of the sun still hadn’t figured out how to operate it, exposing even more flaws. (Granny Sue, not Granny Si.)
Lord Sunstar had followed Cyrus Qi to High-Emperor Heaven in search of Quinn, but ran into his old nemesis Butcher and was killed by him. After his death, Everpeace’s celestial diagrams lost their sun-controlling deity. Now other gods have taken over, but they’re still inexperienced, so mistakes keep cropping up.
Everpeace’s constellations are formed by array diagrams, including the sun, moon, and stars. The gods managing these arrays each have their own roles. Suddenly taking over Lord Sunstar’s diagram has left them scrambling, unable to keep up for now.
Quinn sat for a while, watching the sun climb higher, finally stabilizing, though it still drifted from side to side. Sunlight poured through the morning clouds, bathing the southern frontier and South Sea in dazzling, vibrant colors.
Suddenly, the portal to the Human Emperor Hall reappeared, and the First Ancestor stepped out from within. (You’re a Keane, and I’m a Keane too. You still treat me as an elder of the same clan.)
Quinn glanced back at him, then turned away to keep watching the sunrise.
The First Ancestor hesitated when he saw Quinn, but didn’t leave. Instead, he walked over and sat beneath the boulder.
The First Ancestor stared at the rising sun for a while, then suddenly blurted out, "This sun... is unbearable to look at!"
Quinn had planned to ignore him, but the comment made him laugh. "Just bear with it. The god who managed this sun formation, Lord Sunstar, was cut down by Butcher from my village." (Victor Keane.)
"So that’s what happened."
The First Ancestor said, "I met Lord Sunstar once. Back when Everpeace’s sky was still veiled, I watched them pull back the firmament and hang up the sun, moon, and stars. He had a tough job—faking it for twenty thousand years."
He glanced at Quinn, his voice dropping. "I’m sorry..."
Quinn was taken aback, then smiled. "Why are you apologizing to me? I was the one who beat you up—I should be the one offering an apology."
The First Ancestor shook his head. "I wanted to be your teacher, to pass on all my skills and insights to you. But after you left, I realized—I’ve already ruined the lives of so many Human Emperors, I can’t ruin yours too. Your path is yours to choose and walk. Trying to force you onto my road was my mistake."
Quinn pressed his lips together, making them thin. After a moment, he stood up and stretched his arms wide, loosening his body. "I used to hate you—a lot. I wanted to kill you. But I could only defeat you at equal cultivation, not kill you. And after this fight, I suddenly don’t feel that intense hatred anymore."
His expression was calm as he said, "Maybe you just wanted to test me, maybe you wanted to push me to work harder and surpass you. But I despise your methods."
The First Ancestor was taken aback. "You saw through me?" he blurted out.
"I’m not stupid."
Quinn gazed at the rising sun and said softly, "But if I were you, I’d never use such a stupid, awful way to motivate a junior. I’d never destroy my family’s life’s work, and I’d never desecrate my kin’s remains. With so many enemies out there, you chose to vent on your own people. You really are a deserter. That’s why I despise your character, and why I refuse to learn your divine arts."
The First Ancestor fell silent, then after a while asked, "Who raised and taught you? They did a fine job."
Quinn’s eyes lit up with admiration. "They’re the best people in the world—kind, upright, broad-minded, and wise! As people, they’re a hundred, a thousand times better than you! Do you know the village chief? He’s the previous Human Emperor, always getting beaten up by Master Qi Kang and the other elders. He’s our village’s head elder! What I admire most about him is his vast knowledge. If he hadn’t discovered I was Overlord Body, I’d probably still be herding cattle in the Great Ruins. And then there’s Granny Sue, the kindest and most beautiful woman in the village—she’s the one who took me in and raised me...
Mentioning the villagers, Quinn couldn’t help but open up, going on and on about all their virtues.
The First Ancestor listened quietly, and only when Quinn finished did he smile and nod. "They taught you well, and you turned out well too."
Quinn stopped himself, puzzled. "Why did I tell him so much? I thought I still hated him."
"You’re a Keane, and I’m a Keane too. You still treat me as an elder of the same clan."
The First Ancestor seemed to sense his thoughts and said, "When facing family, there’s always so much to say. You probably haven’t met a true clansman in a long time, have you?"
Quinn nodded.
He glanced at the Human Emperor beside him, curious. "What’s your name?"
"Qin Wu."
Quinn took out the Keane Clan Genealogy, flipping through it carefully until he found the name Qin Wu. He was stunned—this was already an ancestor from a hundred generations ago.
Just then, a strange light flared over the sea, like clouds surging. Giant bubbles rose from the depths, one after another.
Quinn stood up, activated Grandpa Blind’s Ninefold Heaven Eye Art, and looked toward the South Sea, amazed at the treasure-like glow erupting from the water.
But the sea was far away, and even with his eyesight, Quinn couldn’t see the bottom—he had no idea what was causing the treasure-light.
The First Ancestor rose to his feet, gazing in that direction. "The water's too deep—I can't see the bottom!" he said.
Quinn immediately shot into the air, flying toward the eruption of treasure-light. The First Ancestor frowned slightly. "Why are you so curious? If someone wanted to trap you, they'd create a spectacle like this—and you'd charge in like a clueless deer!"
He hurried after Quinn, flying toward the anomaly.
As they drew closer, even the First Ancestor felt his heart pound. The bubbles erupting from the sea were enormous, each spanning a hundred li. Dozens, even hundreds, surged up from the ocean floor at once. The sea boiled, towering waves rolling in every direction.
Thunderous booms echoed, deafening and terrifying!
Quinn frowned, glanced toward Everpeace, then turned and raced after the surging waves, flying back.
The First Ancestor followed, puzzled. "Why are you turning back?"
"Tsunami!"
Quinn sped toward the coast, voice grave: "It's a tsunami! If it hits shore, it'll destroy dozens of li of coastline—and there are people there!"
The First Ancestor suddenly understood. He dropped from the sky, headfirst, lightly pressed his palm to the sea, then bounced back up to Quinn's side. "You can relax now—the tsunami's stopped," he said calmly.
Quinn stopped in midair, looked back, and saw the ocean suddenly calm. The monstrous tsunami had flattened under the First Ancestor's imprint!
"Amazing!"
Quinn marveled, giving a thumbs-up. "Truly incredible! I was just planning to rush back and evacuate people, but you handled it—you stopped the tsunami outright! That's some divine art!"
The First Ancestor smiled. "Want to learn? My swordsmanship can't compare to yours, but when it comes to imprint-arts, I'm far above you. If you're willing to study..."
"Not interested!"
Quinn turned away, heading for the eruption of treasure-light. Now, only rainbow-like radiance kept pouring out—no more monstrous bubbles.
The First Ancestor shook his head, quickly catching up, thinking, "I'll find a way to make you learn eventually."
Quinn took a deep breath and dove into the sea, heading for the bottom.
The First Ancestor followed. Quinn glanced at him and saw the First Ancestor's vital qi swirling around him, forming a giant sphere so he could walk underwater as if on land.
Noticing Quinn's gaze, the First Ancestor smiled. "Want to learn...?"
"Hmph—"
Quinn activated the Creation Art, transforming into a large fish and swimming after the treasure-light.
The First Ancestor could only smile bitterly and follow behind. Suddenly, Quinn stopped, blinking at what lay ahead. The First Ancestor halted too, and before them stretched a vast, ancient continent. Colossal temples radiated hazy divine light, towering statues of gods rose from the seabed, shedding their coats of seaweed and silt as if waking from a long sleep.
Quinn was stunned, slowly swimming into the ancient land. He suddenly recalled the star map he'd seen in the Execution Platform temple on Luofu Heaven's Alien Star. He spat out a bubble: "The star map from 350,000 years ago marked this place! This is... the ancestral land of the Chiming Era, the place Chi Creek sought!"
Transformed into a fish, Quinn swam past majestic buildings. He wasn't alone—many strange creatures were here. Countless large fish with three heads and six fins patrolled the drowned continent, as if on guard.
A blue-white behemoth, a hundred zhang long, swam overhead, letting out a deep call that made their chests vibrate.
"These big fish..."
The First Ancestor's expression shifted. He grabbed Quinn's tail, dragging him into his qi bubble. "There's something strange about these fish! Don't act rashly!" he warned.
Quinn returned to human form, confused. "What's strange about them?"
"You know how gods and devils of the Kaihuang era petrified their bodies into statues and hid their Primordial Spirits in Nether City, right?"
The First Ancestor swept his gaze over the three-headed, six-finned fish. "The Chiming era's gods and devils likely used another method. They changed their species—to evade the Heavenly Court's hunt!" he said gravely.
——Village Chief: Voting? I raise both hands and feet in favor! (That's right, the last chapter's author's note inspired me! I copied it, la la la, come and hit me if you can... Have mercy!)