Inside the Grand Celestial Astromancy Killing Array, Young Master Cyrus Qi and Zechariah Lee heard Quinn Shepherd's voice. Blood spurted from their mouths—not out of anger at Quinn, but because the star array suddenly shifted, transforming into a dazzling river of stars.
Starbeams pulled at one another, linking into chains of light—each chain composed of countless intricate divine runes. The killing array activated, and in an instant, both were gravely wounded!
From their vantage point, the small jade box at the center of the star river seemed to swell into a massive square chest, perfectly cubical, floating at the array's heart. It drifted up and down in the star sea, streaks of radiance thickening and tangling with the myriad stars.
This killing array was utterly beyond their ability to withstand or resist!
"Three hundred and fifty thousand years—was that number real or not?"
Coughing up mouthfuls of blood, both men desperately unleashed every technique they had to defend themselves. Gritting their teeth, they said, "Forget him—let's treat a dead horse as if it were alive!"
Their minds raced at full speed, calculating the paths of stars and beams, dodging the chains of starlight as they darted about. Sure enough, the killing array gradually ceased, the surrounding stars shrinking back to normal, each one turning into a slowly spinning grain of Star Sand.
Sweat poured down Young Master Cyrus Qi and Zechariah Lee's brows as they exchanged glances. Just as they were about to charge into the array's center to seize the small box, they saw Quinn Shepherd already standing there before it.
Qi Jiuyi's heart seized with urgency, about to step forward, when a sudden surge of blood and qi made him freeze in alarm.
He'd been wounded earlier, a chain of starlight grazing his shoulder and tearing a gash. Yet the wound refused to heal—instead, blood kept flowing out, globules floating up and drifting toward the shriveled corpse on the iron throne.
He hurriedly looked at Zechariah Lee, who was also injured. Just like him, Zechariah couldn't control his blood—it, too, was flying toward the corpse!
The first drop of blood landed in the corpse's mouth.
Suddenly, the entire hall fell eerily silent.
"Uhh—"
The corpse let out a long, hoarse howl, followed by creaking, grinding noises. The two men felt their hair stand on end and hastily sealed their wounds, but could still sense their essence draining away.
"Something's wrong!"
Zechariah Lee reacted instantly, leaping back and dashing out of the hall. Qi Jiuyi hesitated a moment, glanced at Quinn Shepherd in the array, then gritted his teeth and also withdrew from the temple.
Just as Qi Jiuyi burst from the temple, he swept his sleeve—and a Phoenixwood tree wreathed in golden flames instantly sealed the entrance.
Zechariah Lee spun around, raised his demon saber high, and cleaved down—a flash of blade-light split apart the Phoenixwood, covering the doorway.
The two of them raced down the mountain one after the other like furious dragons, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.
Quinn Shepherd's hair also stood on end. He snatched up the small box and dashed toward the edge of the killing array.
The blood and vital essence that had just flown from Young Master Cyrus Qi and Zechariah Lee shot straight toward the corpse, falling into the mouths of its other two heads. From those mouths came more creaking noises, and all three skulls began slowly turning to look his way.
In the eye sockets of its three heads, the shriveled eyes were slowly filling with blood, gradually bulging outward.
Quinn had already burst free of the Grand Celestial Astromancy Killing Array and reached the great hall's entrance—only to see the Phoenixwood tree sweep down before him.
"Qi!"
Quinn tucked the small box under one arm, grabbed his Sword Pill with the other, and his palm trembled—countless tiny flying swords shot forth, forming Sword Treading the Rivers and Mountains, crashing headlong into the Phoenixwood!
Qi Jiuyi had unleashed this great divine art in haste, so the Phoenixwood's power was far from its peak—just enough to block Quinn for a moment. Had it been a complete technique, even Quinn would have needed to use the Sword of Calamity to counter it.
Quinn's Sword Treading the Rivers and Mountains slashed through, severing the Phoenixwood and shattering Qi Jiuyi's divine art. But then a flash of blade-light swept toward him, breaking apart his sword formation.
"Zechariah Lee!"
Quinn was furious, dodging Zechariah's fierce strike. He spun and swung his sword, unleashing the second Dao Sword form—Five‑Qi Three‑Origins Ascending Radiance. Sword-light transformed into five qi and three origins, clouds and carriages interlacing, finally breaking Zechariah's attack.
The great hall's entrance was now clear—no more divine arts blocking the way.
Quinn crouched low, then sprang forward with explosive force. With a thunderous boom, the air before him compressed into a wall, which promptly shattered.
Quinn vaulted out through the temple's entrance, a faint smile blooming across his face.
But suddenly, his body froze in midair.
Quinn's smile hadn't fully formed before it slowly faded, replaced by growing terror.
He drifted backward, feet never touching the ground, no matter how he channeled his divine arts—it was useless.
In midair, Quinn straightened his clothes and respectfully cradled the small box in both hands.
Finally, his feet touched the ground. Quinn instantly turned, raised the jade box high above his head with both hands, and said solemnly, "Spare me, senior!"
Suddenly, the box grew light in his hands and floated up. Quinn quietly glanced upward—seeing the jade box land before the three‑headed, six‑armed corpse.
"Uhh—"
That 'corpse' wasn't truly dead—it was a being whose blood and essence had dried up, trapped in a state between life and death. When Quinn Shepherd and the others arrived, and Young Master Cyrus Qi and Zechariah Lee were wounded, their blood entered its mouths, barely reigniting a spark of life.
A chilling sound rasped from its throat, as if it were struggling to activate its bodily functions. Inside its body came more creaking noises, like bones grinding together.
"Uhh—water...or blood!"
Quinn hurriedly pulled a waterskin from his Glutton Dragon Pouch and respectfully offered it. Ever since his ordeal in the Flame Desert of the Western Lands, he always kept fresh water in his pouch.
The corpse struggled to lift its hand, moving painfully slowly.
"Senior, let me help you."
Quinn stepped forward, diligently opened the waterskin, and held it to the corpse's mouth. After draining one, the head on the right rasped, "Water—"
Quinn fetched another waterskin and gave it to the right mouth, then a third to the leftmost head.
The left head drank with difficulty. Quinn sneaked a glance and was startled to see the two heads that had just drunk slowly plumping up, as if blood and essence were beginning to flow again.
Even its blood vessels, like parched earth after rain, soon began to pulse with the sound of flowing blood.
This wasn't a corpse—not anymore. It was a powerhouse from three hundred and fifty thousand years ago! He'd cultivated a strange method to feign death and avoid being devoured by this divine mountain. What a profound technique, Quinn thought.
The face slowly filled out, its features becoming visible—not just a skull wrapped in skin anymore.
Still, his body was too depleted; water alone couldn't restore him fully. Yet Quinn could now vaguely see he was a middle-aged man.
"Senior..."
Quinn was about to speak when the three-headed, six-armed man raised his eyelids. The dried eyes in his sockets slowly swelled, the pupils and whites becoming distinct.
"What year is it now?" The man lifted a hand, grabbed the small box, set it on his knees, and asked weakly.
Quinn hesitated, then said, "It's the Everpeace era now. As for the exact year, I'm not sure."
"Everpeace?"
The three-headed, six-armed man tried to rise but couldn't, panting, "Shouldn't it be the Pioneer Era? Has the Pioneer Era fallen too?"
Quinn answered honestly, "It fell twenty thousand years ago. Senior, you must have gone dormant two millennia ago and awoken now, twenty thousand years later. Why did you end up in demon territory? This is Luofu Heaven, the demon realm. The demons nearly faced destruction here and invaded Taihuang Heaven. As for your planet..."
The three-headed, six-armed man gasped for breath. "I'm a remnant of the Chiming Era. I've been hiding for countless millennia, hoping to return home, so I left my refuge and traveled here, intending to reach the ancestral land of Chiming. On the way, we learned it was the Pioneer Era, but then we encountered enemies and had no choice but to flee here."
"Enemies?" Quinn Shepherd asked, stunned.
The three-headed, six-armed man said coolly, "The enemies who destroyed my Chiming Era. If the Pioneer Era has also fallen, it must have been the same ones. Heh, I heard there was an era before the Pioneer—the Supreme Sovereign Era..."
He shook his head. "I am of the Chiming God Race, called Chi Creek. I once served as the executioner in the Chiming Heavenly Court, holding the power of life and death. Any god or demon who broke the law could not escape death on the Execution Platform."
Quinn blurted out, "Then this divine mountain..."
"This is no mountain—it's the Execution Platform."
Chi Creek paused, caught his breath, then continued, "On the Execution Platform, gods and demons were slain. This altar has absorbed the blood of countless executed beings, becoming a great evil. Even I suffered backlash. I fought the demon race, was wounded, and the Execution Platform struck back at me, so I had to seal myself away. Help me up."
Quinn stepped forward to support him. Chi Creek gripped his shoulder near the neck and staggered to his feet.
Quinn endured the pain. "Senior, you're hurting me."
Chi Creek didn't seem to hear. He pressed down on Quinn's shoulder and neck, walked to the mural, and gazed at the starry sky depicted there. Muttering, "The ancestral land...it's right here... I'm not dead yet, I can still return. They're surely waiting for my message... Do you know why this Execution Platform is so sinister? It's forged from the Execution Platform within the Heaven Palace Divine Treasury—an Emperor's Throne expert's Execution Platform."
Quinn was horrified. "Emperor's Throne expert..." he murmured.
His shoulder throbbed—Chi Creek's nails had pierced his skin. Quinn felt his own blood and essence flowing into Chi Creek.
Chi Creek's face gradually regained some color, his breath steadied. He chuckled, "That's right. Controlling the Execution Platform requires this little box. When you tried to take it, you nearly succeeded."
Quinn felt dizzy—a sign of blood loss. His eyes flickered. "Senior, it really hurts. I'm bleeding, and the Execution Platform is starting to absorb my essence."
Chi Creek's face filled out, new flesh growing. He smiled, "You are bleeding, but it's not the Execution Platform absorbing your blood—it's me. Water couldn't replenish my essence; I needed human blood. Cough, cough!"
Suddenly, he coughed violently.
"Senior, what's wrong?"
Quinn asked anxiously, "Senior, are you all right? Do you feel dizzy? Is your throat itchy?"
Chi Creek unconsciously let go of him, raised four arms and slapped his own head, his body swaying. The other two hands cradled the little box.
Quinn watched anxiously. "Senior, are you dehydrated? I have more water—do you need some? Oh no, I forgot! Some of these waterskins have additives!"
Quinn stamped his foot. "What should I do now?"
He paced back and forth. Chi Creek reached to grab him but missed, then collapsed to his knees with a thud.
"Some of the waterskins—I added Blood-Dissolving Powder to them!"
Quinn struck his palm and sighed in regret. "That poison dissolves blood on contact—it's what I use to destroy evidence! How could I forget? Senior, are you all right?"
Chi Creek knelt motionless, his eyes slowly turning toward Quinn.
Quinn dodged his gaze, clutching the little box to his chest. "Senior, your cultivation is so strong—you must be able to neutralize the poison, right? In that case, I'll leave you be. Farewell!" With that, he darted away.
Chi Creek's eyes shifted, shooting divine light that blasted two huge holes through the temple!