Drake Piers (Dragon-Qilin) looked up and saw Quinn Shepherd and Elaina Cloud leaping across the shattered palaces, their figures weaving and clashing at lightning speed.
"Elaina Cloud might be Empress Aurelia or her sister Madam Yuanmu."
Drake Piers said, "The staff that the Cult Master just used is the Origin-Root Heartwood, with over fifty million years of rings, an incredibly powerful treasure forged by Earth Mother Primordial Lady. Normally, the Cult Master can't draw out its true power, but just now its might erupted—so the Cult Master suspects Elaina Cloud intervened."
"Empress Aurelia, Madam Yuanmu?"
Liam Cloud was shocked and felt a chill—he'd actually become sworn siblings with such an existence, and even kept her close to watch what she was plotting.
Thinking back on it now, he felt a shiver run down his spine!
But he couldn't help his curiosity, and asked, "Drake, how did you know Elaina Cloud was really the Empress or Madam Yuanmu?"
Cyrus Qi blurted out, "How could such a beautiful woman possibly be Empress Aurelia or Madam Yuanmu?"
At the same time, he was deeply curious—Drake Piers had always seemed to be eating or sleeping around them, never talking much with Quinn Shepherd.
How had Drake managed to see through Elaina Cloud's true identity when they all knew nothing at all?
Jadecrest Divine Palace was almost reduced to ruins by the Origin-Root Heartwood Staff; countless palaces and halls broke free from their formations, crashing about in utter chaos.
Quinn Shepherd stood atop a palace flying erratically, while Elaina Cloud was far away, also standing on a palace—one building soared skyward, the other plummeted downward.
Between them lay countless giant pillars, collapsed palaces, all colliding aimlessly, with even god-mountains howling through the air—the whole scene was wild pandemonium.
Just now, Elaina Cloud had unleashed Heavenly Venerable-level power, triggering the Origin-Root Heartwood Staff's might and devastating most of Jadecrest Divine Palace. That was why Quinn was so furious.
He'd only come to stir up a little trouble, not to break with God-Emperor Jadecrest; as long as he kept the moral high ground, Jadecrest couldn't touch him.
But Elaina’s move was like grabbing Jadecrest by the neck and slapping him silly over and over!
Even as Shepherd Heavenly Venerable, one of the five founding elders of the Heaven Alliance, Jadecrest would never just sit back—he’d go from attacking in secret to striking openly.
This chamber pot was way too big and foul—there was no way he could carry it.
Quinn might seem fearless, barging into Heavenly Court and braving every danger, but in truth he always laid careful plans—every risk hid a secret escape route.
He could tear through Heavenly Court, but also left himself enough room to maneuver and survive.
But Elaina Cloud’s move had shoved him straight into open opposition with Jadecrest—and he was in the wrong!
Quinn Shepherd raised his hand and sent a palm strike flying across the chaos of drifting palaces toward Elaina Cloud. As his palm swept out, countless stars surged behind him, swirling into a dazzling river of starlight!
Starlight gathered, and the primordial magnetism between the stars erupted—the star river surged forward with Quinn’s palm, roaring at Elaina!
In the air, all those flying buildings were drawn by his divine art; primordial magnetism seized the massive debris, locking Elaina Cloud’s body in place and sending the whole avalanche crashing down on her!
The magnetic force was so powerful it warped the space around Elaina, dragging her and all the shattered palaces, pillars, and rubble down together!
The scene was terrifying—Quinn’s magnetism divine art took full advantage of the chaos, and the Jadecrest palaces, forged from divine metal, were so heavy they amplified his power.
With all that weight, even a true god couldn’t withstand it!
Cyrus Qi and the others watched in awe as the ruins crashed down on Elaina Cloud like meteors, the magnetic force twisting space and speeding the debris—each fragment packed the force of a divine weapon!
Drake Piers said, "Annie, do you remember the twin lotus in Home’s End Abyss? There was a crystal coffin there, with a woman inside. The Cult Master said she was the Empress’s sister, Madam Yuanmu."
Annie nodded repeatedly—of course she remembered.
She also caught a massive bug in the flower world of Home’s End Abyss and spent ages eating it.
Although Quinn told her that the beauty-serpent wasn't a bug but an ancient god born in Home’s End, a Dao-spirit formed from the twin lotus’s flower core, Annie still treated it as a bug. She ate the beauty-serpent ancient god, and still hasn't digested it all, which is why she's still so chubby.
Drake Piers said, "During the Jade Pool incident, two Heavenly Venerables joined forces against Nether-Venerable. It was dire, so the Cult Master brought out the crystal coffin and placed it before Elaina Cloud, planning to resurrect Madam Yuanmu. Then another Heavenly Venerable arrived, balancing the situation, so the Cult Master didn't resurrect her. So who came to help?"
Cyrus Qi and Liam Cloud stared at Drake Piers in astonishment.
Drake Piers said, "Naturally, it was Elaina Cloud who helped. So she must be either Madam Yuanmu or Empress Aurelia."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Elaina Cloud spread her hands and drew a line in the air—a bottomless abyss appeared, instantly unraveling Quinn Shepherd’s terrifying attack!
Elaina stood above the abyss—her divine art formed the Home’s End Grand Abyss, a power that seemed able to devour heaven and earth. Even Quinn’s rolling star river, warped magnetism, and all the shattered ruins were swallowed by the abyss!
Cyrus Qi, Liam Cloud, and the others were shaken—this was exactly the legendary divine art mastered by the Empress Sisters!
This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^—click next page to keep reading!
It really did seem Elaina Cloud was one of the sisters!
Cyrus Qi blurted out, "Second Brother, weren’t you always asleep? How do you know so much?"
Drake Piers gave him a contemptuous look and said with lazy confidence, "You only see me sleeping, but you don’t know how diligent I am—I’m cultivating in fake sleep! The most hardworking person in the world is the Cult Master, and the second is me."
Annie praised him and took out a spirit pill; Drake Piers opened his mouth just in time for Annie to pop the pill right in.
Drake Piers munched on the spirit pill, squinting contentedly. "I’ve followed the Cult Master for years, meeting all sorts of famous gods—some with unfathomable cultivation, some with deep cunning, some reformers, some Heavenly Venerables. My horizons have naturally expanded!"
Elaina Cloud’s Home’s End Grand Abyss divine art devoured Quinn’s attack and the shattered buildings. The abyss trembled and twisted, then erupted—the swallowed debris turned into a dark flood, surging toward Quinn, but suddenly the star river condensed into Heaven Duke’s phantom, smashing a fist into the abyss!
Elaina Cloud’s expression changed slightly—Quinn had used primordial magnetism for his divine art, but now he was using the stars to summon Heaven Duke.
That earlier move seemed like one attack, but it was actually two!
Earth Mother Primordial Lady and Heaven Duke have always had a tangled relationship. Earth Mother once sneaked into Profound Capital Heaven to steal Heaven Duke’s essence and bore several children.
Their Daos complement each other—but Earth Mother also had tangled affairs with other ancient gods, sneaking into the Netherworld to steal Tu Bo’s essence and having more children. Many ancient gods have had their essence stolen by her, so Heaven Duke isn’t fond of her.
Quinn’s attack landed; his body was already above Elaina Cloud, and his martial great divine art exploded—a fist smashed down!
"Didn’t you say you’d already broken free of the ancient gods’ shackles?"
Quinn’s cultivation erupted in full force; he sneered, "Why use ancient god divine arts, then?"
The palace beneath Elaina Cloud shattered, and with a whoosh, the two crashed down like meteors, vanishing from sight.
A moment later, a long river appeared—Elaina Cloud stood atop it, while five cloud-thunder bells transformed into blazing divine weapons, giant bells surrounding Quinn Shepherd, shaking the air. The celestial river coiled, trapping Quinn tightly within.
Behind her, dragon-turtle and soaring-serpent writhed and roared, the thousand-feathered serpent merging with the celestial river. The river spun, wings slashing like blades, cutting toward the trapped Quinn—lightning-fast, thunderous!
The five cloud-thunder bells kept trembling, blasting the space around Quinn until it cracked and crumbled.
The dragon-turtle shook itself, its shell pieces flying up and assembling into a heavy cube-shaped seal, trapping Quinn inside so he couldn’t escape—doomed to be refined by the five cloud-thunder bells and celestial river-serpent!
"If Elaina Cloud really is Empress Aurelia or Madam Yuanmu, then she truly has broken free of the ancient gods’ shackles!"
Cyrus Qi’s face changed; he turned to Liam Cloud. "Sickly Young Lord, how did you meet her and become sworn siblings?"
Liam Cloud looked pale and forced a bitter smile. "How could I have known she was so strong? Even Shepherd Heavenly Venerable can’t beat her in a fair fight…"
Just then, Jadecrest’s senior disciple, Chang Xiting, flew over, lunging straight for Quinn Shepherd and Elaina Cloud. He’d been badly wounded by the Origin-Root Heartwood Staff, and Jadecrest Divine Palace was in ruins—he was furious, his mind blank except for the urge to kill Quinn!
Annie spread her wings, transforming into a dragon-sparrow; her spirit flew out, forcefully blocking his attack.
Chang Xiting, beside himself with rage, was about to fight Annie to the death when Liam Cloud shouted, "Senior Brother Chang, calm down! It wasn’t Shepherd Heavenly Venerable who destroyed Jadecrest Divine Palace—it was the Empress!"
"Go curse your mother..."
Chang Xiting was about to curse, but it was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him—he shivered and stammered, "Sickly Young Lord, what did you say?"
Liam Cloud replied nonchalantly, "Empress Aurelia borrowed Shepherd Heavenly Venerable’s divine weapon and destroyed Jadecrest Divine Palace."
Chang Xiting’s face changed dramatically; he looked at the battling Quinn and Elaina amid the ruins, and stammered, "Empress Aurelia?"
Drake Piers glanced at him, drawling, "If you run now, maybe you’ll make it. Jadecrest Divine Palace was destroyed—your master Jadecrest won’t spare you. Now you know it was Empress Aurelia behind it, and she won’t spare you either..."
Chang Xiting’s hands and feet went cold—he turned and fled at once, howling away.
He knew the score—Jadecrest wouldn’t kill him, but would make him wish for death, locking him away for who knows how many years. With Jadecrest Divine Palace destroyed, Jadecrest Heavenly Venerable’s pride was shattered, and someone had to be punished.
But knowing Empress Aurelia was behind it changed everything.
Empress Aurelia would never let him live to spill the truth to Jadecrest God-Emperor!
So he made a snap decision—abandon Jadecrest Divine Palace and flee for his life.
Elsewhere, the Black Tortoise seal exploded; Quinn Shepherd gripped his blade, hacking apart Elaina Cloud’s grand divine art, slashing at her as his power turned wild and violent.
"Quinn, don’t be so reckless!"
Elaina Cloud was nearly decapitated by his slash and grew furious, lowering her voice: "I’ve already gone easy on you—do you really think you can match my power? This chamber pot, I’m giving it to you. You’d better carry it!"
——Second update’s here; third update coming tonight!